Consumers are using more garlic in their diets than ever before.. The webinar covers growing requirements, variety selection, and management of garlic for market sales.
It has never grown well here in Aberdeen UK. We have heavy soil and too much rain. I've tried ridges but they either don't swell, don't split or they just rot and die. They do grow in leafmould. There's a garlic farm 130km away in Nairn more rural than here but I think they have an alluvial soil.
Thanks for posting this video. Very comprehensive and helpful. I am wondering about the working hours of a small scale farmer. It seems like there would be a lot of down time in the winter while the summer would have some very labor intensive and busy periods. What would you estimate is the total number of hours worked per year for a small scale grower ?
Great Stuff! I have leaned a lot. Thank you. You have alot of great pictures but they are too small to see clearly on youtube, is there any way to get the pictures or presentation so I can enlarge the pictures.
Watering garlic is dependent on your climate and soil. In Central Illinois we often have ample rain to meet the needs of garlic. Even in a raised bed I have not irrigated garlic and it has grown well. However, one recommended practice is garlic can receive an inch of irrigation (or rainfall) per week as the bulb begins to size up in June. As the bulb matures it is recommended to stop supplemental watering as the dry conditions promote maturing for harvest and keeping the soil too wet may encourage disease. Additionally, if your raised bed soil is very well-drained, if you live in an arid climate, or your soil is very sandy then perhaps supplemental irrigation would be needed.
Unfortunately Kyle Cecil is no longer with Illinois Extension. You can find the nearest Local Foods and Small Farms Educator by visiting extension.illinois.edu/global/staff then filter the list by team on the left to Local Foods/Small Farms.
Crop rotation is key to limiting damage from allium leaf miners to garlic. Combining this with row covers in the early spring will keep the females from laying their eggs in the garlic. Additional information can be found at extension.psu.edu/preventing-allium-leafminer-in-garlic-plantings
Emmanuel Omassi put in in the freezer a few times before planting. just simulate nature. if you don't the bulb won't split and you just get 1 big clove.
The best time to plant garlic is six to eight weeks before the ground is expected to freeze. Garlic can be planted in the spring; however, if this is done the cloves should be stored in a refrigerator for at least eight weeks prior to planting. This will ensure they have been properly chilled. While you can get good yields from spring-planted garlic they tend to not yield as reliably as fall-planted garlic.
