First shot at growing garlic

As I studied my gardening books I came across instructions for growing garlic. We eat alot of garlic in this house and having my own supply right in our back yard really appealed to me. How hard could it be? Well the first thing I found out is that you have to plant it in the fall so it can get a head start. Kinda put a dent in my plans for the spring of 2011, but I waited patiently and that fall I got my chance. By default I had to plant it somewhere that was done growing for the season, so it went where I grew an herb patch that summer.

 

 

 

Garlic bed covered with thick layer of straw

 

 The chickens would have a field day in this straw if I left it uncovered in the winter so I had to build a small hoop house for protection.

 

 

The next spring the garlic poked through the straw and grew

 

 

and grew

 

 

and grew some more

 

 

looks like alot doesn't it?

 

 

 

It only lasted us about 3 months.  As nice as some of the heads look, I think we harvested too early.  We also had some rainy weather about the same time that I was trying to cure them, so I think they spent too much time under a damp tarp.  Many of the smaller cloves turned a funky translucent yellow and were soft so we had to toss them.  Hopefully next round things work out a little better.