I hate to burst your bubble, but the garlic planted at 4"was also in the CENTER of the bed where the best moisture is. The garlic on either side suffered from "edge effect". You need to repeat with each depth getting the center row.
Great video! I've been planting my garlic at 4" with great results for several years. I'm gardening in the Colorado Rockies at 7240 feet elevation in a ski area town so get 250"+ snow each season. I plant in late October just before the snow starts to build and don't mulch. I typically have 3 to 5 feet of snow on the beds until it melts off in April. It's not unusual to have 100% of the cloves produce.
Yes, the insulation and protection of the snow definitely matter. I live in the southern half of Sweden, where temperature and level of snow are changing freezing to thaw several times during the winter (C, where 0 is freezing point; -18° - +7° is the normal, but a few degrees above or below isn't unusual). Wet - freezing - wet -freezing if you plant the cloves too close to the surface. The soil softens, and the melting water reaches down to them, causing them to endure being in an ice block, thawing, ice block again. I used to grow them 5-6 inches in depth. It seems like the thaw doesn't go so far down, it stays at 3-4, and the environment stays relatively dry, at least not fluctuating. It took me a couple of years to understand, so I put the cloves on the recommended 3-4 inches, and the first winter it worked just fine, but that was a cold and snowy winter from late November to late March. Then the weather was back to the typical Stockholm type, and my harvest was pitiful. When I by mistake put them deeper (I threw on more soil for a neighboring currant bush, didn't remember that I had put garlic so close to it) they thrived, and looked like the large ones in the video. After that I experimented with different varieties, but the 5-6 inches down worked out best, BUT sprouted last. I was figuring that I should put cardboard first, cardboard, insulation, then cover with plastic, "ambrellla", but I moved that winter. I don't have a garden now, but a balcony. I put garlic in the fridge in December, plant them in large pots, 3 inches below the surface, 3 inches above the bottom of the pot. Then I water, mostly from below, and put them on my balcony, in shadow. I bring them to the sun, at least a lighter spot in April, give them water, and leave them alone until it's necessary to water more thoroughly. I mostly water them from below, but practically every day, except for when it's really dry, then I give them water so the soil can't suck up any more. I have had decently good results, considering it's in pots.
I plant mine shallow and will continue to do so. Time is valuable and it is easier and simpler to do the shallow. I get good results and lots of garlic.
In my opinion... And for those of us with bad backs/mobility/strength issues, surface would be easiest, even though my wife is always insisting that seven inches is better than four inches. Hmmm, I wonder if she was talking about planting Garlic...
@@miner79r Krazy Kid !!! Of course she was not talking about garlic. On the serious side. I do not have any problems that would keep me from planing my garlic deeper. But I am perfectly satisfied with planting then shallow and get nice sized garlic and plenty of it.
With gardening as with most things if it’s not broken don’t fix it as your yields are guaranteed, if you plant many then it doesn’t hurt to experiment if not stick to what you know.
After growing garlic for twenty years. I will go back to 4 inches, because that is where I get the best results in my area. I have tried 3 and 2 inches with less success. It also depends on the size of clove you put in the hole. From what i have observed.
@@hogue3666 yeah, this guy is giving you a completely false concept of what garlic is. It is very finicky. Garlic requires consistent moisture, temperature, and weed free growing environment or else you’re not not gonna get much of a harvest at all.
I bought peeled garlic the store. Threw it into some potting soil and let it sit. I thought it wasn't growing because nothing came up after a month. I was moderstely watering them every few.dayz, and my other garlic projects usually sprouted within a week or so. A month later, i had a bunch of gsrlic sprouting. Garlic is pretty forgiving as long as you don't over water them. Thats the only thing they don't handle well
One thing to keep in mind, the deeper they are the wetter they will stay. If you have dry early summers, fine; you won't have to irrigate as often. But if you have soggy early summers, your luck may be like mine. This year it was super wet and I had the worst crop ever with most of my bulbs being partly or totally worthless due to rot by harvest time. Also I had planted deeper than usual. Most of the plants just broke off at ground level when I tried to pull them out, leaving smelly slime on my hand. I had to dig down with a trowel to get the bulbs. The bed that I had planted the deepest took significantly longer for the plants to get up and going, but they seemed to catch up with the others in size eventually.
Right to the point? It took him 8 minutes to blather his way to the results when all he needed was one screenshot of the graph at 8:04. He even used stall phrases like _lets dive right in_ and _I'm going to _____ at least 3 times. This video could be edited down to 45 seconds without losing a single word of useful and relevant information.
@@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394 Yes and it really annoys me when people waste time talking about what they THINK is going to happen like at 2:48, why not just get on with it and show us what actually happened? I mean fair enough if you're discussing things in more detail after you've given us the answer, but when you're waiting to find out what the answer is the delaying tactics are just frustrating. If that graph was given up front and then the rest of the video was spent explaining it, it wouldn't have been anywhere near as annoying.
@@Berkeloid0 *" it really annoys me when people waste time talking about what they THINK is going to happen like at **2:48**, why not just get on with it and show us what actually happened?"* Oh come on, you need to be kept in suspense so that you could have time to finish your popcorn.
@@billzerkeley i could see how he might be taken as sarcastic, but given the mention of no 30 minute intro, and the fact that most how─toers are much worse than this channel, plus the tone of a couple other things he said, i had to go with sincerity
Thank you for waiting to post until the experiment was complete! One useful result was that we don't have to worry too much about planting our garlic a little more deeply than we usually do since the 7" depth did well. And I wonder if folks in cold climates would have good results with the deeper planting--if it would compare to the protection that your centre row planting seemed to have.
I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and I plant mine 4 inches deep. They don't have any straw or leaves coverage and my bulbs are big enough that they each fill the palm of my hand.i do put composted cow manure in each planting hole before I plant the garlic at the end of September. Each of my bulbs measures about 2 1/2 inches high. I only grow Russian garlic that I bought from our Hutterite families.
