Garlic
Garlic is an easy crop to grow with high reward. At Sprouts, we sell bulk and packaged garlic heads in the Spring and Fall. Garlic is most commonly planted in the fall, and harvested in mid summer. Planting in the fall gives a cold period that can improve flavor as well as time for the garlic establish roots resulting in bigger heads of garlic come summer. When planting garlic plant each individual clove 3" deep with the pointy side facing up. That being said, Garlic is still successful when planted in the spring. Plant as soon as the ground is workable, Wyomings cooler springs will usually give it that cold period that garlic requires. Plant in an area of full sun, with consistent even moisture. Spring garlic will usually have smaller cloves with a more mild flavor. Garlic is ready to harvest when the leaves around the base begin to brown, Spring garlic will usually be ready to harvest late summer or early fall. We carry three types of Garlic at Sprouts.
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TYPES OF GARLICHardneck VarietyHard-neck garlic is known for its stiff stems, large cloves, and sharp flavor. It is extremely cold hardy, making it a great choice for Wyoming gardens. In spring it produces a curled, central stem known as a scape. Scapes have a delicious flavor and should be snipped off to promote root growth. Hard-neck garlic has a shorter shelf life than soft neck varieties.
Soft NeckSoft neck garlic is known for its high volume of cloves and long storage life. Unlike hard-neck it does not have a stiff central stem, and instead has soft onion like tops. Soft neck garlic is not as hardy as Hard-neck garlics so can make a great choice for garlic planted in the spring.
ElephantElephant Garlic resembles that of a large head of garlic with mild flavor, yet it is actually more closely related to leeks than garlic. Elephant garlic usually produces one large bulb the first year, but if left in the ground for a second season will produce huge heads with giant cloves.
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