I am living in Northern WI, Zone 3 at best. Is it possible to grow garlic
and top setting onions in this area. Any suggestions on technique, planting
times and varieties would be welcome.


The soil is very sandy, but I have good oak leaf based compost available.

Thanks

Nartker wrote:
I am living in Northern WI, Zone 3 at best. Is it possible to grow garlic
and top setting onions in this area. Any suggestions on technique, planting
times and varieties would be welcome.


The soil is very sandy, but I have good oak leaf based compost available.

Thanks



Dunno about onions, but don't see why not. Garlic is certainly do-able.
Planting is done in the fall a few weeks prior to the first hard frost.
In zone 5 (mid NY state) I usually plant sometime on October but you'd
probably need September sometime I'd guess. If they start to sprout
before the weather gets really cold, don't worry about it. Won't hurt
'em a bit. I've had some 3-4" high before freezing and they were fine.

Just as a point of reference, I typically harvest mine in July. Actually
I just pulled this years crop about 2 weeks ago and bot did I have a
good "garlic year". :-D I like strong garlic and I've certainly got it! :-D

Here's a site that should be of help to you
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...-planting.html

--
Steve
Ever notice that putting the and IRS together makes "theirs"?

I'm also from Northern WI and I plant Garlic and Onions every September. I
cover with about 5 - 6 inches of mulch to protect the plants from the deep
freeze we get. The Garlic usually gets picked in July.




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definitely doable. You have to use hardneck garlic. The hardiest
varieties overwinter in Zone 2. Try Territorial Seeds for varieties
named Tundra or some other suggestive name (I have two of them, one is
Siberian and the other is the one they claim to be cold-hardiest).
Follow the instructions of Bear, though in Zone 5 I pick in early
august. the onions will be trickier as they are not as cold hardy. Pile
the mulch, and onions want more lime and more nitrogen during growth
than garlic, which only needs a bit of nitrogen.

" Nartker" expounded:

I am living in Northern WI, Zone 3 at best. Is it possible to grow garlic
and top setting onions in this area. Any suggestions on technique, planting
times and varieties would be welcome.


The soil is very sandy, but I have good oak leaf based compost available.

Thanks


Johnny's German Extra Hardy always works well for me:

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/r...garlic&x=0&y=0

It's not as cold here as it is where you garden; I cover with four
inches of mulch once the ground freezes to keep the bulbs in the
ground (no heaving). I've just harvested, and I've got 40 gorgeous
heads of garlic to share with my family and friends, along as using
some for stock for next year.
--
Ann
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