which varieties of garlic in MA for first time?

tnkrer · June 3, 2013

Hi,
I am planning to add garlic to my gardening list.. After looking around, it seems I need to order it now for fall planting, so I have a few questions
1. What are the varieties I should plant in MA. I am hoping to create a 4x4 raised bed for the garlic and planning to plant 40-45 cloves. 3-4 varieties is what I am looking for.
2. For me, the most important goal of my gardening is to produce something different/exciting that is not easily available in the store. Does garlic fit the bill? (We do use a lot of garlic)
3. In all my gardening I want to be economically neutral. can garlic be an economically neutral crop? total cost (buying any growing media, fertilizers, seeds + cost of building the gardern/container/fence etc divided by usable life in years) should be roughly equal to potential yield * market price of that item.
4. do I need to fence garlic bed for rabbits, deer, squirrels or chipmunks? I read that I need to put hardware cloth at the bottom of the bed to prevent diggers (gophers, moles) from eating the bulbs/plants ..

Thanks ..

TomNJ · June 3, 2013

Two favorite garlic varieties for New England are Music and German White, but since they are so similar I would go for the Music, which tends to be a bit larger. My favorites are Russian Red and Estonian Red, but German Red is also nice. These are often referred to as "gourmet" garlic and are much better than the supermarket garlic from China.

You can buy seed garlic much cheaper at a garlic festival or gathering in the fall. I get mine at the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival in Saugerties in the last weekend of September. It's a huge affair with entertainment, food, garlic, and lots of garlic related items. I pay less than $2 per large bulb (~$8-10/lb), and you can select the bulbs you want. Internet prices are usually 50-100% higher. At an average of six cloves per bulb (five for Music) you will pay about 30-40 cents per plant. Thereafter you can replant the largest cloves from your largest bulbs and not have to buy again. If you can't get to a festival, be sure to order your garlic as soon as it is available (early/mid July) as the good Internet sites often sell out within two weeks.

I have never had a critter or insect bother my garlic, although I have heard that moles are a problem is some areas, so the hardware cloth may be a good idea. Check with local gardeners or farmers.

TomNJ/VA

Father'sDaughter · June 4, 2013

I'll agree with everything Tom Said. I've been growing Music and German White very successfully for several years using my own seed stock. Last year I added German Red and Spanish Roja.

An alternative to the Saugerties Festival is the one in Bennington Vermont. Or, search out a local farm stand that sells hardneck garlic and buy from them.

henry · June 4, 2013

A word of warning stem and bulb nematode a problem in Ontario was introduced into the north eastern US in a shipment of eating garlic which then was sold as seed.
A link with information on stem and bulb nematode.
http://extension.umass.edu/vegetable...rlic-and-onion

Durgan · June 4, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnkrer

Hi,
I am planning to add garlic to my gardening list.. After looking around, it seems I need to order it now for fall planting, so I have a few questions
1. What are the varieties I should plant in MA. I am hoping to create a 4x4 raised bed for the garlic and planning to plant 40-45 cloves. 3-4 varieties is what I am looking for.
2. For me, the most important goal of my gardening is to produce something different/exciting that is not easily available in the store. Does garlic fit the bill? (We do use a lot of garlic)
3. In all my gardening I want to be economically neutral. can garlic be an economically neutral crop? total cost (buying any growing media, fertilizers, seeds + cost of building the gardern/container/fence etc divided by usable life in years) should be roughly equal to potential yield * market price of that item.
4. do I need to fence garlic bed for rabbits, deer, squirrels or chipmunks? I read that I need to put hardware cloth at the bottom of the bed to prevent diggers (gophers, moles) from eating the bulbs/plants ..
Thanks ..

http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/overview.htm All about garlic

tjg911 · June 4, 2013

nothing ever bothered my garlic until 2 years ago and then anthracnose started to attack the scapes. can't post a picture i have it is too large.

