Growing Gourmet Garlic Growing Gourmet Garlic (November 09, 2001)

By Marcia Fein

Have you planted your garlic yet? If not, there is still time to do it, but hurry! Later planting means smaller heads, but they will still taste great. If you have planted, here are the things to do next.
Care

A loose mulch of shredded leaves or straw applied now will reduce weeds and the soil compaction caused by winter rains. Apply more mulch in the spring after the soil has warmed up and new weeds are germinating.

Watch for competition. Weeds are very damaging because they compete for soil nutrients. If any make it through the mulch, pull them fast. This is true during the entire growing period. Moles and gophers can be destructive too, so keep your traps handy.

Irrigation is critical when it does not rain. Maintain a moist, not wet, soil until the shoots emerge in about ten to twenty days. Before the cloves are growing vigorously they are most prone to rot. If the rains are late, check the soil moisture below the cloves, 3-4 inches deep, and water if it is dry. Do the same during dry periods in spring.

To get big plants, fertilize the garlic before bulbing begins. You can side dress the rows by lightly scratching in soy or alfalfa meal, or you can water with fish emulsion. Do this about mid February and again in March. Fertilizing after the leaves have begun to turn brown only reduces the storage potential of the garlic.

In spring the hardneck varieties send up false bloomstalks or scapes, which will carry an umbel of tiny garlic bulbils at its tip. Most growers advise cutting these off before they form their first coil in order to direct the plants' energy into the heads below ground.

If you cut the scapes while they are still tender, you will have harvested an edible delicacy. (Steam and dress with vinaigrette, or add to green beans or stir-fry.) I could not forego the drama of the coiling stems ("Serpent" garlic!) so I harvested the still-attached bulbils when I dug the heads. They are great tossed whole into salads or added to casseroles.

Soil moisture must be reduced after the bulbs mature and before harvest. This is called dry down. When the plant has produced its full head of cloves, it will stop growing and begin to turn exterior membranes into dry, protective wrappers for the head and cloves. Additional water at this stage will foil the plant's natural defenses and encourage rot. If you have watered adequately during the growth period, leaf browning will tell you when to quit. I stop watering when 25% of the foliage has browned, which usually occurs between mid-May and mid-June.
Harvesting

As the garlic dries down more leaves turn brown. You should dig the heads while they still have several green leaves, which signals there are many intact bulb wrappers protecting the cloves.

I am conservative and try to harvest when there are five or six green leaves on softneck varieties and six or seven on the ophios. This occurs a few weeks after watering stops, about mid-June to July in Mountain View. Leaving garlic in the ground longer will reduce its shelf life and promote bulb rot.

Dig, do not pull, the garlic gently. Use a spade or fork positioned well away from the heads to avoid injury. A break in the wrappers or a bruised clove produces a head that will not keep well. Lift the heads out of the soil and brush off any soil clinging to the roots. Keep the plant whole, and keep the heads out of the sun.

Curing means storing freshly dug garlic in dry shade with good air circulation around the heads. During this two to four week period the garlics lose moisture and mature to their distinctive varietal tastes. You can braid the softnecks and hang the plants in small bunches, lay them on wire racks or spread them on a table; the leaves and bulb necks should dry completely.
Storage

After curing you can clip the roots and trim the tops to about an inch. I don't. Gently remove any dirty or damaged bulb wrappers being sure to keep at least two or three intact for storage. This is a good time to select the biggest and best bulbs for replanting in the fall.

Maintain good circulation, low light and low humidity for longest storage. This can mean putting the heads loosely into mesh bags or old pantyhose, and finding a cool place to hang them. Long-term storage for well-grown, properly cured hardneck garlic is about six months, although I have kept some varieties for twelve. Softnecks should keep 9-12 months. A hint to the cook: use damaged heads and the tastier ophios first.
Enjoy

If, instead of eating them right away, you planted the small inner cloves close together for "greens," you can begin to harvest garlic next spring. Use the leaves like chives in steamed vegetables and rice, or whip them into mashed potatoes.

Young garlic is a delicacy. If the moles and gophers left you an ample crop, dig a few plants just before bulbing begins and slice them, tender leaves and all, into a bouillabaisse or chowder, or marinate and grill them whole for a truly profligate pleasure.

In July you can enjoy silky, sensuous, roasted garlic. Slice off the top of the head, pour olive oil over it and roast at 350-375 degrees until soft, about 45-60 minutes. Some of us call this dessert.