I LOVE this kind of experiment. I harvested brussels sprout seeds kind of early. Some seeds were dark brown or black, others tan and some green. I planted them right away. Few green came up, and they came up last. The tan were first up, and the brown and black came up later, but at the same germination rates. Conclusion: tan seeds are fastest and best.
Love this - always doing little garden experiments on my own and trying to control for all the variables is the challenge. I am wondering about garlic scape. When I did a little experiment years ago, I didn't really see any difference between the ones that I pruned and the ones where I let the scapes go. I do really love the way the scapes look in the garden - the first time I grew garlic I thought it looked like a flock of birds had landed. I have also observed that once the scapes are totally vertical pointing up to the sky, the garlic is usually ready to be harvested. Maybe I will do another experiment and see what happens. Also read in a book by a garlic farmer that he didn't think removing the scapes was worth the effort as far as final result was concerned. They are good to eat, though, make a nice pesto.
Interesting study. Last season I planted mine about 2” and the results were very impressive. I’ll do the 4” this year and see what happens. Thanks for the great video!
Too funny you say that - my gf said the same thing, so I think for this coming year I'm going to do an outside of the bed vs inside of the bed experiment!
Exactly! That is a variable to be tested. That would mean 2 more years of testing in order to rotate the rows so the 0” and 7” depths get a chance to be in the center.
One potential design issue...the edges may effect size. So the 4 in depth...which had the least edge effect...could confound the results. Experiments need randomization of treatments...or should have been in a 3x3 factorial design. I think it is safe to say the zero depth did result in smaller heada...but maybe not as small as one thinks. However...the 7 in depth could have provided biggest heads if there was an edge effect
totally agree with this. This experiment is inconclusive. He needs to do 2 more beds, one with no depth in the middle and the other with 7" depth in the middle.
I'm glad I watched this! We planted garlic for the first time last fall, and we're pretty pleased with our harvest, but I planted them just like our green onions. I'll plant at 4" this fall for sure.
I'm zone 10 and since I was absolutely new a year and a half ago I followed your advice not realizing it was mostly winter based 😂 that was just a small factor in my novice season but at least I'm learning 😁
Great looking garlic! I believe that I plant my garlic very similar to the way that You do,all things considered. This Year for me(end of July also) was my best harvest ever. Some heads got harvested late and were duds. My best estimate is that the average head weighed 1.86 ounces. I have been planting about 4 inches ALWAYS for several years. It’s a fun plant to grow and harvest AND ENJOY! Happy growing!!
No raised bed here, and in the SW Chicago area I plant mine 6-8 inches deep in late November to ensure no growth pops the surface before winter chill (single digit temps) and kills the growth. I grow both softneck and hardneck. For the hardneck do not toss the scapes but use them in stir fries, grill them or even make scape pesto!
Great video. 4” it will be here. After growing garlic for some years and in several different beds. I realized I wasn’t sure what depth was best here in Montana. So after your experiment I have settled on 3-4 inches- closer to 4. Thanks!!! Your video is on topic and doesn’t ramble!!
I am in eastern Ontario. I plant in November, date depending upon weather. This year too warm during 1st week November so I waited until Nov 8. I plant 4 types of hardneck, music, puslinch, marino and red chesnot. I like my soil to be loose so I added a bag of peat moss, perlite then fertilizer. Total crop is about 125 bulbs and I save the largest of each for the next year planting. I plant 2-3 inches deep. I cover with 4 inches of leaves then put a net over the bed to keep the leaves there all winter. Lots of wind off the end of Lake Ontario. In the spring, I remove leaves as soon as I think sprouts are starting. One year I left the leaves on too long and I had shoots of 6 inches all bright yellow. I was panicked as I thought I lost my crop. As it turned out the yellow turned green after a couple of days in the sun. In the fall I dress soil with NPK fertilizer to boost the soil. In the spring I add bone meal a couple times as I believe that helps with bulb size. I try my best to remove weeds during grow season. Scapes off in June. I get so many I freeze a lot. That works. This year I harvested on July 21, earliest ever. My garlic was huge. I expect that from music but this year my rocamboles ( Marino, Puslinch) were largest ever. I was not expecting that as the above ground plants were not as tall as Music or chesnot. I hung then to dry in a shed for 2 weeks then trimmed and I store in cloth bags hanging in my furnace room. Most of them will last up to a year. So I am hoping for biggest garlic ever next spring with the bulbs I used this past fall. The rocamboles are my favourite for consumption.
I read many of the comments and good reasons to suggest why some bulbs are larger or smaller. I plant my garlic in ground level beds so temperature is equal and depth at 4inc.; water moisture is also equal at ground level. Sun exposure is from East to West and my garlic grows to a large size with some bulbs having 4 cloves some 5 cloves or 6 cloves and I use large cloves in planting. Over all, I am happy with my garlic growing results . It doesn't have to be perfect 🙂 Zone 5b Ontario Canada.
He used drip irrigation so probably had a more even watering result. You can see the small black hoses once he started harvesting. The "edge effect" is always a factor for more reasons than watering. The middle is the sweet spot! Solid video none the less!
Love the shorter length of the video jammed with precise and valuable information! Definitely subscribed and will watch more experiment videos because you really do learn so much! No experiment is perfect but even just seeing what someone did and learning from that experience is so valuable! Now that we know the center row did the best and maybe that was partially due to the edge or border effect, it would be possibly an advantage to use the edges for something else such as marigolds or nasturtium which deter bad bugs and bring in pollination for the whole garden? I would LOVE to see a 4 separate😊 bed comparison video where you planted the garlic 4 ish inches deep in both beds, but one bed you watered with your regular water and the 2nd bed you watertered exclusively with home made "willow water" The 3rd bed you watered with liquid gold earthworm compost tea each watering, And the 4th bed you watered with a mixture half and half of willow water and the compost tea. Now, I'm from Alaska where we grow carrots very well and we have access to willow trees quite easily. Let me tell you this, willow water will make MONSTER carrots lol if you put the effort into making it properly. I put my new growth spring willow tree branch tips I clip in gallon zip lock bags and keep them in the freezer to pull out to make fresh batches of willow water through the year just FYI because the chemicals do degrade quickly after being clipped if not frozen. And I soak the willow tips for a whole week in the water before using that water on the garden.
