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Old May 5, 2018   #1
GoDawgs
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Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b
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Default Dug the garlic this morning and a few questions

OK, I went ahead and dug the garlic this morning. Perfect weather for it, cloudy and breezy.



They were planted Sep 14. Total take from the bed was 64 Maiskij (the name means May harvest), 18 Scilla and 11 Walmart grocery bulbs. I had bought two WalMart bulbs for planting because they were the biggest, prettiest I had ever seen in their produce aisle. Just couldn’t help myself!

It looks like I got the garlic just in time as 5 of 11 WalMart bulbs and one Maiskij were starting to come apart. It may be that the WalMart bulbs were “older” in that they were the first to start shooting all those skinny leaves.



I came across maybe six or seven double and two triple bulbs. 4” spacing for last year’s and this year’s planting. Didn’t have any last year. Triple left, double right:



Question… is this because they were maybe left in the ground longer that they developed side bulbs? Can or should I separate them now to dry individually or should I let them dry a bit and then split them apart?

I’m drying them on two big window screens I bought at a yard sale last year for this purpose and had to also use my compost sifter. The screens are up on bricks to allow air flow underneath.



The bulbs are laid on the screens in an alternating fashion for air flow. Last year I turned them each day for about three days and then tied them in bundles to hang under the pole shed to cure.



After that they were hung from the clothes bar of an indoor closet that’s not used for much and they stored really well.

One more nice surprise… scapes! I guess I hadn’t been looking too closely. There were no scapes last year but the Scilla had some this morning and just a few of the Maiskij. Maybe because the bulbs were further along this year? Enough to have with lunch today!

If anyone has any suggestions to improve on how I'm handling these bulbs, feel free to make 'em. I'm always open to doing things better. I can read a lot on how to do stuff (and I do) but there's nothing like hearing from those who have "been there, done that".
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