Blog by Nanelle Jones-Sullivan
When some gardeners think about spring bulbs, they think about tulips and daffodils, but I think about spring alliums.
In November, I wrote about planting shallots. Dutch red shallots can be harvested in 90-100 days, and yellow shallots in 110-120 days. In the meantime, they have already sprouted greens! It won’t be long before I start using a snip here and there.
In December, I planted garlic. I chill it for a few weeks before planting, and pre-soak it first in Isopropyl Alcohol 70% or Hydrogen Peroxide 3%, then a fertilizer like fish emulsion or kelp. In addition to harvesting “green garlic” (immature, like green onions) in early spring, I grow hardneck garlic so that I can harvest scapes.
I always grow Creole garlic, one of the hardneck varieties that does well in mild climates. These include Ajo Rojo, Aglio Rosso, and Rose De Lautrec, among others. This year, I added Early Portuguese, a turban garlic, another variety that does well in mild climates.
Bulbing Alliums can be tough to grow in hot gardens like mine, because many do not start to bulb until day length reaches 13-14 hours, which for us can already be hotter than ideal. I am optimistic about this one, as it sprouted very quickly, and it is supposed to be one of the earliest.
https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county/fall-garden-fair-garliand-shallots.
