# Winter Crop



## Iron Head (Nov 21, 2015)

Let's talk about your winter crops.
I current have these crops in the ground:
German Giant Garlic, Bogatyr Garlic, Metechi Garlic, Romanian Red Garlic, Vietnamese Red Garlic, Turkish Giant Garlic, Lortz Italian Garlic, Kilnary Garlic, French Grey Shallot, Champion Collards, Red Ruffled Kale, Greenwave Mustard, Leeks, and Joan Rutabaga.
My garlic, shallots, and Mustard greens were sown on time but the rest were alittle late so they won't be ready until next spring. Pictures to come when weather permits.


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## amberg (Jan 6, 2016)

We plant wheat or oats on our sunflower and sweet corn fields, then plow it down in the spring to help hold moisture. makes a good food plot for deer also.


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## chuckwood (Jan 7, 2016)

Iron Head said:


> Let's talk about your winter crops.
> I current have these crops in the ground:
> German Giant Garlic, Bogatyr Garlic, Metechi Garlic, Romanian Red Garlic, Vietnamese Red Garlic, Turkish Giant Garlic, Lortz Italian Garlic, Kilnary Garlic, French Grey Shallot, Champion Collards, Red Ruffled Kale, Greenwave Mustard, Leeks, and Joan Rutabaga.
> My garlic, shallots, and Mustard greens were sown on time but the rest were alittle late so they won't be ready until next spring. Pictures to come when weather permits.



My first two attempts at growing garlic were a big disappointment. I was in the frame of mind that they grew similar to onions and leeks, and that's apparently not so at all. I got fooled when I found seed garlic for sale at our local farmer's CO-OP in the spring, along with all the other varieties of onions for spring planting. But a lot of my garlic died or produced very little. From what I understand now, you don't plant garlic in spring time. I've just got two crops in the ground right now, and gotta do some harvesting or I'm gonna lose it. Spinach and leeks. Both cold tolerant but they suffer when it goes down in the teens.


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## Iron Head (Jan 7, 2016)

chuckwood said:


> My first two attempts at growing garlic were a big disappointment. I was in the frame of mind that they grew similar to onions and leeks, and that's apparently not so at all. I got fooled when I found seed garlic for sale at our local farmer's CO-OP in the spring, along with all the other varieties of onions for spring planting. But a lot of my garlic died or produced very little. From what I understand now, you don't plant garlic in spring time. I've just got two crops in the ground right now, and gotta do some harvesting or I'm gonna lose it. Spinach and leeks. Both cold tolerant but they suffer when it goes down in the teens.


Sounds like your garlic season is all messed up. You need to read that Garlic thread and start fresh next fall.
I'm from western WA and I normally seed mustard greens, collards, leeks, and rutabaga in August for my winter crops. And I seed my shallot and garlic in October.
As of now my garlic are just a couple inches tall with some not even poking out of the ground yet.
Spinach can't handle our fall and winter rain.


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## amberg (Jan 7, 2016)

chuckwood, can you explain how you grow garlic, I live here in orange co. Va. and I don't remember ever growing garlic. we have grown many things, but I don't remember planting garlic. are they like onions?


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## chuckwood (Jan 8, 2016)

amberg said:


> chuckwood, can you explain how you grow garlic, I live here in orange co. Va. and I don't remember ever growing garlic. we have grown many things, but I don't remember planting garlic. are they like onions?



Garlic is in the onion family, but garlic growing methods are apparently a lot different from onions. You plant the stuff in the fall and it winters over and grows the next spring. The garlic I planted in spring couldn't cope with the heat that came later and it grew very poorly. I'm going to try garlic again, but I'll have to get the garlic from mail order seed companies. Garlic is unavailable around here in our local seed stores in fall. Another option may be just to buy grocery store garlic in fall and plant that.


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## amberg (Jan 8, 2016)

chuckwood said:


> Garlic is in the onion family, but garlic growing methods are apparently a lot different from onions. You plant the stuff in the fall and it winters over and grows the next spring. The garlic I planted in spring couldn't cope with the heat that came later and it grew very poorly. I'm going to try garlic again, but I'll have to get the garlic from mail order seed companies. Garlic is unavailable around here in our local seed stores in fall. Another option may be just to buy grocery store garlic in fall and plant that.



