Garlic Giveaway from Peaceful Valley
Last week I was thinking to myself that it was time to look through all my garlic and pull out the nicest bulbs for planting. Garlic is one of those crops that I’ve been growing since I first started gardening. It’s so easy to grow and brings such great reward.
Earlier this year, my interest was piqued when I read that softneck garlic stores longer/better than hardneck garlic. As much as I’ve read in my lifetime, I have never heard this tidbit of information before. Hardneck varieties of garlic are all that have been grown at Chiot’s Run, because it grows better in colder climates. Though, I have seen softneck garlic at the farmers market, so I know it can be grown successfully. Most of what I see is hardneck though.
Over the past few years, I’ve grown most of my own seed garlic as well. I do occasionally long to grow new varieties for flavor and to see if I can find ones that do particularly well in my climate/area. Your local farmers market can give you an idea of which varieties will do best, ask around, or just try a few that sound interesting.
With so many questions about planting garlic in the comments of this post, I wrote a Garlic Planting Guide over on the Your Day Blog.
When Peaceful Valley contacted me about doing a garlic giveaway I obliged, knowing one of you would love to win their garlic combo pack for your garden. I’ve talked about why I love Peaceful Valley before, so I’m happy to support a company I appreciate (they aren’t paying me to do this post, though I did get some softneck garlic to try).
What can you win?
A Garlic Combo Pack – Comprised of 1 head of Elephant (conventional), 3 heads of California Early White (organic softneck), 3 heads of Purple Italian (organic hardneck), 3 heads of Russian Red (organic hardneck), 3 sets of French Red Shallots (organic). Should yield approx. 50 plants, needs approx. 6-8 sq ft.
A Quart of Liquid Kelp – Cold-processed liquid kelp Enzymatically digested, concentrated liquid extract of California Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), harvested from kelp beds in the Pacific Ocean off the Northern coast of CA. Freshly harvested kelp is rapidly processed at low temperatures, using naturally occurring enzymes isolated from the kelp, to digest and liquify the chopped kelp into a dark liquid extract.
a 10 gallon smart pot – which you can use to grow your garlic in if you don’t have enough space in your garden.
1 Garlic Twist (clever kitchen gadget that minces the cloves when you twist it; easy to use and clean)
and a print of your garlic variety.
So why kelp? Peaceful Vally has a great video that recommend soaking your garlic bulbs overnight in kelp before planting. I used kelp before, but I have soaked them in a baking soda and fish emulsion mix. You can bet I’ll be doing experiments by soaking a few and not soaking a few to see how they grow (similar to my remove or leave the scape experiment). If you’d like to read my post on planting garlic including a few of the varieties I grow, head on over to this post.
All you have to do to enter to win is to comment on this post. Contest will end at midnight PT on Wednesday, October 17. contest closed…check back for more great giveaways in the future.
Do you grow garlic in the garden? If so, what’s your favorite variety?
If you’d like more chances to win, there are 7 other blogs doing this same giveaway, with different varieties of garlic.
Peaceful Valley’s Organic Gardening Blog for ‘Bogatyr’
Gardenerd for ‘California Early White’
A Suburban Farmer for ‘Purple Gazer’
North Coast Gardening for some ‘Russian Red’
Western Gardeners for ‘Purple Italian’
Living Homegrown for ‘German Red’
Dirt Du Jour divas are giving away French red shallots
What an amazing give-away! Garlic is something that every gardener can grow, and I’d welcome the chance to widen the varieties I know. And shallots. Never tried, but they are either very expensive or totally unavailable in the organic section.
to Barb's comment
I have not grown garlic before but I want to find out if it is better than store-bought.
to MICHAEL's comment
Last year, I grew softneck varieties-CA White, Polish White, Chinese Red, others I picked up here and there. I grew them in 5 gallon smart pots. Mid-spring, I realized that I had too many cloves in each. They were small and I ate them all by the end of summer. I had them in everything including garlic in my cream of wheat with butter.
I am so excited this year because I found out I could grow some hardneck in my area, Sacramento, CA. I had been looking for nurseries closer to me so I could find garlic that would do well in my climate.
I did not expect to be able to grow hardneck. I am trying out the Russian Red and Italian Purple from Peaceful Valley. They were very hard and larger than I thought they would be.
