PRO Gardeners Tips to MASTERING GARLIC Growth: Increase Your Yield by 75%!

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Thank you all so much for watching and Grow BIG!

[@amygriffith3598]

My garlic harvest was ready earlier than usual this year. I’ve been adding new varieties over the years and I ordered German Extra Hardy from you for this year, and wow- the heads are HUGE! Bigger than my palm!

[@Hi-dw6ol]

Where did you order the German Extra Hardy from?

[@irony11]

​@@Hi-dw6olRe-read OP comment.

[@amygriffith3598]

@@Hi-dw6ol MIGardener last fall. We’re in the Pacific NW and garlic does grow really well here so that might be part of it too.

[@samanthahartart]

Mine was ready earlier than usual too! I'm also in the PNW.

[@orange2sweet673]

Love scapes! Make garlic pesto, garlic butter and garlic and chive cream cheese spread with my scapes. Plus freeze for later on!

[@ishoulduserumble]

Pickled garlic scapes are delicious - pick your favorite pickling recipe and try it. They have a crunch like a fresh green bean with the tanginess of a pickle.

[@JRoadzReegz]

Salt brine scape pickles taste olive ish for my pallate soooo delicious!! Great in omelettes

[@andreahughes1500]

This year I chopped and dried my scapes, the used a coffee grinder to blitz it into powder. It made a green, garlic-chive tasting spice powder. Works in any recipe where you might use garlic powder.

[@user-ye1go6hw9r]

Learned the hard way: Garlic goes in at the same time that squirrels are working overtime - screen covers/wire wastepaper baskets from the dollar store work great to get them through to grow-time.

[@ginavandam735]

Here we have badger-problem...looking for worms but sabotage the planting...

[@47retta]

Squirrels eat garlic???

[@sociopathmercenary]

​@@47rettaonly Italian squirrels

[@user-ye1go6hw9r]

@@47retta I hope not, it would likely kill them. They sure dig it up, though.

[@Dash22448]

I pulled my garlic this week, I followed your guides and they turned out huge. I was so shocked seeing how big the bulbs are.

[@missourigirl4101]

Luke- thanks for the tips. I do pluck the garlic scapes but never considered the time of day.

[@joshuahoyer1279]

Love the scapes! We just pulled our garlic this weekend. Very happy with the yield. I planted double rows at 4-6", with 18" between each double row. Threw a cover crop of peas, oats and mustard over top and added a little compost. Then once the cover died in January, threw some shredded leaves over top and let it do it's thing. Fed it a few times with compost tea while it was growing on. We got a few smallish heads, but overall I was shocked at the size of the heads, both softneck and hardneck. Can't wait to see the total weight once curing is finished. (Zone 8b Willamette Valley, OR)

[@emilybh6255]

Garlic doesn't like competition. Next time I wouldn't plant anything on top of them. Just put your leaf mulch over top and your compost tea. Also you don't need to plant them any deeper than 4" especially in zone 8. Keene Garlic is a great place to get all the info you need about growing garlic plus they can recommend varieties of "seed" that does best in your growing zone and get them to you before planting time.

[@joshuahoyer1279]

@@emilybh6255 I keep hearing that, but honestly I got the biggest bulbs yet this year. I guess they didn't have competition when it mattered. In the fall/winter, they're just getting established and vernalizing. Come springtime everything else was dead and feeding the soil biology. When I said 4-6", I meant the spacing between cloves in the double rows. I only went about finger deep when planting (my index finger is about 3" long), and added an inch of compost altogether with the cover crop. Then they got about 4-6" of leaf mulch when the cover crop died. Once temps rose out of freezing, I pulled the mulch back to get the soil warming up quicker.

[@emilybh6255]

@@joshuahoyer1279 Glad you are happy with your results. But still, I recommend checking out Keene Garlic just for fun. Martha Stewart buys from them and it is just a fun website all around. I bought my first seeds from them allowing them to choose what would work for me in my zone and I had a 99% success rate of bulbs produced from cloves planted my first year! I think I planted 75 cloves in 2 4ft wide by 10 foot long raised beds. The bulbs produced were decent sized with a size range from average to generous! (I sent a picture of my harvest to them and they said they thought "...it was a good harvest",and it was my first time ever growing garlic!)

