Mine seems to be a bust. It's my first year growing it and I obviously messed up somewhere but not sure how. It never really got green and healthy, and still remains yellow and stunted. Onions in similar soil are doing well. Any ideas?

insufficient water is a possibility. i harvested my elephant garlic about a week ago and sold at least half of it today. there's not a lot of it.

We pulled up a few heads Friday - they look great. Will start digging some of the 2506 plants up Monday. Customers have been asking for it.

We dug up about 20% of our garlic today. We have some of the biggest heads we have ever grown. I swear - some of the Metechi and German Extra Hardy are half the size of the elephant garlic. At least somthing liked the record breaking cold this winter, and lots of rain this spring! This picture has Music on the left, elephant in the center, and German Extra Hardy on the right.

Nice.
I think mine does look ok. The yellowing isn't getting worse; just showing the season is about up.

Mine was a bust and it is all my fault. We were keeping it all weeded, then the monsoon season came (over 10 inches in 3 weeks, plus school and markets) I couldn't keep up. The weeds got bigger. I got the grass out quickly, but the other broadleaf weeds took over and I couldn't pull them out without pulling out the garlic.

I tried to dig them, but we got too dry and I couldnt dig them. I tried to dig them this week, but the were starting to pull apart. I finally threw in the towel and mowed everything and tilled it up. I did pick up some of the bigger bulbs that I didn't destroy with the tiller. I was able to dig 8 of the 13 rows, but the 2014 garlic crop is something I don't want to think about again!

I kept my garlic weeded pretty well until about a month ago, when things all went to hell. I was worried about my harvest, but it's actually very good. Definitely the largest heads of garlic I've ever had. I did a cover crop before I planted the garlic last fall, and I fertilized a few times this spring. We've had enough rain that I didn't have to irrigate at all.

Mine died back more than I wanted it to before I dug it up, it snuck up on me and once I noticed the leaves yellowing I was busy with other stuff. I've got it all curing in my garage but one last section of Purple Italian. Hopefully that's not too far gone.

Little Minnie, it looks like you planted your garlic in mulch. Maybe I'll try that next year for better weed control, but that seems like a lot of work poking all those holes in the plastic.

I didn't count my plants, but based on row spacing I estimate I've got around 2000 plants total. Not sure I can sell all that at my market, but at least I won't have to buy seed garlic in fall.

I haven't been all that responsive here lately as the farm is just crazy now. Glad some of your folks harvests have been good, and sorry for those that are not. Rough year all around I guess.
Garlic here turned out great. I put in another 220' bed and somehow managed to keep it weeded. Not as much rain in the spring and no irrigation available so a few varieties were a bit smaller than last season, but overall fantastic with not a bit of disease. It's all in the barn hanging now and lots will be available for seed sales in a month. Craigslist ad is listed in Portland, OR for anyone interested.
-Mark

I harvested today and it was blah.

I can't seem to get over this disease. All other alliums are stupendous but garlic and I used to grow great garlic.
I am not giving up. I will replant what did best and get some new stock too. Mark I will probably order more again.

Mine had a lot of issues to overcome. When I planted it the first week of October, we were in the middle of 3 months w/no rain. Then we had an early winter, which turned into one of the hardest winters in decades. Then it flooded while the frost was still in the ground, which meant it sat in water quite a while. Cold, late spring didn't help either. Despite all this, there was still some quality heads, but not a lot I'll save for stock.

Do you wash your garlic for market and if so at picking or later? I don't like washing it but my garlic always looks dirty.

i let the garlic dry a bit and then clean it up by pealing off the outside paper and cutting off the roots. using a toothbrush for this helps a lot.

Well it seems I spoke too soon. While digging up the rest of the garlic, quite a few had rotted. The bad ones were concentrated in certain areas - mostly in the music and metechi - 2 varieties we ordered this last fall. Wanting to be sure we could save stock to replant in the fall - we sent it in for testing. Turns out we have bloat nematode. So - while the garlic is fine to eat, none of it can be saved to replant. And no garlic can be planted there, or within 100 feet of that plot for 4 years. Ugh.....

So much for the best garlic harvest yet..... :(

Time to get my varieties prepped and marked for market. I have enough of three to market: German extra early, Khabar, and Lorz Italian. Any remarks on taste qualities to tell customers?

The Khabar I tell folks is a fairly pungent turban hardneck. The Lorz italian a medium spicy, aromatic softneck.

Honestly though, most people just want pretty garlic.......