Plantmom, since you are in San Diego, you need to plant a garlic that is grown in your area (Gilroy, CA is the garlic capitol of the world) and is soft-neck garlic. I'd think you would plant it in mid to late January and harvest about now. Some store garlic is treated with an "anti-sprouting" spray. If you can find bulk garlic pick out the biggest heads, and if any of them have tiny green tips on the cloves, grab those! Bulk garlic isn't sprayed, usually. Your garlic bed needs to have loose soil, moderate fertility, and the garlic needs to be watered lightly. I don't think you did anything wrong--perhaps planted at the wrong time or the garlic you purchased was not very healthy. Give it another try, please!
MG, I couldn't have said it any better! Plantmom: I have found garlic to be the easiest crop to grow. Good luck!
Ah gee Cayuga, you make me blush! The funny thing about garlic is there are hardneck and softneck types, and here in Texas softneck just doesn't do much, but hardneck takes off like rockets. A lady wanted to buy some of my garlic before I cut off the yellowed leaves--she wanted to make a garlic braid. When I told her that this was a hardneck variety and didn't braid, she wanted me to "pick" the garlic earlier when the neck was still soft! I suggested a vacation to Gilroy.
Odif, this website may be of help to you: https://www.garden.eco/hardneck-vs-softneck-garlic I have no idea which variety would do well for you in your climate, but if anyone can grow great garlic, it would be you!
I like the hardnecked varieties because I enjoy harvesting the scapes when they develop. Such a delicious mild garlic flavor & they are these pretty curly-cues on the plate!
Just planted an entire bulb (ie, 16 cloves) in 3 large containers. Went 3-4" deep and watered right away. I will fertilize with some phosphorous rich product to give them food for winter.
Hi @Catdaddy6676 I hope they take off well mate ...me and hubby used to have it regular for our systems and help regarding colds.
A story I wrote about my planting garlic.... ONCE UPON A TIME, It was October, about Mid October, at The Funny Farm. Mid October was a time of abundance there. The hundred year old orchard had trees with bended branches dripping with pears and apples that were not quite ready to pick. They were waiting upon a bit more frost to make them a bit softer and sweeter. The plum trees were about done. The big event of Mid October was the arrival of the garlic bulbs. For years, the farm gal been trying to grow enough each year and have enough garlic bulbs leftover to give her seed for the next year, so she would not have to depend on purchasing it from others. So far, each year she failed miserably, and not for trying. but the garlic she grew was just so tasty, it went fast. This one special year she was determined to succeed. The farm gal ordered oodles, and I do mean oodles, of a variety called German Extra Hardy. She loved her garlic and she adored the many varieties, but decided to take a chance on this lone one this year. The bulbs arrived in a big big big box, and the garlic bulbs looked like they had played in the box the whole trip when they arrived....and, she thought she had heard a bunch of giggling just before she opened the box. Garlic bulbs have a way of traveling and enjoying the entire ride. No one has ever traveled in the box with them that I know of, but just the whole situation of their beings residing in the box when their arrival happens tells pretty much the story. Mayhem was the situation inside. Bulbs in bags, bulbs out of bags, bulbs in every corner, situation, and state were definite signs of 'play'. Surely, it must've been a fun ride for them heading to The Funny Farm, and they must've made the best of it. The farm gal slowly took her time examining each and every bulb, and she swears she could hear little giggles and fun sounds every once in awhile coming from them. This batch was definitely a fun group, happy indeed. This type of response from the garlic bulbs as she sorted them made her job even easier. She adored happy garlic. Their giggles made her giggle, and giggling is a big part of the farm gal's life. The farm guy carried his side out of the preparation to plant the garlic and charged up the tractor and hooked the tiller on it and headed for the large area set aside in the gardens for the plantings. Even being a newbie on the farm, he did a swell job and the farm gal was so pleased. Next was her duty to separate the cloves and prepare them for the planting. Believe it or not, the cloves were even happier to be released from their brothers and sisters and buddies within their paper like wraps, as all took a big sigh of relief knowing a new adventure awaited them. Next, the farm gal would gently place them in the ground, and cover them with a mulch to keep them warm thru the coming winter months. And, come the next Spring, all the happy little cloves would awake from their long winter sleep and grow and make the farm gal and farm guy smile big time. And, the farm guy and farm gal and all the little garlic cloves lived happily ever after...except for the few the dayum moles munched on...ah, such is life. The End.
The garlic I planted in late October is up--little green shoots showing. I think we will possibly have another good garlic harvest. We have enough 2018 garlic to last us until the new crop is harvested and dried. If we don't I'll just make fewer Italian dishes for dinner .