[@jeas4980]

I'm in the South of Virginia and we are zone 8a/7b... so our winters are typically mild. I plant out garlic in November. This past November I experimented growing my garlic in fabric grow bags and I DO NOT RECOMMEND this for other gardeners. The bags did not retain the moisture as needed and I got a very puny harvest. The ones planted in my raised beds (which are a lot more "earthy") were normal sized. I'm certain it wasn't the variety I used... it was a mix of soft and hard neck garlics. Raised beds did well, fabric grow bags did not. I didn't understand why until just now. Thank you, Luke!

[@Gardeningchristine]

I don’t grow anything in grow bags. I’ve got to water every day from June through September, so I can’t imagine how much I’d need to water a grow bag.

[@kevinbossick8374]

My raised beds also did better than my usual containers. Although, last year those containers did well.

[@stephaniehanuman-dale6279]

Planted garlic in early November in zone 10 CA but something pulled up all of them Not sure if it was crows or squirrels but this year I’m using some netting 😢 🧄

[@kathyhayes5578]

I'm in 7a and I planted it in a grow bag and mine were puny too!

[@lyta1138]

Just harvested about half of mine. Can't wait until it cures! This is one crop I'm not worried about using up. Will try to plant more next year!

[@charlesvickers4804]

I grow a small patch that I never dig. This is just for the scapes and flowers I let some of the flowers bloom. Put the fresh ones on salads then dry some that I put in soups and stews in the off season.

[@TheMattst73]

My garlic was 2 weeks early this year. I have them curing now. This was a bigger year, but I still wish I could of gotten another 2 weeks of the bulbs growing.

[@cesrelawrence-towner9453]

I planted garlic (but more as a pest deterrent), still this is great to know. I got my seeds (mostly late season variety) I ordered from you. They're going today!

[@BrickTop06]

That's exactly what I've been doing for a few years. I barely even harvested it last year and then this spring had garlic everywhere in the garden. It looks like grass/weeds so it's easy to miss at first.

[@ericawhitfield9289]

Very helpful! Thanks, Luke. It’s one thing I’ve never tried growing.

[@pampotgieter7611]

Thank You for those awesome tips. The way you explained why, makes sense. I love garlic. I like to grate Garlic, Ginger and Tumeric into my plain Yoghurt. I try to eat them every day. Still learning to grow things. Great to learn from people like you. 💚✅🌿💚✅🌿💚✅🌿💚✅🌿

[@karenclement7903]

I thought about growing garlic last fall but didn't have any cloves to plant. I had a couple garlic bulbs in the kitchen from the grocery store. I thought why not just stick 6 cloves in the ground and see what happens. They scaped about 2 weeks ago. lol. I don't know if the bulbs have done much but I'll be looking to buy some german German hardy this year.

[@DanlowMusic]

I just cut my scapes a couple days ago. We played our dinners around them so we can use them up in the next couple weeks. So what about 4-6 weeks and I should have a decent harvest. Fingers crossed

[@WelcometomyCapeCodlife]

I love growing garlic! Can’t wait for harvest time! I have some scapes in the fridge to use!

[@sunshinedunker3220]

Just the information I needed on growing and harvesting garlic! Thank you!

[@dawnbielawski9212]

Hi Luke! I planted hardneck and cut the scapes this week. They are delicious! For the softneck I planted, they seem ready to pull already but I'm trying to wait until we have a couple days with no rain in SE MI.

[@samanthahoos9827]

😊I pulled the last of my garlic last week and was thrilled to be able to give some away after processing it for several uses. I gave some scapes away (very appreciated) and found the scent of the garlic remained in the soil to help with pest control on the next planted starts into those beds.

[@gferraro8353]

Michigan weather: not sure i will plant anything til late summer or fall . Lost most everything from wind and too much rain. Ponds in the yard We got that microburst, it was like a war zone. i got garlic from you, same mild winter in Michigan. They were growing great until these storms. Probably mushy..