What I look forward to is the Bulbils. I am aim toward organic and perrenials. Even one of my tomatoes plants has lasted two seasons. It did not grow fruit this year but I am going to keep it going to see if I can get it to fruit. I am so enthusiastic about the bulbils, learning how to use them is fascinating-the whole idea of new experiments with them. I have a new fascination with learning more about garlic anatomy and history.
to Jodell's comment
Totally love growing garlic, and who could not use MORE Garlic, especially good garlic?! Thanks for the chance to snag some for free. :)
to Lisa B's comment
I have found that garlic is a wonderful and rewarding crop. Like you, I have only grown hardnecks. I purchased my initial seedstock at a farmer’s market, and the varietal is unknown. Just last week, a friend requested some of my homegrown garlic so she can make roasted garlic. I’m not sure how well the hardneck will work given how tough the center portion is – very difficult to cut through! But this is certainly a reason to now consider growing softnecks!
to Chris Daniel's comment
I too have not grown garlic but do purchase a lot of it in fresh form & in powdered form. Cannot do the garlic salt tho. The container growing sounds interesting to me & think will try that to begin & then maybe move on to other planting methods.
Just put up 2 jelly jars of garlic bulbs in olive oil. Buying the “wok” oil to use in stir fry dishes gets to be expensive, so am experimenting doing this to have my own garlic oil.
Am interested in learning all that can about gardening. Am in upstate SC.
Thanks for letting us newbies in on your knowledge & in on your testing this & that.
to Patricia's comment
Last year i grew (organic) Georgian Crystal, Georgian Fire, Chet’s Italian Red, Chesnok Red, and Erik’s German White. I had great success with each variety and have set aside some of the larger bulbs to plant this year, which I am getting ready to do this coming week!
to Rob T's comment
WOW, roasted garlic is the best. Would love to grow my own garlic.
to Lisa Quintero's comment
Garlic is one of the staples of our diet which is mostly Middle Eastern by heritage. My mother, who is now 93, has grown garlic in all her gardens, and I want to carry on that tradition! Thanks so much for your informative blog!
to Mary's comment
I love garlic!
to veronica's comment
i love the garlic!!! since it comes in different strengths i can use it in delicate cooking!!! love this stuff!!!
to sue hafenstein's comment
Oh, how wonderful! I planted garlic for the first time last year and I’m hooked. I’d love to win this fabulous prize.
to Janice's comment
Although I have gardened for years, I have not grown garlic, In the past, as an elementary teacher, I was so overwhelmed in the fall with class preparations and harvesting my garden that I didn’t have time (or energy) to do one more thing- like planting bulbs. Now that I’m not teaching, I have more time and energy and am interested in learning something new. I like to do the things you mentioned in your post – experiment with new techniques and a control group. FUN!
to Kathleen's comment
I’ve been growing garlic since the beginning of my gardening days too. I agree, it’s so easy and it is so rewarding come mid-summer and suddenly you have hundreds of heads of gorgeous garlic. We’ve always grown hardneck too but I’m totally interested in softneck if it stores longer. How awesome. Oh…and I have used those smart pots for the last three or four years for my potatoes. We have such heavy clay soil that the thought of putting them in the ground has always made me a little nervous. The smart pots work great. Okay…I’m off to get my garlic in the ground for next year. I’ve been putting it off (not feeling well) but it needs to get done. NOW. Thanks Susy, as always, for the inspirations. xo
to Debbie's comment
I’ve been growing garlic for over 10 years now. Even though I’m in zone 5
and should be planting hardneck garlic I grow softneck because it does store so well for me. The variety that we’ve grown to love around our house is california late softneck. It’s been growing fine for us for here over 7 years now.
to Ron's comment
I’m very excited about growing garlic for the first time this year!
to Tammy Glassey's comment
I have never grown garlic before, have the perfect spot in my garden to start my addiction :)
to Julie R's comment
This looks like fun! I have my planting bed all ready.
to Pam Burke ,'s comment
I have been researching and trying to learn about growing garlic for my family & stumbled on this post and giveaway=D I would so love a chance to win this great package but even if I don’t I’m glad to have the info from your post!
Thanks bunches=)
to Lethea's comment
I have grown garlic from what I ASSUME you are calling scapes — the little bulblets that grow in the pods at the upper ends of the growing plant? And I have no idea what variety they were, but they were good and grew easily. I have been thinking of trying some specific varieties to see if they were better, less/more garlicky, etc. I haven’t much room for gardening, so rather intersperse it in my flower beds.
to Billie Allemand's comment
If I remember correctly, I grow California White. I started off planting a couple of heads that I got at the farmer’s market about 7 years ago, and just save the best every year to plant the next. It is becoming acclimated to my Central California climate and almost all come up now. I plant lots so I can have green garlic in the Spring. Yum.
to Amanda C's comment
I love garlic, to eat. I have never had enough area to grow garlic until now, but have not yet attempted to grow the stinking rose. I also did not know that there are soft and hard varieties.
to Mariann Coyle's comment
Sounds awesome
to Jared's comment
This will be my first time planting garlic. I hope it likes my planting bed!
to Maureen Smith's comment
I don’t currently have garlic in my garden, but I am adding a 2nd garden next year and garlic would be a great addition!
to Jill's comment
At eight years old and three years into gardening, I have only grown one variety so far. And I would like to try several more. This would be a great start.
to Dawson's comment
This is my first fall planting of garlic…I am trying elephant garlic and a white variety, you can never have too much garlic!! Also love peaceful valley!
to heather's comment
I have always wanted to try growing garlic, because of a small garden space, I never have had room. No excuse now :) AND I love garlic…maiden name is Italian, go figure…Just found your site searching how to dry peppers, sure enjoying it!
