We grow garlic!

Everyone always seems so surprised when they hear that we grow garlic and it seems that we're always answering with, "yes, we grow garlic, in Wisconsin, and it's really great too."  And after they try it, they agree.  So, we've decided to create this site to tell you about all the fantastic garlic that we grow here on our little farm just north of Madison, WI.  We've been growing garlic as a hobby here for 8 years now and we really have a lot to talk about!  

Please take a few moments to look around and be sure to check out our online garlic catalog.  We'll be telling you about the fifty varieties of garlic plus elephant garlic that we're currently growing, adding photos, sharing recipes for garlic and garlic scapes, and telling you about how we grow our garlic - just in case you've ever wondered about how garlic is grown or if you're looking for tips on how to grow your own garlic in a cold climate.  

Click here to view our online catalog    We do accept Paypal.

Any questions or comments?  To contact us via email, please use the form on the bottom of the "About Us" page.  You may also email us directly at: karenandmike @wegrowgarlic.com  (remove the space between our names and "@" before you send)

We planted the 2008 garlic crop in mid-October 2007 and finished harvesting it July 17, 2008.  We added quite a few new varieties this year and we are planting even more of our old favorites.  For a listing of all the varieties we planted see the Our Garlic page.  We will post the garlic that we have available for sale right after the 2008 harvest in July.  Thanks so much to all who purchased our 2007 garlic crop! - you've encouraged us to continue growing extra garlic and to continue with our crazy little family garlic growing hobby.

See below for some photos of the current and prior growing seasons - we'll keep adding photos of the 2008 season as it progresses.

July 17, 2008,  We have been working like dogs for the past couple of weeks harvesting the garlic and we're finally done.  We're going to catch our breath (and clean the house) and then we'll get the online catalog updated within a couple of days and we'll start taking 2008 garlic orders.  Thanks so much to everyone who helped us with garlic harvest this year!  We promise you will stop smelling like garlic in a week or two...or three...

June 9, 2008,  People sometimes ask us about a good way to keep mice and squirrels from digging up their garlic bulbs after they're planted each fall.  Enlisting the help of nature is often the best answer.  We are blessed with a family of red tailed hawks that help us - they keep a close eye on the garlic field for us.  Here's a photo of one of the "new guys."  The babies were out learning to fly today and this little guy was taking a rest.   By the way, the garlic is looking great and scapes are now appearing.

May 16, 2008,  Here's a photo of the garlic field at sunset.  It is so nice to see green again after looking at white snow all winter!  The garlic is doing well and once we get some warmer weather it should really take off.  The hardneck garlics should start forming scapes within a few weeks.  Our temperatures have been just a little below average this spring with a couple of late freezes and frosts.

This is a young garlic plant's view of a sunset in mid-May.  (sometimes it's just fun to lie in the garlic field and watch the clouds float overhead when you are supposed to be weeding)

April 13, 2008 - The kids, the puppy, and the garlic are all growing!  It was an unusual winter with over 100 inches of snow. (more than twice our normal snowfall)  It was amazing, beautiful, and awful all at the same time.  It's rather interesting, the ground did not seem to freeze this year under the heavy blanket of snow and the garlic sprouts from last fall are still alive and well and growing.  It looks like they may not have to send up new sprouts this spring.  Garlic is amazing, we learn something new every year.

February 10, 2008, The garlic should be very happy with it's snow cover this year.  We're either at or very near to setting a new seasonal snowfall record (76.1 inches) and winter's not over yet!  Cabin fever has set in and we're actually looking forward to weeding again.  The photo?  He's our new webmaster's helper and garlic digger.  Just kidding on the garlic digger part - he's already got a full time job playing with the kids.  If you're wondering what the garlic field looks like, just stare at a blank piece of white paper for awhile and you'll get the idea.  We hope you're all having a great winter.  Think spring!  We definitely are.  Our local groundhog predicted an early spring and we're hoping he's correct.

November 10, 2007, Some of the garlic has already sprouted and is starting to grow.  This little guy is going to have a big surprise when winter arrives!  Fortunately the garlic will sprout again in the spring and it will be just fine.  It's always amazing how fast garlic starts to grow after planting.

The 2008 garlic crop has been planted and has been covered with straw mulch.  Now comes the easiest part of growing garlic - do nothing with it and wait for spring.

July 15, 2007 - The hard work of harvest is now over!  We have plenty of extra garlic for sale and our Garlic Ordering Department is now standing by ready to receive garlic orders.  Click here to go to our online catalog or you can also see the Try Our Garlic page for pricing and availability and how to place your order.

July 14, 2007, we were busy again digging garlic.  We have only one more variety to dig tomorrow!  Oh, and in case you were wondering, that's Mike's foot and leg in the photo...not Karen's...

July 8, 2007 - It's been a busy weekend and the garlic drying building is slowly starting to fill up with the 2007 garlic crop.  It's too bad we can't share the smell of the building with you, it's filled with the most delicious garlic aroma.  All of the garlic varieties are really looking great this year.  Seeing the  pretty garlic bulbs makes all the hard work seem worth it.....although we have to admit that we are starting to seriously question our sanity in regards to growing this much garlic at this point...it may be that we're just a little tired...we'll get over it...  We'll start digging the rest of the garlic next weekend.  Thanks to all who have helped us this weekend!  You're the best!!!

Here's a photo of the 2007 garlic field just as harvest began on the morning of July 6, 2007.  Only a few varieties had been harvested when this photo was taken.

Hmmm...looks like someone missed this garlic scape and it formed a bulbil.

The garlic elf was up bright and early and was busy helping wash the freshly harvested garlic.  Afterall, it's never too early to start earning money to pay for medical school! 

The Garlic Quality Control Inspector was also very busy double checking everyone's work.

A beautiful sunset over the garlic field on June 27, 2007.  Just too gorgeous not to share!  By the way, the garlic crop is doing well and harvest time is very near!  Some of the early varieties may be ready for harvest by around the 4th of July.

It's now May 28, 2007, and it's time for an updated photo of the garlic field.  It's looking great and we're expecting some rain this week....perfect timing for good bulb formation.  The garlic scapes should be appearing soon!

It's April 29, 2007, and the entire field is looking green.  (fortunately the green is garlic and not weeds)  All varieties are now up and looking good.  Here's a shot of some German Porcelain waving hello in the breeze.  What a difference two weeks has made!  See below for a shot taken on April 14 to see the difference.

We were a little worried about the overnight lows in the teens in early April as the garlic had already started to sprout but it looks like it made it through just fine!  Here's a photo of the sprouting garlic taken April 14, 2007, after the cold and late season snow storm was over.

Freshly harvested Martin's Heirloom Garlic from summer 2006.  It's one of our favorite varieties.

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