
How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Garlic
- Learn how to make your own garlic powder to easily spice up a recipe.
- Roasted garlic bulbs are also a favorite of ours!
- Around the time of the summer solstice (late June), hardneck garlic sends up a seed stalk, or scape. Allow it to curl, then cut off the curl to allow the plant to put its energy into bulb formation. Use the scapes in cooking the same way you would garlic bulbs. We like to stir fry scapes the way we cook green beansâsimilar, with a spicy kick! Note that they get more fibrous and less edible as they mature.

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I discovered a dried garlic stalk with a dried "bloom" while trimming hedges last month. Now its mid November and I've got a dozen garlic plants popping up maybe 10 inches tall. I'm out West Tx way and cold weather is not in the forecast. I'd like to be able to harvest the bulbs at the appropriate time, but none of the comments I've read here fit my situation. Please clue me in.
It’s not really clear what your question is, Tom. Not sure what a dried âbloomâ is; do you mean bulb? If so, it’s past its prime, esp if it was in the ground through the hot summer. The others may be similarly shot (dried). Pull one up and see. It also occurs to me that because you just discovered these (you did not plant them), that they are wild onions. They send up green shoots…and multiply by the dozens. Or it could be wild garlic: Both have thin, green, waxy leaves: those of wild garlic are round and hollow, while those of wild onion are flat and solid. Leaves of wild garlic are hollow and branch off the main stem. Leaves of wild onion are flat, not hollow, and emerge from the base of the plant. Either way, you can eat them, greens and bulb. Pull one or two up; the onions would have a small white bulb; the garlic should show cloves. Hope this helps.
i leave for winter in sept which i think is too early to plant so what i do is come back in march and chip holes in the frozen dirt and plant.i know its a bit unorthodox but works great every year.
I have grown garlic for many years. Especially when I lived in the more Northern parts of Pennsylvania, now that I'm in the more Central part of Pennsylvania my garlic doesn't grow quite as well. It could very possibly be the soil. I'm in a more wooded area now, BUT I'll keep trying.
GREAT ARTICLE you have on Garlic
When it comes time to using my garlic scapes, I make a pesto out of them.
1 cup GARLIC SCAPES - CUT INTO 1" PIECES
1/2 cup FRESH BASIL LEAVES
1/3 cup SLICED ALMONDS OR CHOPPED WALNUTS
1/2 cup EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
1/2 cup GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE
1/2 teaspoon LEMON JUICE
SEA SALT and CRACKED BLACK PEPPER, to taste
METHOD:
1) In a food processor, process the garlic scapes and basil for 30 seconds.
2) Add the nuts and process for another 30 seconds.
3) Slowly drizzle in the olive oil as you continue to run the food processor.
4) Add in the parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix and taste, adjusting salt and pepper, as desired.
- I use this pesto when making a pasta salad, with mayo and add warm jumbo shrimp, REALLY GOOD!
- Use the pesto when adding a topping to pizza
- As a favourite, I mix this pesto with feta cheese, and fried sausage and use this combination to stuff large mushroom caps, DELICIOUS!
- Mix this pesto with ground beef and make really yummy burgers!
Whatever you do, with the scapes, it's a real treat, before you get your main harvest! Just enjoy all the work you put into your gardens. Lots of trials and tribulations but we will learn from the whole fun of the hobby, or lifestyle. There will be rewards of your dirt, sweat and tears, if you keep trying and be patient with yourself and the mistakes you make, along the way. I still have lots to learn, but as long as I'm able to work the soil, I will continue to enjoy, whatever shows green and produces. Have fun!
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