I have been planting garlic for 15 yrs in Toronto Canada at about 2 inch deep (not in raised beds )with good results ….also cover with leaves for cold / snow/ frost in winter on the end of October .I don’t fertilize the soil and I wonder other than worm castings what did you use …enjoyed the video .
Took months to figure out that growers already had it right. And without realizing the center batch would obviously do better for the surrounding insulation.
Thank you for all the time you put into this. I have always planted mine shallow. To me the results seemed just Ok. This fall I will be trying the 4 inch dept just to see if it does better. In Utah, July is so hot and dry. It always seems to me that they should last 2 or 3 weeks longer. They never get as big as the heads I use to plant. Am planning on moving the bed so they just have a bit more shade at the hottest part of the day. This video was helpful to me.
Very interesting. My hardneck garlic began as a bulb from Aldi which sprouted in the fridge 7 or 8 years ago (I've learned since NOT to keep garlic in the fridge) & I planted just to see what happened, which was about 500g of garlic from less than 20 bulbs - not much but for more or less free... Each subsequent year, I've kept back the best two or three bulbs for replanting & used the biggest 8-10 cloves from them for the next year. These I start in cell trays in mid October. I'm in temperate zone 9 but plant these at the back of the borders in my polytunnel, mostly as outside garlic seems to suffer badly with rust. A month after harvesting this year, my 28 bulbs averaged just under 70g. brought down by two sub 20g runts... I guess these were 2" deep in the cell trays, then 4" deep in the ground.
Rust is usually triggered by wet winters. I got really bad rust last year, but was able to wipe it out with azoxystrobin which is a systemic fungicide thats made from mushrooms originally totally safe but is one of 3 that can work on garlic rust. Definitely got good garlic.
Good demo. I must agree with lazygardens. I do notice that in our raised beds also and I use irrigation for consistent watering. I will agree with you on the four inch depth for our Vancouver island location thou. Thank you
I am in 6B and plant mine about an inch down. I get plenty of garlic of different varieties. My bed is a raised concrete block bed. I cover with frost cloth and tarp it. I have garlic 5 inches tall with leaves ready to go by April.
How long do they last [ to be eaten] after the harvest Mine are hanging in a dry but not heated[ yet] room Also Can i use the bulbs for this winter planting?
@@bipbip6626if you dry them completely and then store in a cool room, they should last for months. Use the ones where the. Ulb broke apart first. They won't store as well. Keep checking on them. In January. You might have to pull all the bulbs aoart because some cloves will start to rot. Them just store the cloves maybe in the fridge and use cloves that are the softest first.
I like you video! It’s good to know that even shallow planted can survive the winter. I also learned that I need to be more patient - pulled mine out of ground too early. I’ve never gotten garlic heads as large as yours. I’m going to use actual seed garlic this year rather than grocery store ones. And bone meal to supplement the soil.
I grew Music Garlic this year. I put the bulbs in the fridge for 3 months (Oct-Dec). I planted the bulbs on January 1 and harvested my garlic in mid May over the course of several weeks. It was a great harvest.
I would say it depends on your local climate. But many factors can potentially affect middle of the row versus the edge - moisture, sun, and microclimate within that bed. The row nearest the edge of the bed may not be the best insulated for the deep freeze. What about trying a checker board distribution of the different depths. But based on your results, and my experience, I am sticking to 4 inch-ish.
So glad you did this test because I'll be planting your garlic kit this year God willing . I planted garlic the fall last year and all the bulbs rotted . Im hoping this years plant will be successful 🤗👍
Can't wait to help you!! If it rotted then definitely make sure you use that soil blend of 75% Compost and 25% Vermiculite. Rotting happens due to them being in too wet of an environment. So if you planted them in the ground, you'll probably want to build vertically (either just with that blend I mentioned or with an actual raised bed). That should help a lot!
@@anabanana7599 Ah yes pots are much more challenging than a raised bed. When he builds it just make sure it is at least 10" in height for the walls. And then if I was you I'd fill the entirety of that bed up with the blend of 75% Compost and 25% Vermiculite. This is how I setup the exact bed that I'll be planting my garlic into: ruclips.net/video/qwEAEZQ1ts0/видео.html If you want to see how I've set wooden raised beds up in the past, you can see that right here: ruclips.net/video/JXz_D-Y7UvU/видео.html And the new full step-by-step guide for growing garlic is right here: ruclips.net/video/KPsgK-OFyPI/видео.html
Fascinating! For years, my garlic has been planted 6" deep, then covered with straw. We usually get a good harvest. BUT - digging only 4" sounds like a less labor-intensive plan I can go for. Btw, I use a bulb planter tool to dig the holes. Thank you!
Very interesting. I love how you as an American talk about planting depth in inches then weighed your produce in grams and kilograms! Given I live in a country that does not get snow (well it does but only up the mountains) What I got from this is I can dig a hole and plant my garlic without worrying about exact depth.
lol. When someone starts out with that or with “I’ll be honest”I usually stop listening or I’ll just take it with a grain of salt. But I wanted to comment on his loud struggling. 😊 almost every time he pulled out a little head of garlic he sounded like he was struggling with something so big and huge. 😂
I found that my depth was more important to the situation because of the type of soil I have. It's sandy so water percolates through it very quickly, meaning a deeper depth privides more moisture available to the root during growing because it's down below the evaporative point. It's also why I use a considerable amount of mulch. (4-6 inches strawbale flake and DONT FLUFF IT, leave it compressed ) For me weight per head isn't necessarily as important as how many cloves. Because you're always saving back or should be saving back your seed for the next year If all of my heads only produce two cloves, which has happened to me but those cloves are giant. Every head of garlic only gives me 2 replacement plants instead of five (Music variety) So when I calculate my success I both take my overall weight and then I take the weight of each foreclove three clove two clove five clove head and keep separate tally for each one. A successful crop is the one that has more heads with four or five cloves in them.
