Garlic

UT Extension Agent and garlic fanatic Lucas Holman talks all about garlic. There are two major types of garlic: soft neck and hard neck. Soft neck garlic is what you usually find in the store. It does not have a flower stalk through the middle of the bulb. It grows best in zones 8 and warmer. Soft neck garlic stores for up to a year. Hard neck garlic has a flower stalk and only keeps for 5-6 months. It grows best in zone 6 and colder. Both kinds can be grown successfully in zone 7.

Garlic is easy to grow. It should be planted in the ground in the fall and harvested early the next summer. It will grow a green stem in the fall and then not do much in the cold of winter. It will begin growing again in the spring. It should be fertilized, but not with nitrogen after April as that will encourage green growth not bulb formation.

Lucas harvests his garlic when the bottom leaves have turned brown but there are still 5-6 green leaves on the plant. He bundles the garlic and hangs it in a well-ventilated area out of the sun to dry. After it has dried he cuts off the top and places them in net bags for storage.

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