Me: grows chillies Epic gardening: How to make a salsa garden Me: buys strawberry seeds Epic gardening: How to grown strawberry Me: plants corn seeds Epic gardening: How to grow corn Me: plants garlic Epic gardening : *garlic video*
@@riffedwood5597 I just bought one (excallibur basic) and its HUGE. I also have the round type I got at local store (around $40) but they dont work very well. I LOVE having the real deal, ive dried peas, carrots, cherries, apples, onions, and about to try peppers and tomatoes...looking for more to dehydrate. Food retains up to 80% of nutrients vs 30-50% retained freezing. great to add to soup in winter.
LOL..........I have harvested 152 garlic plants that are all almost double the bulb size. My neigbour has over 600 bulb and are on avg. 110% bigger than mine. We live in a city suburb and are so far north I can throw a rock at Santa house.
in Romania, at the country side, they braid the dried stalks together and hang them somewhere with a lot of airflow. instead of cutting them... they do the same with onions too.. that is really cool way to store them😀
I braided my garlic this year, but it has to be soft neck. To string onions requires a 4 cord set up to get the right spacing for storage. I hang the garlic in my kitchen and break off when needed.
For those who don't have a dehydrator, we dice up the garlic finely and put it in a jar and freeze it and scrap off what we need from the top (or put it into multiple small pots and defrost and use). We also do the same with chilli.
I dry mine at 95F to keep better flavor, even if it takes a little more time. BTW - after grinding, a little arrowroot powder can help stock clumping during storage. There's a difference between desiccant packs which control moisture, and O2 absorbers - you need desiccant packs for your use.
Shoes use dessicants to absorb water. Oxygen absorbers do oxygen. Also if they're left in the open air for 60 minutes, they are completely depleted. Ideally you want them within 3 minutes.
G'day mate. Epic video as always. Oh man, those scapes. I just love them in a stir fry or using them to make a pesto. Yum! So much info in this video once harvesting time comes. Good on you mate. All the best, Daz,
This year I tried something different with my garlic bed. I let the scapes develop into flowering heads, and drop the seeds back into the bed, and harvested the bulbs. The bulbs were smaller then if I had removed the scapes, but still plenty big for use. I am wanting to see if the scapes will reseed it self into garlic bulbs as the parent plant. I will replant some of the bulbs this fall also.
Kevin, I wouldn't call it an interesting technique, it's what nature does and sometimes it's easier to leave it alone. I took a spring onion end from the kitchen (green onion? Scallion?) and planted it in some space a couple years ago. It grew. It flowered. It reseeded. They grew. By not rushing it, I now have a patch of spring onions. All from 3mm (1/8th inch?) of a single kitchen scrap 😉 The bees also love the allium flowers, so it's win win all around.
The seeded garlic might look different. After 1 year they normally look more like an onion, but that's ok. You can eat them anyway. When you leave some in they will develop the typical bulb in the second year. 😉
@@georgeprout42 It's an "interesting technique" because most typical gardening techniques are optimizing for yield size or frequency of yield. Of course this is what nature does, but that doesn't mean you get as much garlic or as often, though if that's not your primary concern then it may work for you. So yeah, it's definitely easier, but you won't get as much of a harvest. It's a trade-off.
Kevin, you sweet sweet angel. You are literally the reason why i will finish my gardeners courses and get my papers this fall. Our teacher sucks a lot and bc i started 6 months ago as a clean slate, i have A LOT to learn. You make everything so easily understandable and clear. I feel like im wasting so much time in school and the only time i really learn is with your videos. Doing the gods work! :D Thank you so so much! I really appreciate all you do!
I love that you’re dehydrating your harvest!! I feel like many of us gardeners sometimes don’t know what to do with an overly abundant harvest. I started dehydrating last year but need to be more consistent with it.
I totally agree! I grew 3 basil plants this year thinking I would keep up with the production and just use it fresh... by may... i had so much basil i didn't know what to do with it all and already have enough for 6 months in my freezer! lol
I dehydrated so much it gets bulky I started making powder of all sorts like a mixed vegetable powder is amazing as a soup base or to flavor almost anything.
Great garlic. I have grown softneck many times, usually from store bought organic garlic. Sometimes I will harvest it while it is still “green”, often called Mexican garlic bulbs in the groceries stores. That garlic is very mild and can be used just as you would green onions - great in salsas! BTW: You can save the garlic “chips” as they are instead of making garlic powder. Just put in a morter and pestal and gring them as you need them. You can also roughly chop them and use them as a garnish, in soups and stews or make your own “everything bagel” seasoning!
He caught me by surprise saying that. I've still got some of last years hardneck garlic hanging up that I never got around to planting this year - it still looks perfectly good to eat.