the 1st year the bulbs were ok but last year i had smaller than normal bulbs but i don't know if the anthracnose is responsible. this is new in this area, nice huh like we need more new crap what with marmomated stink bugs and late blight thanks to Bonney plants shipping infected tomatoes up here from down south. /rant over.

i recommend rocambole types, tom mentioned procelains as his 2 favorites. the former store less time but taste far better. german red is absolutely my favorite. i like music and german white too along with some others. if you grew those 3 you'd want to grow more than 46!

and yes if you plan on buying from any company you MUST be ready to place an order in june or expect to not get what you want. garlic sells out fast. the good thing is you can plant your own from your bulbs after buying it the 1st time. if you buy at farmers markets look for large bulbs with large clove but luck all i ever see is small bulbs with tiny cloves. i just replant from my stock tho i did go to saugerities with tom last september for new stock.

tom

henry · June 4, 2013

Tom, http://www.faststone.org/FSResizerDetail.htm is a free photo Resizer that works for down sizing photos. Anthracnose is not a garlic problem I have come across before would like to see the photo.

tjg911 · June 4, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by henry

Tom, http://www.faststone.org/FSResizerDetail.htm is a free photo Resizer that works for down sizing photos. Anthracnose is not a garlic problem I have come across before would like to see the photo.

thanks but i don't want to download any software onto this pc, what it has is what i need. i've had it in the shop twice this year for performance issues and i'm keeping everything off it that isn't necessary.

i can email the 2 pictures to you if you pm me your email address. they are quite large. i got these pictures from the ct ag station when i called them last june. the photos are exactly the damage i see. they said this is new to the area.

tom

tnkrer · June 5, 2013

Thanks all for your suggestions and links. There is a garlic festival in MA (in Orange). I think I will go there to pick my first few garlics. I will look for Music, German white and red and other varieties in the festival. Though how to know if the bulbs I am buying are not infected (re: the nematode problem pointed out by Henry) .. May be healthy big bulbs are disease free?

swamper · June 5, 2013

I get the best crop from porcelains. Northern White from Ireland Farms in New York is one you wont go wrong with if you like large cloves. http://garlicbyirelandfarm.com/

If you like purple stripe garlic for baking, estonian red, or bogatyr is a good choice.

Rocambole: I'd recommend Ukranian, also avaialble from from Ireland Farms.

Tom, I'd be intersted in seeing your anthracnose pictures I'll send my address.

Scapes appeared today on my bavarian purple garlic (another good porcelain)

Take Henry's warning about nematodes seriously even if the garlic looks clean: http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/AD/rel...ReleaseID=1984

June 3, 2013	#1
tnkrer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: MA 6a/b Posts: 352	which varieties of garlic in MA for first time? Hi, I am planning to add garlic to my gardening list.. After looking around, it seems I need to order it now for fall planting, so I have a few questions 1. What are the varieties I should plant in MA. I am hoping to create a 4x4 raised bed for the garlic and planning to plant 40-45 cloves. 3-4 varieties is what I am looking for. 2. For me, the most important goal of my gardening is to produce something different/exciting that is not easily available in the store. Does garlic fit the bill? (We do use a lot of garlic) 3. In all my gardening I want to be economically neutral. can garlic be an economically neutral crop? total cost (buying any growing media, fertilizers, seeds + cost of building the gardern/container/fence etc divided by usable life in years) should be roughly equal to potential yield * market price of that item. 4. do I need to fence garlic bed for rabbits, deer, squirrels or chipmunks? I read that I need to put hardware cloth at the bottom of the bed to prevent diggers (gophers, moles) from eating the bulbs/plants .. Thanks ..

