the problem I am having is that now my garlic is sprouting. We've had some unseasonable warm weather here lately along with a decent amount of rain. We hit a record high of 68 degrees this month. The current temperature is now 44. It is expected to keep the warmer temperature for at least the next 10 days but some nights it is expected to drop below freezing.

I have shoots coming up, single stalks on more than half of what I planted. Some stalks are up to 4 inches while others are just starting to sprout. I'm looking for some ideas on how to protect the crop. I was thinking of just putting some clear plastic over the area on stakes to create a small greenhouse tent over the growth. Ideas...suggestions?

thanks!

Don't get too excited about the garlic coming up, Garlic is really tough...the first shoot can freeze off and die without it hurting anything. This is normal. find some straw and cover the ground if your really worried about it.

bloosqualls garlic farm
15,600 in the ground this year.

I hadn't even been out to my garden until this morning and I also noticed my garlic was sprouting, too! Thanks for posting this--I was a bit worried because it froze and snowed here last night. Mine are already under a huge heap of mulch to keep them protected, but I didn't expect them so early.

This is also my first attempt at garlic. I planted German Extra Hardy and all 16 are there! Woohoo! I am a bit excited that I did it right.

Bloosquall--thanks for the info!

Be sure to apply a thick mulch between the rows as garlic hates weeds. Also, now is a good time for a light application of a high nitrogen fertilizer, repeated in mid April, but do not fertilize after early May.

TomNJ

There was a beautiful day last week so I went out and dug around in the straw looking for plants..I found them and continued to move some cover away from the little plants so they could get some direct sunlight. it got pretty cold down to 18 degrees at night the rest of the week and is still not much over freezing. I went back over to the section where I had done that to see the results. I saw some plants with white shoots poking up.

They were used to being covered and protected by the straw mulch, I think it was a shock to the tender little leaves. My curiosity got the best of me.

since it is getting warm, i went out saturday and checked my garlic. sure enough, i have garlic coming up. i was able to remove only the top 1" of mulch as it is still frozen below that level. garlic is tough stuff!

last year i used whole leaves and the garlic was 4-6" tall by 3/25 but was unable to get thru the packed down wet leaves, about 4" thick. this is why i checked earlier this year but it appears that shredded leaves are much easier to penetrate - the shoots just pierce that mulch.

tom

Garlic is my favorite baby in the garden.