The centre row got the best of everything. got to rotate the experiment. the deep ones in the middle this time might be the biggest but again might not get enough nutrients. well worth the experiment. Rotation
Just a few questions... 1) Is this depth based on the topmost point or on the bottom of the clove? 2) How would your depths be affected by different types of garlic vs elephant garlic? 3) Were there any effects noted if you use an insulating layer of clean straw for overwintering?
Interesting experiment. Unfortunately, the downside is that sun exposure was not the same for all three sections. What you said at the beginning, the 0 depth garlic got the least sun exposure, I gathered that the sun sets and rises parallel to the bed length. If that is the case, it would be wise to cut the three sections lengthwise so that all three sections get the same amount of sun. As of now, the 0 depth garlic is smaller could be most likely due to getting less amount of sunlight rather than depth of planting.
Great experiment thanks. Turns out I’ve been planting my garlic to shallow! Although I do hate to tell you you picked them too soon I was always taught you wait till they turn yellowy brown and keel over in the summer sun, before harvesting, and that way they’re easier to peel and already dried out for storage.
When I do this, my bulbs are separated and therefore, not as good for storage. I'm not waiting as long next year. After harvest, you can just spend a bit longer drying them.
The center of the bed is more protected from the cold in winter , i plant at 4inches and the center always does better if any dont make it there always on the outside rows.
first time I grew elephant garlic into a bed, usually in pots before I had an allotment, they were ok and not as big as id have expected. I wondered if it was because the soil is mostly clay and I didn't put enough composted matter down? digging up was quite a bind as it was stuck in the clay
You mention surviving winter which here in NTX is not much of any issue but does make me wonder if 7” deep would help with bigger bulbs since soil temp would be cooler longer and heat can trigger bolting which in turn affects bulb development.
I wouldnt do 7" unless planting in grow bags or doing very little garlic. 4" is a pain in the butt enough especially when you do hundreds of garlic bulbs per year. There's a reason the standard recommendations are 2-4" even in colder climates--not worth the hassle. So many people nitpicking the experiment--just shut up and grow stuff. You'll either figure it out on your own or learn to trust the wisdom of those who came before you.
I have good luck planting garlic about 1-2” below the surface here in zone 6B. Garlic is forgiving, I threw some small cloves on the ground uncovered and they actually grew.
Great experiment! In harder soils the depth could impact size. Your soil looks wonderful. Commercial soft-neck garlic in California is usually shallow planted at 4" or less.
that was a great video! I have been growing garlic for four years and the first two years I've planted my garlic in the fall and they did reasonably well! But these past two seasons I have planted them in April and all of my heads of garlic are twice the size as any that were planted in the fall! i'm thinking the northern New Hampshire climate is too much in the winter time for them. Thanks for your channel!
I love growing garlic. I normally plant around 350 cloves and my wife processes it. I harvest the scapes early before they even twist like a pigs tale. Garlic makes so much of what we eat better by a long shot.
To be more precise, you could weigh the cloves you plant and the bulbs they produce for both absolute and relative values. I go with 4" and as thick a mulch layer. Zone 4a.
I hate to burst your bubble, but the garlic planted at 4"was also in the CENTER of the bed where the best moisture is. The garlic on either side suffered from "edge effect". You need to repeat with each depth getting the center row.
Meanie 😂
That's nit picking I'm willing to bet he waters em well ❤️🩹
This definitely might contribute to the results, but then again this video wasn't meant to be a super detailed experiment.
I have noted the edge effect in my raised beds myself. I assumed it was more to do with winter temperatures than watering.
Proba ly also warmer in the middle of the bed
Great video! I've been planting my garlic at 4" with great results for several years. I'm gardening in the Colorado Rockies at 7240 feet elevation in a ski area town so get 250"+ snow each season. I plant in late October just before the snow starts to build and don't mulch. I typically have 3 to 5 feet of snow on the beds until it melts off in April. It's not unusual to have 100% of the cloves produce.
Yes, the insulation and protection of the snow definitely matter.
I live in the southern half of Sweden, where temperature and level of snow are changing freezing to thaw several times during the winter (C, where 0 is freezing point; -18° - +7° is the normal, but a few degrees above or below isn't unusual). Wet - freezing - wet -freezing if you plant the cloves too close to the surface. The soil softens, and the melting water reaches down to them, causing them to endure being in an ice block, thawing, ice block again. I used to grow them 5-6 inches in depth. It seems like the thaw doesn't go so far down, it stays at 3-4, and the environment stays relatively dry, at least not fluctuating.
It took me a couple of years to understand, so I put the cloves on the recommended 3-4 inches, and the first winter it worked just fine, but that was a cold and snowy winter from late November to late March. Then the weather was back to the typical Stockholm type, and my harvest was pitiful.
When I by mistake put them deeper (I threw on more soil for a neighboring currant bush, didn't remember that I had put garlic so close to it) they thrived, and looked like the large ones in the video. After that I experimented with different varieties, but the 5-6 inches down worked out best, BUT sprouted last. I was figuring that I should put cardboard first, cardboard, insulation, then cover with plastic, "ambrellla", but I moved that winter.
I don't have a garden now, but a balcony. I put garlic in the fridge in December, plant them in large pots, 3 inches below the surface, 3 inches above the bottom of the pot. Then I water, mostly from below, and put them on my balcony, in shadow. I bring them to the sun, at least a lighter spot in April, give them water, and leave them alone until it's necessary to water more thoroughly. I mostly water them from below, but practically every day, except for when it's really dry, then I give them water so the soil can't suck up any more. I have had decently good results, considering it's in pots.
I plant mine shallow and will continue to do so. Time is valuable and it is easier and simpler to do the shallow. I get good results and lots of garlic.
In my opinion... And for those of us with bad backs/mobility/strength issues, surface would be easiest, even though my wife is always insisting that seven inches is better than four inches.
Hmmm, I wonder if she was talking about planting Garlic...
@@miner79r Krazy Kid !!! Of course she was not talking about garlic. On the serious side. I do not have any problems that would keep me from planing my garlic deeper. But I am perfectly satisfied with planting then shallow and get nice sized garlic and plenty of it.
