depending on where you live, you should start planning for planting garlic from the March equinox through to July. The warmer the climate the sooner

Growing Garlic –

Last year I planted some garlic but I didn’t get a very good yield. They grew ok but the bulbs were small. I planted Australian garlic from the supermarket. I have no idea of the variety. I chose it because imported garlic is sprayed with methyl bromide (an ozone depleting chemical that is deadly poisonous) and bleached to prevent disease transfer.

Garlic from 2014

Pretty Small Garlic Bulbs From Last Year

My soil is well supplied with compost and organic matter and other vegetables grow strongly in it. It took me a while, but finally I came to the conclusion that the supermarket garlic is either sprayed with a sprouting inhibitor or it is irradiated to give it a longer shelf life.

The link below refers to Maleic Hydrazide (MH) used since the fifties for suppression of sprouting in vegetables. Have a read and then reflect on our Prime Minister’s statement that food producers don’t deliberately poison consumers of their products.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/368621

Excerpt from above link titled “Cytotoxic effects of maleic hydrazide” published by US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health.

“MH does not seem to be toxic to bacteria and fungi. The compound is degraded by soil microflora and hence can be utilized as a source of nitrogen nutrition. MH proved to be of low toxicity to mammals, but in some instances it decreased the fertility of rats. The reported carcinogenic effects of MH in mice and rats raise the question of its risks to man.”

Enough depressing stuff, on to more important things.

Three Garlic varieties to be planted

Elephant or Russian Garlic, Glen Large and Silver Skin Garlic to be planted in 2015

This year I have purchased some certified organic garlic that should be suitable forgrowing in a sub-tropical climate. I have elephant garlic (more related to leeks than garlic) Glen Large, especially suited for Queensland conditions and Silver Skin.

Garlic Cloves in Fridge

I have put the cloves and bulbs in the fridge until I plant them. Apparently this is a good tip as garlic grows best in a colder climate during the shorter days of the year. Searching on the net, I have found suggestions that 4-6 weeks in the fridge before planting will help the growth of your garlic.

This comment came from a website somewhere on the web that I thought proved the theory of putting garlic in the fridge before planting.

Garlic will keep for up to 12 months if kept loosely in the base of the crisper bin at the bottom of the fridge. Place a couple of sheets of newspaper in the crisper first to ensure the garlic remains dry. I do this each year after harvesting. I keep all the harvested garlic like this, using what I need, and then planting out again in May each year.

jackchaff rated & commented 2 years ago

 

Plant after the Autumn Equinox.

I am in a sub-tropical location and will plant the cloves after March 20, as this is the autumn equinox. That means the hours of daylight will have become less and somehow, the plants know that winter is approaching and it triggers them to do what they are supposed to do. In the case of garlic it is the signal to start growing. Usually it is around the end of daylight saving for those who have it. In really cold areas they don’t plant until July.

I will keep an update going of how the garlic grows and the harvest.

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