[@cerickson5256]

Thanks going to pick them now! I had no idea and just saw the scapes yesterday!

[@turtlewoman]

Thanks Luke!

[@kbjerke]

We just harvested our scapes. Gave some to the neighbours and used some in omelets! Also froze some. Thanks, Luke!

[@Yeshuawater]

Thank you This is great help. Bless you

[@terrivance8750]

Great info, Luke--thank you. 😊

[@Gardeningchristine]

If you like garlic scapes, LEEK scapes are great! They are sweeter, bigger, crunchier, and have a mild onion flavor. I love them all!🧄

[@airecraft1]

I got Amish hard neck garlic from you last fall they did incredible!!!’

[@toddcathyfranklin4189]

Been doing this for years

[@Dil_garden]

Nice sharing friend 👌

[@cardstockcollector]

Thank You!

[@brianbarker2670]

Thanks, didn't know that you should remove scapes in early am or to water soon after.

[@floragomez1300]

When do you fertilize them and what did you use?

[@lauriedavis4045]

General fert at fall planting (I used Trifecta+ this time). Come spring, you want heavy, regular Nitrogen feeds--big green tops oddly enough are needed to grow large bulbs. Blood meal or any liquid fish/seaweed, every 2-3 weeks.

[@cherylmcnaughton7287]

I have never actually fertilized, but I get big bulbs. I usually just add lots of composted manure in late summer before planting. This year I'll turn in the rest of the lettuce I'll grow after I harvest the garlic. I'll probably eat my words when I pull my bulbs 😂

[@angelaraum1545]

Sadly mine must have turned into soil. I have no garlic. I planted in September provided mulch in containers. 1 was in a grow bag, 1 was in a regular container. They initially grew green leaves in oct/Nov.

[@cherylmcnaughton7287]

My garlic is all supposedly hardnec, yet no scapes on half of the bed. Pulling the scapes today. I have never had that happen before.

[@IAMGiftbearer]

All my garlic rotted in the fabric grow bags because it rained almost every day for over a month! I wonder if I had grown it in the ground if it would have had enough drainage to survive anyway. Maybe I'll try again that way now that it is no longer raining.

[@pauhy5601]

@MIGardener,did you almost said-"Be A Plant Person" a borrowed slogan from Justin Lane of S& K Garden channel,ha?.

[@terrivance8750]

Would love more scape recipe videos! 😋😊

[@happyhobbit8450]

Wonderful tips ... I did learn somethings -- thank you so much! If I only grew one variety then the scapes should all come up at the same time?

[@bwaters2696]

Hi, in the fall will you plant some hard neck garlic in a pot? Am not sure what I am doing wrong. This is my second year with know results. I am in zone 6 thank you in advance.

[@Freesorin837]

Don't know why, but after multiple years of good harvests this year's garlic didn't do so well. The stems popped up and got tall, but all around they fell over while still green. When I dug them up, the stems seem to have been ruptured a few inches above the bulb, and the bulbs themselves are tiny. I might not have kept up with watering earlier in the year, but I don't think if that would cause the stems to have break open underground the way they did.

[@shervin6711]

Video for what to do with them to use/ store? Thanks

[@charlenek.2853]

When do you initially plant your garlic?

[@richardhineman]

Great videos. I haven’t grown garlic yet but I’m wanting to give it a go.

[@Hi-dw6ol]

You definitely should!! I planted garlic last fall and just harvested mine. It tastes so good and it’s easy to grow!! I bought two types of planting bulbs from Bakers Creek. And now have a lot of garlic hanging and drying. I picked out ten of the largest bulbs to plant this fall. I shouldn’t have to buy more planting bulbs. Great investment.

[@richardhineman]

@@Hi-dw6ol Thanks Im going to take your advice and plant some this fall.

