This will be my 9th year growing garlic and every year they get
better and bigger! I generaly use The garlic scapes (are they
flowers?) to make garlic infused olive oil, but sometime cook with
them too - they're good in a stir fry. 

I plant both hardneck and softneck garlic and have only had Scapes
on the hardneck garlic. I find the hardneck tastier, but it doesn't
store quite as long. The softneck garlic is the type you see
braided, and stores much longer. Both are fabulous and I don't think
I could go back to grocery store garlic!

Hello  I am very interested in growing garlic as I never have
before. But my question is I live in the Northwest corner of Iowa
where our winters get 20-30 below in the winter do I still plant the
garlic in the fall? If I do do I still try to plant it Oct 15th? 
What kind would you suggest that I plant?  Years ago I tried to
plant it but it never even came up! Any help that you  could give me
would be great. My email address is pammies@hickorytech.net or will
you just put the answer here?
Thank You for your help.
Pam Thiner

Sherry - good for you! Isn't it immensely satisfying to dig those
plump heads? Keep up the good work.

Pam - You should be able to grow great garlic in  northern Iowa. And
yes, you should plant it in the fall unless you have the capacity to
plant it in a greenhouse in January which is the only other way for
it to develop the root system necessary to produce large bulbs. 

As the previous reader mentioned, hardneck garlic tastes best, but
softneck garlic stores much better. I grow both kinds just to have a
mix. You can purchase garlic from many mail order sources - just
google garlic. But the best and largest garlic will come from garlic
cloves that are local. If you have a nearby farmer's markets, check
them out. Sometimes grocery store garlic has sprout inhibitors, so
you don't want to risk that. Plant the garlic in your best soil
around October 15. That's when I plant mine and I live in
southeastern Wisconsin so we are about in the same planting zone.
Please feel free to check in again if you have more questions - good
luck!

One thing to remember about planting garlic in the fall in northern
states is to mulch it well with about 6 inches of straw

Kate,
I've grown garlic for only a few years, but I've had excellent
results in Glendale, WI.
My favorite is German Porcelain that I got initially from Jung. 
I've selected the largest bulbs to provide cloves for next season. 
And mine keep all year: I used the last of my 2008 crop in late
July.  I also grow another hard neck variety that I got from another
gardener.
I've tried soft-neck varieties several times: Red Inchelium from
Jung, Tipatilla from Seeds of Change, and another from a local farm
stand.  I've experienced either complete failure (fall sprouting and
then die-off overwinter) or simply disappointing size and/or yield. 
I've given up on soft-necks.
From scapes I make a dynamite dressing/dip.
I remember planting time as Columbus Day.
Best to fellows-in-garlic.

Hi Gary

Thank You for your your reply! You said that you got some from Jung
what is that? Is that where you got the German Porcelin? What are
the Seeds of Change? Could I go to a Greenhouse and buy garlic now
or is it to late? Besides the German Porcelin what other kinds would
you suggest? I always have to work on the weekends so I am never
able to get to any of the farmers markets around here. Any help or
suggestions would be great Hope to hear from you soon
Pam & Puppies

Hi Gary

It's just me again I forgot to ask you for your dressing/dip recipe.
Will you share?
Thank You
Pam & Puppies

Jung - Jung seed co. in Randolph WI.  Have locations in Sun Prairie,
Madison & Stevens Point WI too.  On the web - www.jungseed.com -
kind of high priced but have good selection.

Jung and Seeds of Change are both catalog and internet vendors of
seeds, bulbs, and gardening supplies.  Jung is based in Randolph, WI
and their net address is jungseed.com.  The net address for Seeds of
Change is seedsofchange.com..
No, it’s not too late to buy garlic.  Most sources are taking orders
now for shipment closer to planting time.
Wherever you buy bulbs, leave them intact until the day before you
plant.  Then break up the bulbs and select the choicest cloves for
planting.  Use puny cloves in the kitchen.
I use raised beds that measure 4 ft x 20 ft.  I plant my garlic
cloves 4 inches apart in rows that are 6 inches apart.  A few days
before planting, I dig in some compost.  I use a planting stick to
poke holes in the soil so that the base of the clove is 3 inches
deep (do plant cloves with the base down).
Garlic is usually the first green thing in my garden.  This past
year, green shoots of German Porcelain were showing about the third
week of March.  At my location, scapes usually erupt about the
second week of June.  The scapes start out straight, then curl over
and around and form a pigtail, and then straighten out again and
grow tall.  To use in the kitchen, I like to let them grow until
they form about half or ¾ of the pigtail before cutting them.  As
they continue to grow, they get woody and tough.
I usually regard garlic harvest time at about the third week of
July, but the past two seasons have been cool and late, harvesting
about the end of July.
There’s no perfect garlic variety nor is there any magic about my
way of garlic growing.  Just jump in, plant some garlic, have fun,
and develop you own lore.
And, here’s the dressing/dip recipe:
GREEN GARLIC SCAPE DRESSING
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp mustard flour
2 oz white wine vinegar
6 oz canola oil
1 cup garlic scapes (about 12 each)
Chop the garlic scapes (half-inch or less) and then measure amount.
Place scapes along with the sugar, salt, mustard flour, and vinegar
in the bowl of a processor with a cutting blade.
Process until the scapes are finely chopped, scraping down the bowl
several times.
Add the oil with the processor running, and continue running to more
finely chop the garlic pieces.
Refrigerate.  Keeps well.
Note: This is intensely garlic.  The recipe would likely work with
less intense flavor using only a half cup of scapes, so if you only
have six scapes or so, give it a shot.

Great reminder, David - absolutely mulch your garlic with straw,
shredded leaves or even high quality compost.

Fantastic comments, Gary. I wonder why you've had such poor luck
with softneck. I've had pretty good luck with it, but I'm on an old
river bed so my soil is somewhat acid. Maybe that makes a
difference. Anyway, thanks for adding your comments. I will
definitely try your garlic scape recipe next year. 

Thank you all, your comments about growing garlic are very helpful. 
I live in Waukesha Wisconsin and want to try growing garlic this
fall, but don't know what is the best place to plant it (shade, sun,
partial shade etc).  Can someone help.  Thanks!

Abid - give it as much sun as you can. It will tolerate a little
shade, but the bulbs will be smaller. Good luck!

how do you store garlic for long periods of time so that is doesn't
sprout?

To keep garlic, it must be absolutely dry and kept at about 50
degrees. I keep mine in my basement in a room where I can open the
window to cool it down if necessary. Also, spread them out so they
don't touch each other and don't store them near apples which give
off ethylene gas as they ripen and will speed the garlic ripening.
Making sure to cure the garlic properly in the fall is also
important. They should be in an average temperature spot with plenty
of circulation and no direct sun; leave the stalks  on until there
is absolutely no green left and they are ready to come in for the
winter.