Garlic bulbils: An inexpensive way to increase seed stock

If you've wanted an inexpensive way to increase your seed stock without spending a lot, grow garlic bulbils.

We started these Korean Red garlic rounds and bulbs in the fall--and they all grew from a few bulbil capsules. We probably harvested 100 bulbs and rounds. We'll plant them all this October. By the third year, we'll probably have 400 to 600 garlic bulbs. And they all will have. originated from garlic bulbils that sell for about $3 per capsule. How cool is that?

Spring Time at Last

Welcome to spring, y'all!  All that heirloom garlic's starting to green up, row after row, spread over an acre. So far, everything looks good. Really good.

The leaves started poking through about 10 days ago, when the last 18-inch snow pack melted.

Bavarian Purple heirloom garlic, getting its start after a long winter.

After a few days in the 50s and 60s, they're now standing about four inches tall throughout the field. Germination appears to be 90 percent overall--and that includes experimental varieties we're testing.

To keep things growing well, we'll fertilize with cottonseed meal in a few days to give those cloves a nice nitrogen boost.  Then come April, we'll drench the leaves with neem oil and compost tea. Neem oil keeps thrips and other pests that love to hide in garlic leaves to a minimum. Compost tea acts as a foliar feed, plus it feeds the soil.

It's wonderful to walk the fields and see that, after a long winter, we're off to an excellent start. We'll see how things grow as the season continues. Keep your fingers crossed that this will be our best season yet!

Field of green, with garlic about four inches tall after warmer weather.