With gardening as with most things if it’s not broken don’t fix it as your yields are guaranteed, if you plant many then it doesn’t hurt to experiment if not stick to what you know.
@@HardCandy-d9q I am happy with the way i do it and the yields.
@@alph8654 that’s all that matters
After growing garlic for twenty years. I will go back to 4 inches, because that is where I get the best results in my area. I have tried 3 and 2 inches with less success. It also depends on the size of clove you put in the hole. From what i have observed.
My own experience with garlic, is that the variety, the soil, and the moisture are what really matter.
good to watch a video that sticks to the point and doesn't ramble, waffle or digress.
There was a lot of waffle!
Good to know that garlic is forgiving and will work great no matter what.
That's not really true. The soil, moisture level and variety are super important. ...buy yeah, the depth doesn't matter too much.
@@hogue3666 yeah, this guy is giving you a completely false concept of what garlic is. It is very finicky. Garlic requires consistent moisture, temperature, and weed free growing environment or else you’re not not gonna get much of a harvest at all.
Thankyou
I bought peeled garlic the store. Threw it into some potting soil and let it sit. I thought it wasn't growing because nothing came up after a month. I was moderstely watering them every few.dayz, and my other garlic projects usually sprouted within a week or so.
A month later, i had a bunch of gsrlic sprouting.
Garlic is pretty forgiving as long as you don't over water them. Thats the only thing they don't handle well
@@josephwilliams1915 do you know absolutely nothing of what you’re talking about. What a donkey.
I have for years just pushed the cloves in with my finger, about 1inch. I have always had great results.
One thing to keep in mind, the deeper they are the wetter they will stay. If you have dry early summers, fine; you won't have to irrigate as often. But if you have soggy early summers, your luck may be like mine. This year it was super wet and I had the worst crop ever with most of my bulbs being partly or totally worthless due to rot by harvest time. Also I had planted deeper than usual. Most of the plants just broke off at ground level when I tried to pull them out, leaving smelly slime on my hand. I had to dig down with a trowel to get the bulbs.
The bed that I had planted the deepest took significantly longer for the plants to get up and going, but they seemed to catch up with the others in size eventually.
I had that same exact problem this year! I lost about 60 bulbs to rot. :(
Thanks for getting right to the point without a 30 minute intro! Growing garlic is my fave. I’ll stick to 4”. Thanks for the test.
Right to the point? It took him 8 minutes to blather his way to the results when all he needed was one screenshot of the graph at 8:04. He even used stall phrases like _lets dive right in_ and _I'm going to _____ at least 3 times. This video could be edited down to 45 seconds without losing a single word of useful and relevant information.
@@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394 Yes and it really annoys me when people waste time talking about what they THINK is going to happen like at 2:48, why not just get on with it and show us what actually happened? I mean fair enough if you're discussing things in more detail after you've given us the answer, but when you're waiting to find out what the answer is the delaying tactics are just frustrating. If that graph was given up front and then the rest of the video was spent explaining it, it wouldn't have been anywhere near as annoying.
@@Berkeloid0
*" it really annoys me when people waste time talking about what they THINK is going to happen like at **2:48**, why not just get on with it and show us what actually happened?"*
Oh come on, you need to be kept in suspense so that you could have time to finish your popcorn.
@@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394 I'm pretty sure msbknows was being sarcastic.
@@billzerkeley i could see how he might be taken as sarcastic, but given the mention of no 30 minute intro, and the fact that most how─toers are much worse than this channel, plus the tone of a couple other things he said, i had to go with sincerity
I think there’s something to say about putting the 4” ones in the middle of the bed. Better insulation from the metal sides in the winter.
Thank you for waiting to post until the experiment was complete! One useful result was that we don't have to worry too much about planting our garlic a little more deeply than we usually do since the 7" depth did well. And I wonder if folks in cold climates would have good results with the deeper planting--if it would compare to the protection that your centre row planting seemed to have.
This has been my experience.
Eliot Coleman lives in Main and plans his garlic shallow and with good success. If you have never heard of him, google him.
I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and I plant mine 4 inches deep. They don't have any straw or leaves coverage and my bulbs are big enough that they each fill the palm of my hand.i do put composted cow manure in each planting hole before I plant the garlic at the end of September. Each of my bulbs measures about 2 1/2 inches high. I only grow Russian garlic that I bought from our Hutterite families.
I LOVE this kind of experiment.
I harvested brussels sprout seeds kind of early. Some seeds were dark brown or black, others tan and some green. I planted them right away. Few green came up, and they came up last. The tan were first up, and the brown and black came up later, but at the same germination rates. Conclusion: tan seeds are fastest and best.
Could the success of the 4" garlic also be attributed to the location being predominantly interior?
Love this - always doing little garden experiments on my own and trying to control for all the variables is the challenge. I am wondering about garlic scape. When I did a little experiment years ago, I didn't really see any difference between the ones that I pruned and the ones where I let the scapes go. I do really love the way the scapes look in the garden - the first time I grew garlic I thought it looked like a flock of birds had landed. I have also observed that once the scapes are totally vertical pointing up to the sky, the garlic is usually ready to be harvested. Maybe I will do another experiment and see what happens. Also read in a book by a garlic farmer that he didn't think removing the scapes was worth the effort as far as final result was concerned. They are good to eat, though, make a nice pesto.
Interesting study. Last season I planted mine about 2” and the results were very impressive. I’ll do the 4” this year and see what happens. Thanks for the great video!
2 is perfect, I would not suggest 4. Do not believe everything from RUclips.
I appreciate your tests & the comments!
The outside edges seemed to have lost more cloves over winter vs the more protected centre patch. .
Thanks for the experiment!
Too funny you say that - my gf said the same thing, so I think for this coming year I'm going to do an outside of the bed vs inside of the bed experiment!
Exactly! That is a variable to be tested. That would mean 2 more years of testing in order to rotate the rows so the 0” and 7” depths get a chance to be in the center.
@@marysuewhalen5446 no, just use 2 beds instead of 1, do it both in 1 year
@@marysuewhalen5446 or you could switch the way the rows are organized. horizontally vs vertically
Mine did the same thing. More on the outside edges did not live.