Hey, I was just thinking about you and your garden. I was thinking, perhaps you should install some shade cloth to bring the temperature down a little bit over whatever area in your garden you might need it.
This was extremely helpful! I know now to plant them a lot deeper and mulch them over. And thanks for showing a way to process them after they've been harvested.
I also live in southern california and look forward to growing both potatoes and garlic for the first time this year. Your videos are so helpful and detailed!! Thank you for everything you do and sharing your knowledge.
I LOVE making garlic powder but this is my first year growing a bunch of garlic and I wasn't sure about harvest or cure time. Thank you SO MUCH for this video. Most useful. Happy Growing. Cheers, Ivy.
Hardnecks will store for up to 12 months if they're really well cured and stored. I generally only grow hardnecks in our cold climate and mine is harvested in our late spring/early summer (Nov/Dec). It lasts almost until I harvest my next lot the following year. I usually run out just before my new lot is ready.
Great to see successful garlic growing in a hot country, I come from the UK and growing garlic I took for granted. Now I live in Perth in Australia I was unsuccessful. Now I know your experiment has worked I will certainly be giving it another go. FYI the dehydrator is epic!
Question, can you plant some of the cloves right back into the ground for the next season or is there a wait time…for instance, I’m in a zone 4b, just pulled my beautiful first garlic harvest and it’s drying. Can I turn around and replant some of the cloves this October for next year’s garden/harvest? Your videos are so informative, I just struggle with the differences in our zones and applying that information to my cold season garden!
I dehydrate using lowest temperature possible bc heat changes the flavour. I used to spread garlic on a baking tray set in front of a room dehydrator. I grind with a cheap coffee grinder and sift it over canning funnel into jar. The coarse pieces either go back into the grinder or stored as granulated garlic. I reuse the silica packs from sushi nori to keep my garlic powder from clumping. For replanting, use your biggest best cloves for the largest bulbs. You never need to buy seed garlic again except to keep collecting more varieties. I'm guilty of growing 12 hardneck varieties.
Great stuff, and nice harvest, Kevin! 👍 I do the same thing with my smaller onions that I know won't store very long. Oh, and try roasting your garlic cloves before dehydrating & grinding...best garlic powder ever!
Since hardneck garlic only lasts a couple months, is it possible to save to replant next year? Or do you have to rebuy? I can almost see the timing lining up where you pick in June/July and replant in October.
You can use your own experiment with different varieties and planting times get some from your local farmers market they probably already did the work 4 u
I just harvested this year's garlic (the tops completely succumbed to rust). I'm going to put some in the fridge now, and see if I can get a second crop this year, if I plant in late July. I don't expect frost until November. If I can grow 2 crops a year, then ii doesn't have to keep so long.
I live in Northern Ontario and planted my garlic last fall. When the snow melted, the garlic had already started to sprout. I should be ready to harvest in about 4 weeks. First time growing garlic. Thanks for the info on making garlic powder.
Congrats on your harvest Kevin! Man, I LOVE scapes, they last ages in the fridge and we eat them in everything, yummo! Only 4 or so more months until I can harvest mine here in Australia 😊 And great work on the garlic powder 😍
What a wonderful vid. Thank you. You are absolutely right about the scapes. Harvest and use them. As a result, the bulbs will be larger. Here in Ottawa Ontario, hard neck stores longer than soft neck; 10 - 11 months in a dark cupboard at room temp. is not unusual. We harvest when the bottom 3 - 4 leaves have browned and shriveled. Keep well, and safe.
The silica is a desiccant to remove moisture. Oxygen absorbers remove oxygen. It's recommended to avoid using both in the same package since the O2 absorber needs some moisture, I think. However, you can use both in the same package, just put them at opposite ends - e.g. the desiccant on the bottom and O2 absorber on top of the product. Apparently, silica may not be the best - perhaps it has acidic effects? But you can get clay desiccants that are better for putting into food products. For oxygen absorbers, it's important to only use with completely dry products or there is some risk of botulism, supposedly. Not sure how often that happens, but if it happens it's deadly. I saw some official government document stating the maximum percentage of water allowed to avoid botulism. You can get moisture meters to help determine water content. You'll have to research and verify everything yourselves, of course.
Homemade garlic powder is the best! It retains the zing of fresh garlic and is so much more tasty than store bought. Once you try it, you'll never want to use store bought again!
Amazing work! Thanks for sharing all this knowledge with us! I just got garlic who start making leaf in my basket, so I wanted to plant him, and thanks to you, now I have a lot of info on how to do it! :D Thanks a lot! And awesome work!