Thanks!
to Mary Sting's comment
Planting some soft neck this year for the first time. I also am trying the soda and sea weed emulsion, so will be interested to see if it helps. Would love to win the garlic.
to Sharon's comment
Elephant garlic…yummy!
to Lisa's comment
…Hey, better late than never, right? :o) Please count me in Susy. I’ve never grown garlic before but would love to try it. I usually purchase it at our local Farmer’s Mkt. and for some odd reason I guess I’m just a lil’ intimidated by it and that is why I’ve never grown it.
…Thanks for the chance to win!
…Blessings :o)
to tj's comment
I have 32 square feet of garlic planted this fall; trying several varieties
to Deborah's comment
I haven’t had much success with my garlic lately, then again, I have no idea what variety I had growing… maybe that’s part of the problem! :)
to kara's comment
Have grown Music and Chesnok red. Amazing how the taste differs from the store bought kinds
to Ryan's comment
I love garlic and I’ve been wanting to plant some this fall. Hope I win!
to Amie's comment
Hey, Peacful valley im was so elated when I read the email about the garlic giveaway, I am a young man very interested in horticulture and just growing plants on a whole, I do hope that I will be able to win this prize, this would make me really happy. I have never grown garlic before but there is always a first time for everthing. And I believe that one day step by step we can encourage more Americans to be concerned by what we eat in the nature that we promote more home gardening.
Thnx for listening, I wish you all the best!
to Nicholas's comment
I am so delighted to have stumbled upon a blog dedicated to growing garlic! Thank you!
to Maria's comment
I had my first good harvest of German Red and Phillips- my husband keeps using the big heads I am saving for planting!. I have kept the “bulbets” ( I harvested the scapes a little late) and hope to plant them too for “garlic grass” – early spring garlic flavor! I will be trying the presoaking trick- never ran across this one. Thanks!
to kristen oberhauser bishop's comment
Here in Louisiana, we grow a softneck creole variety that I originally bought from a local farmer at the Red Stick Farmers Market in Baton Rouge. We have saved “seed” from this variety each year for going on five years now. We typically plant 600-800 ft of garlic each year for out CSA. This past year, we had an abundance of very large (golf ball to tennis ball) sized undifferentiated bulbs that will be planted by the end of October. I expect that these will make huge bulbs once they have another growing season to expand and differenitate into toes. Visit our CSA blog site at http://www.porthudsonorganicscsa.blogspot.com to see what is going on down south.
to Will Perkins's comment
Wow! I’ve never heard the kelp tip… I totally need to get mine in the ground, but I’ll just be growing the best of the best Chesnok red that I pulled this summer!
to julie's comment
How do you tell when garlic is ready to harvest?
to Thomas Fram's comment
I wrote a post about this topic: /2009/07/17/how-to-tell-if-garlic-is-ready-to-harvest/
to Susy's comment
This is my first time growing garlic. I have purple Italian from Peaceville Valley and planning to plant this week. Will have to try the kelp trick on 1/2 to see the difference.
to Dara's comment
Would love to be able to plant some new garlic varieties this year. Send them on over!
to Vicky M's comment
I’ve never grown garlic before. Until I found my garlic sprouting in my pantry which I decide to plant. And they have grown a lot since.(been a month) Not sure how long it be untill I can harvest my garlic. I’m excited to learn how to grow garlic, with the help of grow organic, and can’t wait to tast my home grown garlic. :)
to BRANDON DELIGHT's comment
never thought about it until now – just wondering how a variety of different garlics in my chili would be?
to Curt's comment
I am getting ready to plant a “garlic sampler” to give away to friends next year. The more varieties, the better. Thanks for participating in this give-away. Love your blog!
to Kelly Kaiserian's comment
This will be the first year I will have grown garlic – I have a hardneck variety I picked up at our local Farmer’s market recently (not sure what the name is) that is a nice tasting garlic.
to Elena's comment
How great that Peaceful Valley has put together this kit to get us started on the garlic growing adventure!
to Karen Cassimatis's comment
Garlic is so easy. I have never used kelp for fertility, something to try.
to Mary's comment
I love growing garlic and have two problems, rust and gophers. We live on the coast, moist air, and have a real gopher problem. I wonder if the kelp would help with any of those problems/
to Susan's comment