7:37 results
Thank you!
I took your garlic growing advice to heart.....really enjoy your videos. Very practical.
Thankyou!
One potential design issue...the edges may effect size. So the 4 in depth...which had the least edge effect...could confound the results. Experiments need randomization of treatments...or should have been in a 3x3 factorial design. I think it is safe to say the zero depth did result in smaller heada...but maybe not as small as one thinks. However...the 7 in depth could have provided biggest heads if there was an edge effect
totally agree with this. This experiment is inconclusive. He needs to do 2 more beds, one with no depth in the middle and the other with 7" depth in the middle.
I'm glad I watched this! We planted garlic for the first time last fall, and we're pretty pleased with our harvest, but I planted them just like our green onions. I'll plant at 4" this fall for sure.
I'm zone 10 and since I was absolutely new a year and a half ago I followed your advice not realizing it was mostly winter based 😂 that was just a small factor in my novice season but at least I'm learning 😁
Thanks very much for taking the time to share this experiment with us! Very interesting!
Great looking garlic! I believe that I plant my garlic very similar to the way that You do,all things considered. This Year for me(end of July also) was my best harvest ever. Some heads got harvested late and were duds. My best estimate is that the average head weighed 1.86 ounces. I have been planting about 4 inches ALWAYS for several years. It’s a fun plant to grow and harvest AND ENJOY! Happy growing!!
I love this scientific approach. Please do it again but this time the shallow planting in the middle.
Next year prepaid your bed the same way but plant your bed a consistent 4” to see if the the variation in placement makes a significant difference.
No raised bed here, and in the SW Chicago area I plant mine 6-8 inches deep in late November to ensure no growth pops the surface before winter chill (single digit temps) and kills the growth. I grow both softneck and hardneck. For the hardneck do not toss the scapes but use them in stir fries, grill them or even make scape pesto!
Great video. 4” it will be here. After growing garlic for some years and in several different beds. I realized I wasn’t sure what depth was best here in Montana. So after your experiment I have settled on 3-4 inches- closer to 4. Thanks!!! Your video is on topic and doesn’t ramble!!
I am in eastern Ontario. I plant in November, date depending upon weather. This year too warm during 1st week November so I waited until Nov 8. I plant 4 types of hardneck, music, puslinch, marino and red chesnot. I like my soil to be loose so I added a bag of peat moss, perlite then fertilizer. Total crop is about 125 bulbs and I save the largest of each for the next year planting. I plant 2-3 inches deep. I cover with 4 inches of leaves then put a net over the bed to keep the leaves there all winter. Lots of wind off the end of Lake Ontario. In the spring, I remove leaves as soon as I think sprouts are starting. One year I left the leaves on too long and I had shoots of 6 inches all bright yellow. I was panicked as I thought I lost my crop. As it turned out the yellow turned green after a couple of days in the sun. In the fall I dress soil with NPK fertilizer to boost the soil. In the spring I add bone meal a couple times as I believe that helps with bulb size. I try my best to remove weeds during grow season. Scapes off in June. I get so many I freeze a lot. That works. This year I harvested on July 21, earliest ever. My garlic was huge. I expect that from music but this year my rocamboles ( Marino, Puslinch) were largest ever. I was not expecting that as the above ground plants were not as tall as Music or chesnot. I hung then to dry in a shed for 2 weeks then trimmed and I store in cloth bags hanging in my furnace room. Most of them will last up to a year. So I am hoping for biggest garlic ever next spring with the bulbs I used this past fall. The rocamboles are my favourite for consumption.
I read many of the comments and good reasons to suggest why some bulbs are larger or smaller. I plant my garlic in ground level beds so temperature is equal and depth at 4inc.; water moisture is also equal at ground level. Sun exposure is from East to West and my garlic grows to a large size with some bulbs having 4 cloves some 5 cloves or 6 cloves and I use large cloves in planting. Over all, I am happy with my garlic growing results . It doesn't have to be perfect 🙂 Zone 5b Ontario Canada.
Excellent video! You're very thorough in your experiments and that's awesome and so helpful. Thank you for doing this and for sharing!!
Really good video! And it's especially timely as we're starting to think about fall gardening and planting garlic in a couple of months!!
He used drip irrigation so probably had a more even watering result. You can see the small black hoses once he started harvesting. The "edge effect" is always a factor for more reasons than watering. The middle is the sweet spot! Solid video none the less!
Love the shorter length of the video jammed with precise and valuable information! Definitely subscribed and will watch more experiment videos because you really do learn so much! No experiment is perfect but even just seeing what someone did and learning from that experience is so valuable! Now that we know the center row did the best and maybe that was partially due to the edge or border effect, it would be possibly an advantage to use the edges for something else such as marigolds or nasturtium which deter bad bugs and bring in pollination for the whole garden?
I would LOVE to see a 4 separate😊 bed comparison video where you planted the garlic 4 ish inches deep in both beds, but one bed you watered with your regular water and the 2nd bed you watertered exclusively with home made "willow water"
The 3rd bed you watered with liquid gold earthworm compost tea each watering,
And the 4th bed you watered with a mixture half and half of willow water and the compost tea.
Now, I'm from Alaska where we grow carrots very well and we have access to willow trees quite easily. Let me tell you this, willow water will make MONSTER carrots lol if you put the effort into making it properly. I put my new growth spring willow tree branch tips I clip in gallon zip lock bags and keep them in the freezer to pull out to make fresh batches of willow water through the year just FYI because the chemicals do degrade quickly after being clipped if not frozen. And I soak the willow tips for a whole week in the water before using that water on the garden.
Sometimes shallow is enough to get the job done. Sometimes only getting in there nice and deep will work. The key is variety.
Thanks!
I like the way you say that.
I have been planting garlic for 15 yrs in Toronto Canada at about 2 inch deep (not in raised beds )with good results ….also cover with leaves for cold / snow/ frost in winter on the end of October .I don’t fertilize the soil and I wonder other than worm castings what did you use …enjoyed the video .