Thanks, I will try to study that, as we used to grow many vegges, and I still do not remember planting any garlic ,let me know if you can grow it, maybe I will try it also.


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## Iron Head (Jan 10, 2016)

chuckwood said:


> Garlic is in the onion family, but garlic growing methods are apparently a lot different from onions. You plant the stuff in the fall and it winters over and grows the next spring. The garlic I planted in spring couldn't cope with the heat that came later and it grew very poorly. I'm going to try garlic again, but I'll have to get the garlic from mail order seed companies. Garlic is unavailable around here in our local seed stores in fall. Another option may be just to buy grocery store garlic in fall and plant that.


You can certainly grow grocery bought garlic but garlic have many types which have different taste and different storage life.
If you want to perpetuate any particular type of garlic of your preference, then you will need to grow them at least two seasons to understand their potential.
The reason being is they all react to different soil and climate.
Here is a link to great garlic information to get you started. http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/


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## amberg (Jan 10, 2016)

Iron Head, Good info.
http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/


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## Iron Head (Jan 10, 2016)

Garlic seeds are extremely difficult to obtain from now to August.
Do the research and start contacting sellers in July.
But don't wait until September because they'll be gone.

Don't be confused with Garlic seeds because it doesn't have the literal meaning of seeds.
Garlic growers refer to garlic seeds as extra large or higher quality cloves/bulbs reserved for planting.
Plant the best and eat the rest.


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## amberg (Jan 10, 2016)

Don't think my soil will let that work here, I will miss that!! but I will try to find out more info.

I Thank you!!


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## jakethesnake (Jan 28, 2016)




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## Backyard Lumberjack (Feb 1, 2016)

jakethesnake said:


> View attachment 481896



awesome!


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## billb (Mar 4, 2016)

jakethesnake said:


> View attachment 481896


nice !

I tried somewinter crop broccoli last Winter and froze the florets and the florets never grew any more after that. Nice healthy green plants though.


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## jakethesnake (Mar 4, 2016)

Had a real mild begging of winter I won't grow that variety again it took way too long to mature in short I got lucky the broccoli can handle frost fine but a "hard freeze" will end it I had about 50 plants gave broccoli away everywhere by the trash bag full harvested that in jan Just got lucky this time


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## Backyard Lumberjack (Mar 5, 2016)

I have a variety of crops in my fall [winter] garden... a bit late I seeded up an in-ground nursery few weeks back... transplanted my fast growing radishes week or so ago, today moved about some 4-5" bok choy... and fussed with my spinach patch... also worked some new sets into potato patch from this plant or that one... and put in some early girl tomatoes and a Goliath. got plenty of fall tomatoes converting over to 'early variety' fall solar fires... most don't even have tomato plants in yet and I got em egg to baseball sized... well, just a tweak under that size... and my round carrots are off and running with a flushing fever... 

one area, fall garden pix...


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## Backyard Lumberjack (Mar 5, 2016)

Iron Head said:


> Sounds like your garlic season is all messed up. You need to read that Garlic thread and start fresh next fall.
> I'm from western WA and I normally seed mustard greens, collards, leeks, and rutabaga in August for my winter crops. And I seed my shallot and garlic in October.
> As of now my garlic are just a couple inches tall with some not even poking out of the ground yet.
> Spinach can't handle our fall and winter rain.



I am from western WA, too... Seattle... and also lived in several other locations over in Columbia Basin area... as well as eastern WA. guess u could say...lol... I am from WA! great state... if only for the scenery, but of course many other reasons, too.  well, beer for sure! Oly!!!  

now down here in grow zone 9a... spinach is a snap to grow here. I have a nice spinach patch. leeks do well, too. I have some rutabaga sets out. they would like colder weather. shallots do well, also. greens do pretty good. fall garden items. radishes are awesome. cabbage does well. leaf lettuce types, romaines, do pretty good, too. wish I could grow rhubarb... too warm here. also too warm for Brussels, but they may or may not make some... I say... some! onions do quite well here when right day length is selected. a good national source is Dixondale, but I usually just get a bag from local feed N seed...

http://www.dixondalefarms.com/


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