I just harvested my first-ever garlic crop. I had procrastinated planting it so it wasn't in the raised bed until December 28, 2020. So far, I harvested the soft neck - Early Italian Red. Unfortunately, I did this right before finding this video, so I already cut off the top half of the leaves and all the roots. Then I tied them together and hung them outside under an awning to dry. Hope they'll come out OK. One mistake I made was letting water onto them after their leaves were brown and they were fallen over. Would have been better to let them stay completely dry in the ground. The heads are a bit small, likely due to how late I planted them? But they're very tasty! I had no pest troubles. Nothing seemed to want garlic - just like nothing wants all the onions. I love alliums.
So interesting! I'm in Zone 10 as well, but I don't have the space for all the garlic varieties that you planted. If you were to choose one soft and one hard neck, which would you choose? TIA!
I'm a gardener in Oceanside and new to your channel. Just like you, I'm constantly experimenting with plants. This year I've decided to go against the odds and plant grocery storeg garlic. I'm determined to ammend the soil properly and feed regularly. I put my garlic in refrigerator for about a week. After that I planted approximately 400 large cloves. I shall see.
I live in garlic country north of Gilroy CA and they just dig up the garlic in the fields and leave them piled up in the rows to cure for about 2 weeks. They also have to post armed guards now to keep the "Garlic Rustlers" from stealing out of the fields! Sure smells garlicy around here in July-Sept.
Im making a new raised bed just for garlic this fall.. I’m in Southern Maine.. still researching the types I want to grow. I got seed garlic last fall .. and forgot about it 😣 great video!
Good video, lots of helpful info! I bought some black garlic, (Amazon) which has apparently been cooked (long cooking time?) into a very dark color, soft, sweet product. Maybe one of these days you could try that? Thanks for such high quality,informative videos you share with us 🙏🏻 👍🏻 😊
@@epicgardening It’s really tasty! Very different than any garlic you’ve ever had. I got mine on Amazon (never seen it in any store near me) for $9.00 bout half pound in a resealable container, and needs no refrigeration, and lasts and lasts. The brand I bought was ONETANG. Black Garlic Natural Fermented multiple cloves…high in antioxidants. They also sell it whole clove. I just wish it was made in USA. There’s a device, also sold on Amazon…MLGB Black Garlic Fermenter DIY Cooker $100.00. Digital programming. So I hope this helps, since I’m happy to know you’re interested, as nobody else I know is…😆 lol. The main thing to know is the taste is probably best described as sweet. 😊
Slicing that much garlic with bare hands? it'll make your hands stink for a couple days. And those are moisture-absorbing packets in shoes and pill bottles, not oxygen, as far as I know.
Make some alternative cheaper black garlic by soaking them in soy sauce for a month, after that month you'll end up with garlic infused soy sauce and soy sauce infuse garlic gloves. Lightly dry your garlic cloves and store them in a glas jar with soy sauce and keep the jar in the fridge for good storage.
For an even grind I would recommend getting a conical burr coffee grinder for your dehydrated spices. Much more consistent on the grind size, and the grinding process of conical burr generates much less heat than the blades of a traditional spice grinder (better for the spices)
Well done, can't wait for my first garlic harvest this summer here in Australia, i have way too much all soft neck but i might have to try a hardneck here next year to see if i can grow it here and get any scapes
So awesome 🤩. I’m planting my garlic from last year’s harvest this month. They were very small. I didn’t fertilize, or compost them enough. They were still delicious. Thanks for making this series. I will continue to watch it again as my garlic grows.
Just found Epic Gardening this morning! Best explanation of how to grow garlic --great for a beginner/new gardener which I am. The information on the "cold" requirements (never heard from others) is great as I live in a high desert area. I watched several other videos but this one (all 3 parts) was so easy to understand and logical. Thank you!
Man! If I lived just two hours closer I would volunteer to come work in your homestead for free just to learn from you in person. Please keep up the great content!!!
In Lithuania we grow only hard neck garlic. We are planting it out end of October, in winter months the ground freezes (temperature drops to minus 20 fahrenheit), harvesting in the summer(July, August). It stores well until March, April. The rest we just freeze.
I feel stupid. I use garlic powder religiously and I ran out today but it's so expensive at the store! I had NEVER even considered making my own. 🤦🏻♀️ I guess my brain thought garlic powder was made by fairies or something. I'm the type of person that always tries to DIY stuff. 🤷🏻♀️
Right about now funk soul brother 🐱 ❤️😻💕👍 I have this black garlic I don't really know what it is or where it came from apparently they say it doesn't make you stink when you eat it I believe that's a lie 🤥 either way looks good you didn't have any mongrols 😉🤔letter B seriously this is by far the best gardening channel I've ever seen
I like to use a mortar & pestle to turn it into powder. You don't get the smoke... which if your doing peppers.. omg... hot peppers smoke... might as well just take a shower in pepper spray. It would be more comfortable. It's basically just as fast. And I kinda light the tactile sensation. The con is you don't get as fine of a powder without doing a little extra work. But i think the results are better. You don't loose all that dust. And I feel like it has better flavor. Also. You can not reuse the silica packets. Once they are exposed to air for a few minutes, they are pretty much spent. It's why when you order them they are in a vacuum sealed container. Adding it to your garlic powder pretty much did nothing. It might consume some of the oxygen. But not enough to extend the life an appreciable amount.
