The garlic harvest is done, and overall, it was a success. We have a bunch of beautiful garlic stored, in addition to the bulbs and scapes we have already eaten or given away. For next year, the plan is to expand the farm’s garlic bed space enough to have a sellable crop. I’m going to try to do a post like this every time a crop is completed, both to help me understand what went right and what can be done better, and to hopefully help other growers with the same issues. If you read this and find it helpful, please let me know.
2nd year growing garlic
Variety: Duganski hardneck (1st year with this variety)
Final Yield: 3.5 ounces per square foot (9,680 lbs/acre)
Overall self-grade: B+
Positives
– Scaled up from last season without losing quality or yield/sqft
– Built drying rack for on-farm curing
– Happier with Duganski variety than previous one – will grow that again in 2026
– The best bulbs from this harvest are certainly the best bulbs I’ve ever grown
– Good secondary harvest of scapes
Challenges
– More small bulbs than I’d like
– One bed was too close to high grass area, and got a little too much shade
Goals for 2026
– Triple bed space
– Increase average bulb weight by 10% (fewer small bulbs)
– Use this year’s best bulbs as seed to keep customizing Duganski to our conditions
– Experiment with a second variety in addition to Duganski
– Sell our first garlic!
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