# crop rotation for garlic?



## ajaxlucy (Jul 18, 2004)

Hi, does anyone know if you can keep planting garlic (and onions, shallots etc) in the same spot from year to year, or are you supposed to practice crop rotation, as with cabbages?


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i would rotate if you can rotate. if the soil required for all of your crops works for all others, why not? i was just reading about garlic production and several pests of onions were mentioned as being pests of garlic too. thrips and onion maggots were among the listed pests. another issue would be the accumulation of plant material and the fungal diseases it could harbor. if you never have any issues, i wouldn't worry too much. if you see problems, maybe you should rotate.


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## DoubleD (Jan 28, 2007)

I rotate everything but the perennials (rhubarb, asparagus, etc). It's a disease management tool and also allows for the soil not to be overly depleted by a crop that is heavy in demand in one area.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Commercial growers can't rotate their garlic fields and there ARE some diseases floating around because of that. If you don't have any problems now, and don't add any new stock, don't worry about it. If you think that you might have something bad started, buy a pint of vodka. Soak the cloves in the vodka for an hour or so before planting. Any pathogen that will affect garlic will be eliminated that way.

Martin


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## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

Great idea, that I'd never heard of before, Martin.
Now, I wonder if Hubby will believe me when I tell him I'm buying vodka for the garden?
Come to think of it--its a small town, wonder what will be told when I start buying vodka?
Oh well, who cares--wonder if it works on thrips in iris too?


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Alcohol is the important factor and doesn't matter where it comes from. But if you have to buy a gallon or two, it's usually cheaper at the liquor store than the drug store. We tried it last year for the first time as we were a bit nervous about some of the new planting stock. Haven't seen any new diseases so it either prevented them or they weren't there. We're still going to err on the cautious side this fall by using the vodka soak.

Martin


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

I have a rather large garlic patch.

How come I can rotate it with other crops and commercial growers can't ?
Has congress passed a law forbidding commercial garlic growers from rotating crops ?
Where is the line drawn between a large truck patch operation and a commercial sized plot ?
Is it no longer feasible to rotate other crops with garlic at, say, ten thousand square feet of patch ?
Or does it have to be several hundred acres before it's impossible to do ?

Sometimes my own ignorance astounds me.:bash:


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2008)

The garlic patch that's been growing here in the same spot for decades is very healthy.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Forerunner said:


> Sometimes my own ignorance astounds me.:bash:


It is beginning to astonish others as well!

As most gardeners know, garlic and other alliums are not susceptible to nearly as many diseases and pests as other food crops. As with potatoes, for example, alliums are a specialty crop which does best in certain soil conditions and they are the only crops financially suitable for growing in those conditions. 

There are firms which have been growing garlic or onions in the same fields for perhaps a century with no problems is simple precautions are followed. The most noted garlic firm, Filaree Farms, has only 1.5 acres devoted 100% to growing garlic in it for over 30 years. Dixondale Farms has been growing onions in the same fields since 1913. Even now, there are few garlic suppliers who even bother to mention potential problems since the odds are so low. 

The alcohol soak is new and has its origin due primarily to one small company that was distributing a lot of moldy stock last year. Since there are diseases which look similar to that, the precautionary warning went out to major suppliers and now has gotten down to the individual growers. Because of the size of our operation, and that we are continuing to add new varieties from other sources, a few large bottles of vodka will continue to be a minor expense to incur just for the peace of mind in knowing that no disease is introduced into the area. 

Martin


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Sometimes my own ignorance astounds me ! :bash:



Paquebot said:


> It is beginning to astonish others as well!


What fun !!!:bouncy::bouncy::bouncy:

Well that makes a lot more sense.....
garlic growing where nothing else will, so to speak.

I think the fact that garlic is so disease and pest resistant is our clue from the Creator of all things as to it's immunity-building attributes that benefit us.....

I know they and alliums prefer a higher pH.
What portions of the country are most commercial garlic operations located in ?


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Forerunner said:


> I know they and alliums prefer a higher pH.


Garlic prefers acidic soils with a pH range of 5.0-6.0.



> What portions of the country are most commercial garlic operations located in ?


84% of the US commercial garlic is grown in California. Four other states have more than 100 acres; Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and New York.

66% of the world's garlic is grown in China. The US accounts for 3%.

Martin


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