Some thoughts on growing hardneck garlic in Zone 5

This is my third year growing garlic, and of course I decided I would go against the recommendation not to grow it in the same place.  I planted this years crop in the same bed because I had only used the first half the year before.  Only that side on the left got the worms and other parasitic attacks.  I also harvested late which cost me some bulbs and perhaps flavour and vitamin potency.  

I picked my garlic scapes earlier this year as recommended but I forgot that it is best to pick the bulbs themselves a week or two after the scapes at most, I lost some bulbs completely as a result.  I plan on planting around 500 bulbs this fall in a new garden started for this endevour so its been a great learning experience to prepare me for a much larger crop.  

I grow two varieties of hardneck garlic, a local purple stripe called Music and another smaller one called Persian star.  Both are full of flavour, Music is much larger then the Persian but the Star has even more intense garlic taste.  For one families needs I would suggest a 4 foot by 12 foot bed with garlic six inches apart and 2 inches deep in the soil.  It will easily supply you with 30-40 pounds of healthy pesticide free garlic a year and a stock of self perpetuating seeds.

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