[@amyschmelzer6445]

Look into the price of buying seed garlic online and having it shipped. It might make more sense to buy regular eating garlic at your local farmers market. Ask around and if the farmer knows the name of the garlic they grew, I recommend buying the ones that look the best and saving them for seed. I grow a combination of hard and soft necked garlics. The one I bought online is probably my least favorite variety. The six varieties that I got from friends and local farmers do better in my area.

[@richardhineman]

@@amyschmelzer6445 Thank you 🙏

[@kevinbossick8374]

@@amyschmelzer6445I buy from a local farm store that the nearby agricultural college runs. Works great, and definitely less expensive than ordering.

[@KristenK78]

This past winter in SW PA was mild, too. I’m hoping that was part of why I got smaller heads, and two were mushy? 1) I planted some hardneck (Musik) garlic in late October or early November-can’t remember exactly. Burpee said it should take 240 days, which was no sooner than May 1. 2) We had a warm snap in November. I hadn’t expected the cloves to sprout, but they did. 3) December and January were average, maybe on the warmer side of normal. 4) February was unseasonably warm. More like April. 5) March and April were more typical, but I did start seeing brown leaves way early. I didn’t know any better and pulled them off when they died. 6) May 1 came and went, didn’t have scapes until May 22. I also checked one bulb at that time, which looked small. So I harvested the scapes May 26. 7) Leaves were turning brown in earnest by the time I cut the scapes, so I harvested most of them June 5. Those are still drying in the basement. They look decent, but smaller than I expected. Did I do something wrong, like picking the brown/rotted looking leaves so early? Are small bulbs typical for Music? Was it the weather being all over the place that kept them small? Some combination, or maybe something else?

[@79PoisonBreaker]

when they sprouted early the bulbs likely used up lots of energy that was lost to cold winter. you want them to sprout after the cold months and they will grow much bigger. best planting time is just a couple weeks before the ground freezes after all the trees lose leaves. This will have the bulbs grow roots but not greens, later when it warms roots are full ready to focus on growing big. if you fear mild winter and want hardneck garlic try keeping garlic in fridge for about 8 weeks( cold stratify) and plant in early spring, you will get better results then you got this time but not as big as if planted fall getting time to grow roots early.

[@79PoisonBreaker]

music garlic for me has rather large bulbs and cloves. hello from Canada zone 3 where soft neck dies from our cold winter lol.

[@Rocco25.6]

Beets take time but how much time and when to plant and when to harvest I can not get it too grow with any luck

[@CottageontheCorner]

I planted elephant garlic, and also a soft neck, regular garlic variety in the fall in zone 7B and it was all thriving… Until it wasn’t. All the leaves were pointed upwards and strong and then everything started flopping over and I have no idea why. We had some extremely heavy rain several times and I don’t feel like the soil dried out enough possibly. Could that kill all my garlic?😩

[@79PoisonBreaker]

This is not what I learned about scapes. #1 the mono bulb is due to lack of cold stratafication or age if grown from bubil . can you share where you got the info that it has something to do with scapes?. #2 To get the best size bulbs the scape gets picked before it goes strait but after it makes 1 full round. Thanks for the reminder to start searching mine.

[@CamMcB]

Much ado about rabbits that repeatedly trampled and knocked down soft neck garlic but not the hardneck Some partial unsealed heads of garlic if you will So far tasty cloves with individual cloves papered

[@mr.justryan3481]

Can you do the same with onions?

[@millermdiehl]

Your garlic must be behind us here in central Ohio. I harvest my garlic scapes last month and just harvest my garlic this week

[@cherylmcnaughton7287]

I'm in Maine and mine is weeks away, which is also early for us.

[@officiallaskardoa]

👍👍👍👍👍👍🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

[@TheSimArchitect]

I love garlic escapes. I never harvested my garlic but it only gave me escapes on the first year. Then it stays there getting thicker (more leaves) but no escapes. I hope the garlic is edible if one day I need it, but thus far I just buy dehydrated garlic, already cleaned and sliced LOL.

[@gferraro8353]

It's scapes that curl up - I don't think you will have edible garlic bulbs by leaving them. They start to bulge out, break away from the head . There are videos that show what they look like when left too long.

