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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Garlic Seed

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  • From: road's end farm <organic101 AT linkny.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Garlic Seed
  • Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2007 15:20:41 -0400


On Jul 5, 2007, at 10:36 AM, Marie Kamphefner wrote:

Regards to the list:

We have decided to allow what garlic we have left to go to seed. We hope we
can build up the numbers with seed we save. My question: how do I save the
seed? Is there some kind of bag we can use to put around the seed head to
contain all the little seeds before they fly away? Would little drawstring
bags made of tulle contain them? Are there bags I could buy to contain the
seeds? Or should I pick the seed head before it splits and let it dry
inside?

What develops from the flower heads of hardneck garlic is, as I understand it, not true seed (from sexual reproduction). The ancestor of domestic garlic presumably produced seed, but domestic garlic has given up sexual reproduction. Those little bulbils that you'll eventually get aren't actual seed. They will grow; but they'll give you small bulbs the first year. If you plant the largest cloves from the largest of those little bulbs, you can eventually get back up to full sized garlic; but if you want good salable garlic next year, what you want to plant is the larger cloves from bulbs about 2" to 2 1/2" across if you've got them; or from the largest bulbs you have, if yours isn't that big.

Oh yes, the top bulbils won't "fly away" on the breeze -- they're not easily wind dispersed -- though they will eventually shatter and fall into the field if you leave them there way too long. By that time the bulb will probably also be overmature.

Most growers remove the flower stalk (scape) entirely, snapping it off soon after it appears, so that the bulb will get larger. You can eat the scapes.

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale



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