Took months to figure out that growers already had it right.
And without realizing the center batch would obviously do better for the surrounding insulation.
Thank you for all the time you put into this. I have always planted mine shallow. To me the results seemed just Ok. This fall I will be trying the 4 inch dept just to see if it does better. In Utah, July is so hot and dry. It always seems to me that they should last 2 or 3 weeks longer. They never get as big as the heads I use to plant. Am planning on moving the bed so they just have a bit more shade at the hottest part of the day. This video was helpful to me.
Very interesting and informative!
Thanks, just about to plant and I really appreciate this experiment!!! I'm going in at 4 inches deep!
love seeing these experiments. just started growing garlic last year. i think i should cover mine with leaves as well.
Thank you for showing us your test, and for the advice. :)
Very interesting.
My hardneck garlic began as a bulb from Aldi which sprouted in the fridge 7 or 8 years ago (I've learned since NOT to keep garlic in the fridge) & I planted just to see what happened, which was about 500g of garlic from less than 20 bulbs - not much but for more or less free...
Each subsequent year, I've kept back the best two or three bulbs for replanting & used the biggest 8-10 cloves from them for the next year.
These I start in cell trays in mid October.
I'm in temperate zone 9 but plant these at the back of the borders in my polytunnel, mostly as outside garlic seems to suffer badly with rust.
A month after harvesting this year, my 28 bulbs averaged just under 70g. brought down by two sub 20g runts...
I guess these were 2" deep in the cell trays, then 4" deep in the ground.
Rust is usually triggered by wet winters. I got really bad rust last year, but was able to wipe it out with azoxystrobin which is a systemic fungicide thats made from mushrooms originally totally safe but is one of 3 that can work on garlic rust. Definitely got good garlic.
Good demo. I must agree with lazygardens. I do notice that in our raised beds also and I use irrigation for consistent watering. I will agree with you on the four inch depth for our Vancouver island location thou. Thank you
I've been thinking about this too. Thanks for the video.
I've planted mine shallow for the last few years. Zone 6b. Interesting experiment
I am in 6B and plant mine about an inch down. I get plenty of garlic of different varieties. My bed is a raised concrete block bed. I cover with frost cloth and tarp it. I have garlic 5 inches tall with leaves ready to go by April.
How long do they last [ to be eaten] after the harvest
Mine are hanging in a dry but not heated[ yet] room
Also
Can i use the bulbs for this winter planting?
@@bipbip6626if you dry them completely and then store in a cool room, they should last for months. Use the ones where the. Ulb broke apart first. They won't store as well. Keep checking on them. In January. You might have to pull all the bulbs aoart because some cloves will start to rot. Them just store the cloves maybe in the fridge and use cloves that are the softest first.
I like you video! It’s good to know that even shallow planted can survive the winter. I also learned that I need to be more patient - pulled mine out of ground too early. I’ve never gotten garlic heads as large as yours. I’m going to use actual seed garlic this year rather than grocery store ones. And bone meal to supplement the soil.
I grew Music Garlic this year. I put the bulbs in the fridge for 3 months (Oct-Dec). I planted the bulbs on January 1 and harvested my garlic in mid May over the course of several weeks. It was a great harvest.
Mine are in the fridge now- waiting for Jan1!!
In uk or USA? I’m in uk
I would say it depends on your local climate. But many factors can potentially affect middle of the row versus the edge - moisture, sun, and microclimate within that bed. The row nearest the edge of the bed may not be the best insulated for the deep freeze. What about trying a checker board distribution of the different depths. But based on your results, and my experience, I am sticking to 4 inch-ish.
Fantastic experiment 🎉
So glad you did this test because I'll be planting your garlic kit this year God willing . I planted garlic the fall last year and all the bulbs rotted . Im hoping this years plant will be successful 🤗👍
Can't wait to help you!! If it rotted then definitely make sure you use that soil blend of 75% Compost and 25% Vermiculite. Rotting happens due to them being in too wet of an environment. So if you planted them in the ground, you'll probably want to build vertically (either just with that blend I mentioned or with an actual raised bed). That should help a lot!
@MindandSoil Thank you , my husband is going to build a bed this year . I've always planted the garlic in pots .
@@anabanana7599 Ah yes pots are much more challenging than a raised bed. When he builds it just make sure it is at least 10" in height for the walls. And then if I was you I'd fill the entirety of that bed up with the blend of 75% Compost and 25% Vermiculite.
This is how I setup the exact bed that I'll be planting my garlic into: ruclips.net/video/qwEAEZQ1ts0/видео.html
If you want to see how I've set wooden raised beds up in the past, you can see that right here: ruclips.net/video/JXz_D-Y7UvU/видео.html
And the new full step-by-step guide for growing garlic is right here: ruclips.net/video/KPsgK-OFyPI/видео.html
@MindandSoil awesome 👍 thank you so much. I was going to search out your vids on this but you've just saved me the trouble 🤗👍🩵
Great information and nice. See results. I have been wondering what the best depth is. I usually plant my at the classics depth of 4 inches
The video I never knew I needed.
Thanks garlic loving nerd!
Holy smokes man. Thats a heck of a project cool to see how it turned out
Great work!
Thank You so much for this, I'm going to plant garlic for the first time and had wondered what was the best depth.
Fascinating! For years, my garlic has been planted 6" deep, then covered with straw. We usually get a good harvest. BUT - digging only 4" sounds like a less labor-intensive plan I can go for. Btw, I use a bulb planter tool to dig the holes. Thank you!
Very interesting thanks for posting. My plan is to grow garlic here Southern California. Thanks again
It would be cool if you tried the experiment 2 more years in a row and switched the middle row depth since it might have affectes the results
Very interesting. I love how you as an American talk about planting depth in inches then weighed your produce in grams and kilograms! Given I live in a country that does not get snow (well it does but only up the mountains) What I got from this is I can dig a hole and plant my garlic without worrying about exact depth.
cause grams is easier than saying gallons cups and pints lmao, america be stupid sometimes, we have to learn both systems for no reason
He's a proud Canadian!