[@TheSimArchitect]

@@gferraro8353 Nice! I will look into it!

[@bornagainbuddhist1969]

Does this also apply to "Elephant Garlic" 🤔

[@fionag8869]

I planted soft neck last fall and hey all started to grow then was killed by he winer and never returned, im gonna try hard neck nxt yr

[@ponytaclub5539]

I’m in Central PA zone 6b, this year was soooo rainy that my garlic rotted in the ground. Those survived ended up very small. I planted them in November - both softneck and hardheck and only hardneck was more or less living up to the time of harvest, still looking not healthy at all. It was much warmer this year, as if it was zone 7, warm and wet all the time, garlic was tall and green all winter and began to wilt and die back starting the spring… I don’t know how to get a decent harvest in the ground… it was a healthy soil with a lot of organic matter, decomposed woodchips, thick pine needles mulch… I don’t know what I could do better. It was such a disappointment

[@RJ-mh1bu]

All my garlic came up that I bought from you except my German. I planted last fall.😢 My soft neck garlic falling over but apparently not ready to harvest. Garlic very small and has ac part forming it appears to be a scape or flower coming. What would be up with it?

[@gfy2979]

This seems logical, that the plant is using "energy" to form flowers instead of bulbs but it really doesn't make much of a difference whether you cut the scapes off or not, but they are good to eat

[@MIgardener]

Our friends own a farm and they grow garlic for a living. They run a tall mower over the garlic heads to cut the scapes off. You even see it being done with tulips.

[@francesherman9083]

I live in Southern California in the desert.Would it be better to grow soft necks?

[@kevinbossick8374]

Yes. And plant in December.

[@prairierider7569]

Okay, don’t tell me to plant in fall please as I’ve done that twice and twice it was a disaster, where this has worked every year.. I plant my garlic spring and harvest right before the first solid frost.. this way I get garlic, of course those are as big as fall to july , instead may-october in alberta, Canada

[@General_Ethos]

When should I plant garlic? I live in Washington state.

[@richandclaus]

I planted my Mom’s garlic late last October in Tacoma, and she cut her scapes a couple weeks ago.

[@General_Ethos]

@@richandclaus okay, I planted mine from transplants I got from my brother and it’s just about ready to harvest. I’ll try planting again in October to over winter and do the same with my walla walla sweet onions. I planted both WW onions and white onions early this spring.

[@ht6684]

Here I thought you were going to say to get 75% more plant more. 🤣🤣

[@idahofishgamer3560]

All my elephant garlic turned into mono bulbs my other garlic was perfect I cut all the scapes at 6 inched what happened

[@mskippi]

I want Egyptian onions but don’t know where to find it

[@gferraro8353]

He had them in the catalog last year and then they were not available last year. I want them too !

[@mskippi]

@@gferraro8353 thank you

[@nicholascervone4734]

If garlic, forms just one big giant ball like an onion. It's because it didn't get enough cold.

[@yougoman1]

Bulbils not seeds :)

[@firequeen2194]

I’m disappointed. I overwintered my garlic but I think I planted too soon. It was growing like gangbusters and now, nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. 😢. I’m leaving it but I’m heartbroken. Maybe it’ll volunteer next year? 🙏

[@LaurieH57]

Apparently I harvested too early? :(

[@Gardeningchristine]

Probably not. My garlic was a month early this year and I still had some overripe with no skins.

[@LaurieH57]

@@Gardeningchristine Tiny, tiny heads and almost no skin. In SEPA, now technically zone 7a. :(

[@KristenK78]

⁠@@LaurieH57SW PA too, we had such a weird winter, spring-like February, normalish March & April. Small hard necks.

[@ARUNKUMAR-gh3uw]

75% bigger than what?

[@tegoblue]

What's going on with your video? It looks jumpy, like jump cuts were made, but the sound is seamless. It is distracting.

[@gang-ridertv5433]

Filthy Frank pose 0:00

[@ChuckP25.]

Luke - cut your grass!!!