Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Jun 1, 2008, at 8:30 PM, Robert Walton wrote:

> I've got a couple of questions on garlic. I'm getting better at
> raising it. This year's crop has been doing well.
>
> Lately, I noticed that the tips of the older leaves are yellowing and
> then going brown at the tips. I've not fertilized heavily or anything.
> Is that normal aging?

Depends on how old it is. Even fall planted, this is early for plants  
to be finishing up. When did you plant?
> Also, when the garlic blooms and then you get the little baby cloves
> on the flower, is it best to plant those in the fall or cloves.

Cloves. For best garlic you want to plant cloves from your biggest  
bulbs.

> I've
> got something in my head telling me that you get better garlic from
> the little seed cloves than the regular cloves. Is that correct?

No. Do you have those scapes and seed pods forming? If so, then you  
are seriously early. Of course you are further south, right? What is  
your zone?

I always cut off that top stuff that looks like it would be for  
reproducing, so as not to take any energy away from the forming bulb  
in the ground. Some people eat it.

Btw, the garlic I planted the day after I got here this spring, April  
3rd, is doing well. Still too early to know for sure but right now it  
looks like spring-planted is going to be okay.

I have interplanted some broccoli in it as an experiment.