June 4, 2013	#4
henry Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Midway B.C. Canada Posts: 311	A word of warning stem and bulb nematode a problem in Ontario was introduced into the north eastern US in a shipment of eating garlic which then was sold as seed. A link with information on stem and bulb nematode. http://extension.umass.edu/vegetable...rlic-and-onion __________________ Henry

June 4, 2013	#6
tjg911 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut Posts: 2,570	nothing ever bothered my garlic until 2 years ago and then anthracnose started to attack the scapes. can't post a picture i have it is too large. the 1st year the bulbs were ok but last year i had smaller than normal bulbs but i don't know if the anthracnose is responsible. this is new in this area, nice huh like we need more new crap what with marmomated stink bugs and late blight thanks to Bonney plants shipping infected tomatoes up here from down south. /rant over. i recommend rocambole types, tom mentioned procelains as his 2 favorites. the former store less time but taste far better. german red is absolutely my favorite. i like music and german white too along with some others. if you grew those 3 you'd want to grow more than 46! and yes if you plan on buying from any company you MUST be ready to place an order in june or expect to not get what you want. garlic sells out fast. the good thing is you can plant your own from your bulbs after buying it the 1st time. if you buy at farmers markets look for large bulbs with large clove but luck all i ever see is small bulbs with tiny cloves. i just replant from my stock tho i did go to saugerities with tom last september for new stock. tom __________________ I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life

June 4, 2013	#7
henry Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Midway B.C. Canada Posts: 311	Tom, http://www.faststone.org/FSResizerDetail.htm is a free photo Resizer that works for down sizing photos. Anthracnose is not a garlic problem I have come across before would like to see the photo. __________________ Henry

June 3, 2013	#2
TomNJ Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Floyd VA Posts: 771	Two favorite garlic varieties for New England are Music and German White, but since they are so similar I would go for the Music, which tends to be a bit larger. My favorites are Russian Red and Estonian Red, but German Red is also nice. These are often referred to as "gourmet" garlic and are much better than the supermarket garlic from China. You can buy seed garlic much cheaper at a garlic festival or gathering in the fall. I get mine at the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival in Saugerties in the last weekend of September. It's a huge affair with entertainment, food, garlic, and lots of garlic related items. I pay less than $2 per large bulb (~$8-10/lb), and you can select the bulbs you want. Internet prices are usually 50-100% higher. At an average of six cloves per bulb (five for Music) you will pay about 30-40 cents per plant. Thereafter you can replant the largest cloves from your largest bulbs and not have to buy again. If you can't get to a festival, be sure to order your garlic as soon as it is available (early/mid July) as the good Internet sites often sell out within two weeks. I have never had a critter or insect bother my garlic, although I have heard that moles are a problem is some areas, so the hardware cloth may be a good idea. Check with local gardeners or farmers. TomNJ/VA

June 4, 2013	#3
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	I'll agree with everything Tom Said. I've been growing Music and German White very successfully for several years using my own seed stock. Last year I added German Red and Spanish Roja. An alternative to the Saugerties Festival is the one in Bennington Vermont. Or, search out a local farm stand that sells hardneck garlic and buy from them.

June 5, 2013	#9
tnkrer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: MA 6a/b Posts: 352	Thanks all for your suggestions and links. There is a garlic festival in MA (in Orange). I think I will go there to pick my first few garlics. I will look for Music, German white and red and other varieties in the festival. Though how to know if the bulbs I am buying are not infected (re: the nematode problem pointed out by Henry) .. May be healthy big bulbs are disease free?

June 5, 2013	#10
swamper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: CT Posts: 219	I get the best crop from porcelains. Northern White from Ireland Farms in New York is one you wont go wrong with if you like large cloves. http://garlicbyirelandfarm.com/ If you like purple stripe garlic for baking, estonian red, or bogatyr is a good choice. Rocambole: I'd recommend Ukranian, also avaialble from from Ireland Farms. Tom, I'd be intersted in seeing your anthracnose pictures I'll send my address. Scapes appeared today on my bavarian purple garlic (another good porcelain) Take Henry's warning about nematodes seriously even if the garlic looks clean: http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/AD/rel...ReleaseID=1984