Hunt County Master GardenersTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Winter Planting of Onions, Garlic and Leeks

by

Winter Planting of Onions, Garlic and Leeks by Byron Chitwood, Master Gardener

Although onions, garlic and leeks have been around for a long time, it is not really known where they originated. Archaeologists have found evidence that they have been used as a food source through cultivation for at least 7,000 years. No doubt, the early hunter-gatherers foraged for them in the wild along with anything else growing wild that could be eaten. The earliest evidence of domestication and cultivation has been found in China, Asia and Persia.

The first European settlers to the Americas brought seeds with them. However, they found that the Native Americans were already using them as a food source. They probably cooked or ate them raw with the vegetables they were already cultivating such as corn, beans, squash, tomatoes and potatoes.

For the home gardener, there are many varieties of onions available for cultivation in their garden plot. Onions come in three basic colors: white, red and yellow or brown. They can readily be cultivated from seeds, transplanted using “sets” or from small bulbs that are grown for the specific purpose of gardening.

If you are going to start onions from seeds, now is the time to plant them for a spring garden they will overwinter just fine. They will get an early start towards forming bulbs. Onions need to be planted in a fertile and well drained area with as much full sunshine as possible. Rather than starting onions from seeds, most home gardeners buy small plants or sets that come in bundles of fifty to one hundred individual sets. Since there are many varieties available, choose several different ones to diversify your garden and tastes. White and yellow varieties seem to do the best in our area. As the sets take root and begin to grow, a few can be eaten as “green” onions or scallions. As the days grow longer, the onion sets will begin to form bulbs and immature bulbs can be some of the best eating. Onions are ready to harvest when the green tops begin to fall over. They should be harvested and stored in a cool and dry area. Some varieties keep better than others.

Garlic and Leeks should be planted in October for harvest in mid June. Garlic can be purchased from any major seed and garden supplier. Garlic comes in bulbs made up of from 9 to twenty cloves. Carefully separate the cloves from the bulbs and plant these individual cloves about 4-6 inches apart. They should be planted with the root end down and the sharp end up. Like onions, garlic is ready to harvest when the tops begin to turn yellow and topple over.

The worldwide production of onions is about 100 million tons with china producing about 25% of the total and India not far behind. By comparison, U.S. production is about 3 million tons. If my arithmetic is right, that is about 20 pounds of onions per year for every man, woman and child in the U.S. The Chinese eat about 33 pounds per person. Can one suppose that the demand for breath fresheners will grow at the same rate as the consumption of onions and garlic?

Planting Garlic

by

Planting Garlic by Karla Basallaje, Hunt County Master Gardener.

Garlic (Allium Sativum), is in the amaryllis family and is native to central Asia. There are two types of garlic, the hardneck variety (the bolting type) and the softneck variety (the non-bolting type). Bolting refers to the production of a flower stalk and bulbil, in this case. Garlic is considered by many, as an easy crop to grow; however, it is best to remember the basics: know your soil, your climate and location.

Choose a sunny spot to grow your garlic, most growers prefer full sun; however, partial sun is ok too especially if you are trying to grow hardneck varieties that grow better in cooler temperatures choosing partial shade during the hottest time of the day. Garlic needs well-draining, friable soil. It will not grow in soggy or compacted soil, as the bulbs will either rot or not grow very large. Consider growing your garlic in raised beds, amend by adding organic matter such as humus, manure, and compost –mix it in thoroughly until the soil is light and fluffy. In this area of Texas, the softneck or non-bolting varieties are more commonly grown as they do better in warmer climates. Some of the more common softneck varieties are: California Early, California Late Silverwhite, Inchelium red and Italian Loiacono. Softnecks store better, up to 9-12 months if cured and stored properly, and the bulbs are generally larger. It is best to purchase your planting garlic from a garlic farm or quality online source. Grocery store garlic may not be suited to our area and they are sometimes sprayed with chemicals to inhibit growth.

A good time to plant your garlic is in mid October; however, you can plant up until December. When your beds are ready, crack the heads of the garlic open and plant each clove leaving their papery covering intact. The clove is generally planted 2 to 6 inches deep. The deeper the clove is planted, the cooler it will keep. It is probably a good idea if you are experimenting with hardneck varieties to plant it at about 6 inches deep. Plant 6 inches apart with the pointed side up and the root end down. Plant only the largest cloves so that the cloves in your bulb have the best chance to be at least as large as the clove you are planting. Each clove will grow into a garlic bulb. After planting be sure to mulch with straw or shredded leaves about 2 inches.
The goal is to have the garlic plant develop big healthy leaves, the larger the plant, the larger the bulb. You want to grow the bulb for as long as possible before it starts to mature. Water about 1-2 inches a week; stop watering two weeks before harvest.

Harvest takes place in the summer about June or July when the leaves turn yellow and you have about 50% dieback of the leaves. Carefully pull out the garlic heads and although they may be eaten right away, most growers will cure the garlic hanging them upside down in a cool, well-ventilated area for at least two weeks. Trim the stalks and the roots and store in a cool place. Be sure to visit Texas A&M horticultural websites for more information.

