mdvpc, I'm in Tucson, Az. and plant garlic in nov. each year and harvest at the end of may or early june when the lower leaves start to die, about 6inches apart in rich garden soil with heavy mulch to keep ground cool and even moisture while growing. I don't fertilize except to prepare the bed with composted manure and bone meal prior to planting. 8)

Tuk-I was in Tucson for 2 days last week. The weather was beautiful! Problem is, I grow only in containers, and Bark's comment was that for the space of one tomato plant, you could grow enough garlic for a family. I guess I will research this over the holiday.

[quote=barkeater;79470] ... in the space 1 tomato plant takes up, you'll harvest more than you and a family of 4 could eat in a year![/quote]

No way! I couldn't disagree more. Ultimately I s'pose, it depends on how much that family of four likes (and likes to use) garlic. Garlic planted in the space that one tomato plant takes up, will last but a month or less at my place. Way less, if you consider what I put aside to use as seed stock for the following growing season.

The Mrs and I love the stuff. If a recipe calls for two cloves of garlic, at least an entire head will go in. (And I'll bet a LOT of folks who grow their own garlic do something similar.) Sometimes we prepare a dinner based on how much garlic we have at the moment.

[quote=barkeater;79470] Garlic has to be the easiest crop to grow yourself ... [/quote]

It's easy, IF you keep the bed weeded. Garlic doesn't like competing with weeds for garden space. So the 'hard' part is the tedious task of pulling little weedlets out that have popped up thru the mulch since the LAST time the bed was weeded. So, YES you can stick a garlic clove in the ground and it'll surely sprout and eventually bear fruit ... but boy can garlic be high-maintenance with the weeding.

J

I've never been able to get the individual cloves in a head to a very large stage, either. We are fairly heavy users, so a year's worth for our family of two would take up a fair amount of space.

I planted 105 cloves in a 3'x9' bed. And, another 23 cloves in a 2'x3' bed.

mdvpc, we have been having one of the mildest falls since I've been here (25yrs) and enjoying every minute of it... lol.
Like soilsniffer (great name) and Ruth_10 said, my family can use that much in a month also. We use heads of garlic not cloves for fresh salsas and cooking alike. For some reason the last couple of years garlic heads can be found around here for 10cents and up. We are in Las Cruces this weekend visiting the grandkids and I bought some here at a farmers market for 25cents a head. This way we get to try different varieties and only grow the varieties we like the best. 8)

Tik-Well, its Saturday, and its snowing here in El Paso, probably in Cruces also.

I ordered some garlic from an organic source-going to germinate it in my greenhouse in 5 large containers-then put it out of the greenhouse and see what happens.

been raining off and on all day here in Cruces and almost cold enough, but no snow in town. I'm going back to Tucson tomorrow and thaw out....Brrrrrrrr! It is unsually warm for us and have been delaying my garlic planting this year, but won't be long before I put it in. I didn't make it to Rudy's this trip, I love the BBQ sauce with the horseradish in it. State Line is where my son and dil used to take us till I tasted Rudy's.. lol..8)

garlic
 

Ive growen garlic in 5 gallon buckets with a tomato plant as a compaion plant and it did fine,not a huge head but a decent size one.We love garlic 2 planted 12 varieties this year,looking for the best variety for salsa and hot sause for my son,we hear it's not what we're growing but o well,next year!!!!!;)

Tuk-Rudy's is good barbecue -just opened in El Paso-are you talking about going to the one on I-10 here in El Paso?

Yeah! I didn't know there was others. My son has to go to El Paso every week or two and when I'm there I go and sample the different places to eat lunch! Been bringing a couple quarts of Rudy's home each time. I haven't been able to get it right here at home, but a project in the works. We came home to Tucson sunday morning and there was snow on the ground in Cruces, but my tomatoes are still going here in Tucson. It was about 34degrees here this morning and supposed to get warmer this next week.8)

Rudys is a chain, is big in Austin, etc. I heard Cruces didnt get much snow.

your right, hardly any, when we left sunday morning there was about an inch that fell in the wee hours of the morning and disappeared by 0900hrs. My son lives in the foothills on the east side of town and the elevation is a bit higher than the city itself.
My tomato vines were in great shape when we got home sunday, but sunday night it was right at 32 and the top of some plants look a bit burned now, but this week its supposed to be back in the 70's day and 50's night. Bonnie Best and Green Zebra both are loaded with green tomatoes.8)

If you guys don't quit talking about that great BBQ you'll have to send all of us some:twisted: . Nothing like some good BBQ in the middle of winter up north!!!

BOY did this thread get hijacked.