@@briantayes2418 Oops. 😂 As an Australian I can't tell the difference.
@@joandsarah77 Yes, our accents are very similar on the west coast.
Terrific video. Thanks!
Thx Tara!
What a great experiment!
Thanks so much! Check the channel for lots of other experiment results 🥳
"I'm not going to lie" so if you don't say this does one assume you are lying? Lol I couldn't resist
lol. When someone starts out with that or with “I’ll be honest”I usually stop listening or I’ll just take it with a grain of salt. But I wanted to comment on his loud struggling. 😊 almost every time he pulled out a little head of garlic he sounded like he was struggling with something so big and huge. 😂
@@biddibee3526
He probably never did any laborious work in his life, so this was a real challenge for him. LOL
So funny, I wrote this same exact thing😂and then erased it
So good to know! Always wondered about this. Thanks neighbour
I found that my depth was more important to the situation because of the type of soil I have. It's sandy so water percolates through it very quickly, meaning a deeper depth privides more moisture available to the root during growing because it's down below the evaporative point. It's also why I use a considerable amount of mulch. (4-6 inches strawbale flake and DONT FLUFF IT, leave it compressed ) For me weight per head isn't necessarily as important as how many cloves. Because you're always saving back or should be saving back your seed for the next year If all of my heads only produce two cloves, which has happened to me but those cloves are giant. Every head of garlic only gives me 2 replacement plants instead of five (Music variety) So when I calculate my success I both take my overall weight and then I take the weight of each foreclove three clove two clove five clove head and keep separate tally for each one. A successful crop is the one that has more heads with four or five cloves in them.
The centre row got the best of everything. got to rotate the experiment. the deep ones in the middle this time might be the biggest but again might not get enough nutrients. well worth the experiment. Rotation
Just a few questions...
1) Is this depth based on the topmost point or on the bottom of the clove?
2) How would your depths be affected by different types of garlic vs elephant garlic?
3) Were there any effects noted if you use an insulating layer of clean straw for overwintering?
Interesting experiment. Unfortunately, the downside is that sun exposure was not the same for all three sections. What you said at the beginning, the 0 depth garlic got the least sun exposure, I gathered that the sun sets and rises parallel to the bed length. If that is the case, it would be wise to cut the three sections lengthwise so that all three sections get the same amount of sun. As of now, the 0 depth garlic is smaller could be most likely due to getting less amount of sunlight rather than depth of planting.
Could also be differences in moisture or temperature based on location in the bed.
Great experiment thanks. Turns out I’ve been planting my garlic to shallow! Although I do hate to tell you you picked them too soon I was always taught you wait till they turn yellowy brown and keel over in the summer sun, before harvesting, and that way they’re easier to peel and already dried out for storage.
I've done it this way and the bulbs were all falling apart by harvest. It may depend on geographical location
When I do this, my bulbs are separated and therefore, not as good for storage. I'm not waiting as long next year. After harvest, you can just spend a bit longer drying them.
That's a great idea for an experiment. Harvest on different weeks.
Just wondered if there was any difference in flavour or strength of the garlic
Excellent presentation. Answers that age old question!
I am getting set this fall to plant a raised garden of garlic for the first time 😊 thanks for the video
the 4" deep was in the center. that may have been why more heads survived the winter. This is great info.
Thank you for doing the work people like me are too lazy to do :D Great video!
Ive been planting mine shallow with good results but ill be going deeper frok now on. Thanks
Excellent
Great experiment and explanation!
The center of the bed is more protected from the cold in winter , i plant at 4inches and the center always does better if any dont make it there always on the outside rows.
first time I grew elephant garlic into a bed, usually in pots before I had an allotment, they were ok and not as big as id have expected. I wondered if it was because the soil is mostly clay and I didn't put enough composted matter down? digging up was quite a bind as it was stuck in the clay
Garlic needs more fertilizer than you may think !
Awesome! What type of hardneck do you grow?
You mention surviving winter which here in NTX is not much of any issue but does make me wonder if 7” deep would help with bigger bulbs since soil temp would be cooler longer and heat can trigger bolting which in turn affects bulb development.
Love growing garlic!
I wouldnt do 7" unless planting in grow bags or doing very little garlic. 4" is a pain in the butt enough especially when you do hundreds of garlic bulbs per year. There's a reason the standard recommendations are 2-4" even in colder climates--not worth the hassle.
So many people nitpicking the experiment--just shut up and grow stuff. You'll either figure it out on your own or learn to trust the wisdom of those who came before you.
This is realy helping me/us alot in planning our next year thx for dooing an sharing all of this !!!!
I have good luck planting garlic about 1-2” below the surface here in zone 6B. Garlic is forgiving, I threw some small cloves on the ground uncovered and they actually grew.
I have always planted at 4 inches. Good to know I was right from the start.
First time viewer, definite sub. You th’ man, B’.
Great information as I’m getting ready to plant next year’s crop 😊
I would like to try this. Nice experiment :)
Thanks for another interesting experiment.
Great experiment! In harder soils the depth could impact size. Your soil looks wonderful. Commercial soft-neck garlic in California is usually shallow planted at 4" or less.
Good experiment with planting them at different depths.
that was a great video! I have been growing garlic for four years and the first two years I've planted my garlic in the fall and they did reasonably well! But these past two seasons I have planted them in April and all of my heads of garlic are twice the size as any that were planted in the fall! i'm thinking the northern New Hampshire climate is too much in the winter time for them. Thanks for your channel!
Truely you made a good video
What a wonderful share🎉
Very nice experiment, thank you
I love growing garlic. I normally plant around 350 cloves and my wife processes it. I harvest the scapes early before they even twist like a pigs tale. Garlic makes so much of what we eat better by a long shot.
Where can I find large black trays like you use at the 3:42 mark. Great video, as always! Thank you.
To be more precise, you could weigh the cloves you plant and the bulbs they produce for both absolute and relative values. I go with 4" and as thick a mulch layer. Zone 4a.
Absolutely - I've done some really cool experiments where I specifically use small vs large cloves, makes a huge difference!
@@MindandSoil Just no comparison. :)