Garlic strains, timing and virus simple and easy! The Garden Side Chat with Phil Easi, episode 1

[@HeatherRose_]

Hi Phil, new sub here. I just found you tonight. You may have talked about this in a previous video but I haven't seen them all yet. I bought some organic garlic at the grocery store. Can I separate it and plant it in a pot and put it outside now? I live south of Georgian Bay in Ontario and we have snow up to our eyeballs. I've never grown garlic before so if this is a stupid question just be gentle, ok? Ha,ha.

[@EasyGardenHacks]

Hi Heather, great question! I have not tried this myself however it is my understanding that yes you can plant garlic now and put it out in a pot. Here are the things to consider. The yield of garlic will be reduced compared to planting in the fall but should be a bit better than planting in the spring (roots dont get a chance to establish in winter but do in the fall). With a container I would think about how to insulate it. My garlic is in the ground, covered but mulch (old hay), and like you under a bunch (at least 2-3 feet) of snow at present. With pots the cold temp can freeze the whole thing solid and I would expect this to affect your survival rate = less garlic. If you can, dig a hole in the snow deep enought to bury the container, cover with a mulch (straw, hay, wood chips) and then cover with lots of snow. Might be a fun winter pandemic activity?? Again thanks for the question and subscribing. I have a whole playlist on garlic if you get bored lol. Take care, happy planting!

[@HeatherRose_]

@@EasyGardenHacks Thanks so much! I'll do just as you say and let you know how it turns out.

[@EasyGardenHacks]

@@HeatherRose_ Very cool. Please do let me know what happens. Gardening is an experiment every year, there are always new twists and turns. Enjoy!

[@FWYSGT]

What happened? Looked forward to hearing about your garlic harvest and to see if you did the 10k cloves and what happened. I did 2300 this year and looking at 5k for next year

[@EasyGardenHacks]

Hi, sorry have not been making vids for a while. Harvest went really well pulled over 5000. I finally got to the point where I was able to sell. Sold over 200lbs in less than a day, wow. I did not do the 10k, my garden space became an issue, I kept it at 4500-5000 which seems to be a decent balance. Very happy to hear you got the 2300 done and yes 5k next year....possible more for you after that? I am thinking I may take another go at the bulbills this coming year and put some real effort into renewing the crop. Maybe I will get my umph back for making the videos. Really nice to hear from you and so glad things are progressing. Happy holiday to you and yours

[@FWYSGT]

@@EasyGardenHacks I am going to try selling it powdered. I have a freeze dryer. 10-20k would be a good starting point depending on demand. I have to ask how much did you sell a lb for? I struggle with price. Did you sell by the bulb or lb? Happy that you got 5k. That's a bunch of garlic! People look at you when you tell them that you think about selling it like you're nuts but obviously based on your experience there's a huge demand for it.

[@EasyGardenHacks]

@@FWYSGT I sold on the more affordable side of the price spectrum this year noting how expensive many things got for everyone and I am doing it for fun. 10$ per pound locally here in BC. I saw it going for 10-14 on average up to 16. If a person wants to sell "seed garlic" (your best and biggest) it goes for 2.5$ per bulb which can be more profit depending on weight of your bulbs. Check out markets and or a site like Facebook Marketplace for what people are selling it for around you. I had a garden center approach me to sell my garlic for me for 10%, might be worth it if I had a lot more. You can also try local groceries and restuarants for possible customers. I had a first happen this year for me, I may end up making a vid in the spring. The weather was so weird it stayed warm very late into fall, no leaves came off the trees before snow fall, I now have 2 feet of snow covering everthing and never was able to mulch the garlic! Yikes, i think it will be fine over the winter with the snow now insulating from the freezing cold. I am hoping for the leaves to be accessable prior to the galic poking up through the earth so I can mulch then. We will have to see. All part of the adventure. Thanks again for reaching out, nice to hear from fellow growers