Garlic

by

Garlic by Pat Abramson

Nearly half of the 1,000-plus research papers on garlic published in this century found their way into print in the last 20 years.  Garlic has been scientifically proven to reduce the incidence of heart attacks, atherosclerosis, and high blood pressure.  It is said to enhance one’s immune system and help with colds, as well.  An average clove of garlic (almond size) contains substances equivalent to 100,000 units of penicillin:  about 1/5th the average dose, without penicillin’s side effects.

Garlic belongs to the “allium sativum” species, which includes onions, chives, shallots, leeks and scallions. There are basically 10 distinct varieties of garlic, with about 500 different strains.  Some are “hardneck” (bolting) and some “softneck (non-bolting),” which is the more common type and what we find at the supermarket.   Both types can bolt and produce flower stalks if stressed or not harvested in time, though some of the lovely flower heads work beautifully in wide-neck bottles for garlic-flavored vinegars.   Hard-necks usually have larger and fewer cloves.   The “bulb” is the whole head of garlic, while the clove is one piece off the bulb.

Here in our area we can grow garlic year-round, though October 15 – November 15 is ideal.

Stick a clove in the ground, pointy-side up, 1 – 2” deep, add your marker, and forget about it!  You can also plant garlic around your roses and fruit trees for better pest control.

In spring, hardneck garlic varieties send up a stalk or “scape” that will develop a “bulbil capsule.”  If you cut the scape before it fully forms, your garlic bulb in the ground will grow a little bigger; if not, it will store a little longer.  If you cut the scapes when they are young and tender, you can eat them raw or in soups, salads, salsas, pickled, etc.

Your garlic’s leaves will announce when it’s time to dig it up.  Leaves begin to turn brown from the bottom of the plant upward.  When only the top 5 or 6 leaves are still green, that’s the time to harvest.  Exceptions are usually the Asiatic varieties:  they need to be harvested soon after their lower leaves start to turn brown.  You can dig down and look at the bulb after 3 or 4 months and if it’s not the size you like, just cover back up; you can keep checking every two weeks.

Garlic likes a rich, loose, well-drained soil.  Plant cloves at least 5” or 6” apart, or plant them throughout your ornamentals, vegetables and herb beds, though not in the same area where onions or other alliums grew the previous year.  Each garlic clove will produce a complete head of garlic some 6 months later.  Separate the cloves from the heads a day or two prior to planting, and plant your clove, unshelled, pointy-size up, about 1 – 2” deep, and mark the spot.  Yellow-tipped leaves in spring can indicate nitrogen shortage or simple nutrient imbalance.

It’s best to “cure” the plant whole for two or three weeks in a warm place with good air circulation.  Then cut the stalks 1” above the bulb; you can bag the heads in netted onion bags to store them.

Planted too much garlic?  Try the (believe it or not!) “40 Cloves of Garlic Soup” recipe so popular in Spain!  Happy garlicking!

Garlic

by

Garlic by Byron Chitwood.

The fall planting season is about over.  However, there is still time left to plant spinach, radishes, onion sets if you can find them and garlic.  Garlic is one of the easiest things to grow and a lot of it can be grown in small spaces.  Garlic can be grown the year around in mild climates like we have here in north central Texas.

Obtain some seed garlic which is garlic that has not been sprayed for prevention of sprouting.  Maybe you know of a friend that has some surplus garlic that he or she harvested from their garden.  If all else fails, select some at the food market.  I have had 80 to 90 percent germination from store bought garlic which makes me wonder if that garlic has been treated to prevent sprouting.  Each bud of garlic has from 8 to 18 cloves.  The individual cloves are what are planted to grow garlic.  It is possible to grow garlic from seed but almost all is grown from cloves.  Carefully break the buds apart into individual cloves.  Be careful to not damage the skin on the cloves.  Some of the literature recommends planting only the large cloves.  However, I use all the different size ones in a bud and have close to 100 % germination and they all seem to produce about the same size buds or bulbs regardless of the size of the original clove.

Plant the cloves with the large end down and the sharp end up.  They should be planted in 2-3 inch deep trenches with spacing between the cloves of about 4 to 6 inches and spacing of about 6 to 18 inches between rows.  If you are container gardening, use the four inch spacing between rows and cloves.  Garlic planted in the fall will grow through the winter and be ready to harvest in late spring of the following year. The tops will begin to turn yellow and droop over.  At that time, pull or carefully dig the garlic.  Some garlic growers braid the tops of eight or ten pants together and hang them to dry in a warm and dry place.    They can also be stored if they are left in the ground until the tops are almost dry.  Harvest them in the same way and lay the individual plants out to dry.  Then cut the tops off and store the bulbs or buds in an uncovered cardboard box or tray with the root end down.  I don’t know if storing with the root end down does anything for the garlic, but it looks pretty that way,

Garlic has been around for a long time.  There is evidence that it was a staple in the diet of the pyramid builders and other cultures thousands of years ago.  The Chinese are the largest producer of garlic in the world.  Their production is on the order of 24 billion pounds which would amount to about 20 pounds per year consumption for every man, woman and child in China. The United States only produces a paltry 442 million pounds per year which would equate to 1.4 pounds per year per person.

If you watch the cooking shows on TV, modern chefs are putting garlic in everything except fruit salad and ice cream.  I don’t have enough space to go into all the old wives tales about all the ailments that garlic cures so I guess I’ll just go and plant some more garlic.