Keene Garlic
Garlic is among the most consumed vegetables in the United States. It's loved for its culinary flavor and for its many health benefits.
I plant garlic in the fall of every year. My seed garlic comes from Keene Garlic, a family owned farm in Madison, Wisconsin that sells certified organic and naturally grown gourmet bulbs for both eating and planting. Keene and Cindy Hollenbeck have been growing and selling high-quality garlic for more than 20-years, specializing in heirloom varieties and related gardening products.
Here are some photos of the planting process at Keene, enjoy.
-
- Keene Garlic ships across the entire United States. There are two main types of garlic that can be grown – hardneck and softneck. Hardneck garlic grows best in colder climates, while softneck garlic thrives in warmer areas such as California and Texas.
-
- At Keene, garlic is grown on two acres of the farm. A tractor starts by making all the holes. These are three to four inches deep.
-
- The garlic bulbs are separated into cloves before planting and then soaked in a fertilization solution. This garlic variety is Chesnok Red loved for its rich flavor as an all-purpose cooking garlic. And, if you’re a little unsure of the terminology, the entire garlic is called a “head” or “knob.” And each small, individual segment of a garlic head is the garlic clove.
-
- Every clove is planted by hand – one in each hole.
-
- After planting, the area is topped with soil and mulch. Planting is done in October.
-
- This is a mulching machine. The bales of straw are put through the grinder and then dropped over the soil. This will protect the garlic during the cold Wisconsin winter.
-
- And here is Keene after the everything is planted and covered. Growing garlic from clove usually takes about nine months.
-
- Five days after planting, the cloves are checked for root development. The pre-planting fertilization soak primes the cloves for fast root development and reduces the risk of fungal or bacterial infections from the soil.
-
- Here is the field on a cold Wisconsin winter day. The snow also acts as a good insulator and helps to protect the crops.
-
- And come late March sprouts start popping up everywhere.
-
- Here they are just two weeks later. Garlic grows very fast.
-
- By April, the garlic is a half foot taller.
-
- Keene practices foliar feeding, which is a method of applying nutrients directly to the leaves of the garlic plants. Here is Keene spraying each row of garlic. Foliar feeding allows for fast absorption, boosts plant growth, and increases the bulb size.
-
- And here they are in June. These crops are in excellent condition. Garlic plants can grow two to three feet tall during the peak of the gardening season.
-
- Keene and Cindy are pleased with their harvest. Here is a tray of Chesnok Red, German Extra Hardy, and Elephant garlic, which is actually a leek that resembles garlic in growing and in appearance. It has a very mild flavor. It is most commonly found in grocery stores. It is also larger than the other garlic varieties.
-
- The garlic is harvested in late July. Here is one crate of beautiful garlic curing. Curing garlic refers to the process of drying harvested garlic bulbs to enhance their flavor, extend their shelf life, and prepare them for long-term storage. This process takes two to three weeks.
-
- This variety is Romanian Red – large, impressive bulbs with a rich, hot flavor.
-
- The next step is quality control and packaging. Every bulb goes through an inspection process. The entire staff at Keene is trained to check for good quality and feel. Here, every box is checked again before it is sealed and shipped.
-
- There are always about three or four heads in each netted pack, and each one contains at least four to six cloves – some even more.
-
- And this is my seed garlic just before it’s shipped to my farm for planting. I will share my planting process soon. I hope this inspires you to grow your own garlic! This is the time to plant!
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