I can't believe my luck. Oct/Nov in zone 10b we had a cold spell (5 whole days). That's when I ran out and planted my garlic. I've been unsure how to tell when it's time to harvest. Thanks to this video series, I think next week might be the time. I thought maybe because the leaves all turned yellow, I had made a mistake somewhere along the way. I really appreciate your time. I love the fridge idea. I did it with mine but I wasn't sure if I "fooled them"..
Something I did this year with my garlic harvesting and I loved it! I grow Music, so a hard neck. I dig my fork around the perimeter of the bed and lift like broad forking. I get to stand up this way and the deeper bulbs just lift right out. Not to mention the bed is nearly perfect for planting the next crop. It worked beautifully. I used this method on my leaks too. we have heavy red clay around here. Being able to lift ANYTHING right out of the ground is nothing short of meraculous.
You're a vampire's worst nightmare! Are you related to van Helsing by any chance? Seriously, love this how to grow garlic in a warm climate guide. Thanks heaps Kevin!
I’m in California and planning my garlic in November. It’s June and I harvested the garlic. The heads are small and not stratified. There are lots of roots. I’m wondering if I planted too deep. Any suggestions?
Nice! I’m growing garlic for the first time, will be starting them in the next month. My question is I thought you wait to until the garlic stems falls over, then it’s ready to pull. Thanks for these videos.
I learned last summer after I “picked” my scapes that you should “pull” the scapes. My brain exploded at that point and I waited a whole year to try it. Slow and steady is how to do it. Patience is key. Listen for the snap and continue to pull slowly. You end up getting a longer scape! This year I’m dealing with tiny brown burrowing beetles in my garlic and I can’t find any information about what to do with them?
I'm missing a conclusion: when IS the right time to plant them? You mentioned November in the beginning and letting them overwinter in the ground. But then you also said you put the next badge in the fridge & planted it in February; later you harvested at a later date (when?). Any tips on what to do?
This was great, Thank you. But you didn't tell us how you used the scapes? I haven't had them in soo long, I may have drooled a bit after see your cuttings, LOL
Per best garlic grower in country, cut scapes when it loops into P shape, then only cut to point of upper leaves, not down to base. Once bottom leaves, 40% of all leaves brown, shut off watering and allow to dry for 1-2,weeks, then pull.
Thank you so much for this informative video on garlic. We planted 409 cloves of garlic last fall. A lot of varieties of soft and hard neck. I am so looking forward to harvesting the scapes. I've had a lot of people ask me what we are going to do with all of it.. well, we have a freeze dryer so I will definitely be making some powder. I am wondering if I will be able to freeze dry them whole and perhaps reconsititute them or just throw the whole pieces into soups?? One thing we did last year was make black garlic. I was wondering, have you tried this out? It was our first time making it last year and we were successful at turning it into black garlic by using our dehydrator and putting the garlic bulbs into jars. It was pretty time consuming but from the reading and research I did on it... this was the easiest way for us. We did have to tend to it everyday in some manner but it turned out great.
Hahaha watching you spread out the garlic on the dehydrator shelf made my eye twitch! Seriously just dump a handful in the middle and spread it out with a flat hand. Of it takes more than 30 seconds pr. shelf then you are doing it wrong! :-D (Nah do it slow if you want but there is literally no reason to :-D)
I'm in zone 6b and I to grow a hardneck variety called paradise red. Very big , nice bulbs. I plant in early fall and harvest in late summer. I plant sixteen pounds of cloves each year. I don't wash them and just let them dry for a couple of months. I trim them when the temps get cooler and they store well in a brown paper bag in a cool dark place. They stay good a year or more but I use garlic almost daily so rarely do I have them for a year
Great series. I've tried throwing cloves at the ground to see if they'd grow. Now that I understand their lifecycle I might make a serious attempt. But I must say the idea of putting all that effort into growing all those exotic varieties only to turn them into industrial powder is, concerning!😆
In my zone 5 experience hardneck garlic falls over when it is over watered, especially if the leaves have not started browning or have a scape. They will recover if you stop watering. I stop watering when I first see scapes. Hardnecks are ready when the bottom few leaves are brown.
