Allium Update...

Garlic

So I've started harvesting my garlic... for those of you that are not familiar with growing garlic. In my climate (USDA Zone 6b/7a) you plant garlic in the fall, around Columbus day. They set their roots (and for me most of them will send up shoots and leaves) and then go dormant over the winter. Then one spring comes around they take off.  Usually they are ready for harvest early-mid summer.

This year I grew: German Red, Inchelium Red, Chinese Pink, Spanish Roja, and Russian Inferno.  I tried Kettle river giants but they really did not grow (I got the seed garlic on sale very late in the season maybe this is why they didn't do well).

Some things I learned about garlic...
1) Patience: I grew one variety this year, russian inferno that did not send up a shoot until spring, I thought for sure they had all died over the very cold winter but they didn't.

2) Keep the beds weeded (and mulched)

3) Deer absolutely HATE garlic- this winter was pretty brutal... there was absolutely no green in my backyard except the garlic greens and the deer didn't even touch them

4) They are not easy to overwinter Indoors (all my indoor garlic died)

 

 

Onions

This year was soo much better than last year!!!

This year I grew Red river, copra and walla walla onions all from TRANSPLANTS. Never again will I use sets. I figured out what the problem was last year... onions that you grow from sets are second year onion, so the plant is more inclined to go to flower and seed and as a result you get a smaller bulb.  I planted these in the picture below from transplants in April and kept them under a row cover (because the weather is so unpredictable here).

 Leeks

I am trying these for the first time this year. I grew Lancelot Leeks. Instead of hilling them up I found a useful tip online to use a pencil or stick and create a deep hole and bury it down.. When I planted the leek shown in the picture below only about an 1 inch was peaking above the soil. So far so good lets see how things go.

SOURCE: 

Garlic
wegrowgarlic.com: russian inferno, spanish roja, chinese pink
Burpee: inchelium red, german red (and kettle river giant)

Onion transplants
Dixondale Farms: red river and copra
Bonnie Plants purchased from Home depot: walla walla (on sale for $2 ... I've gotten so much out of that $2!!!)

Leek transplants
Dixondale Farms: lancelot leeks