Garlic
Garlic is sold at farmers' markets from mid-summer to the fall throughout the state. Garlic is also sold at festivals which take place throughout the Northeast from August through October. New York's largest festival is in Saugerties, in September. Festivals are important outlets for growers and important agrotourism events for the cities that host them.
Varieties of garlic grown in New York tend to be different from those you will find in the grocery store. New York is known for excellent 'hardneck' garlic, which has a hard stalk running through the center of the bulb. The flavor of our hardneck garlic is often considered to be stronger and more unique than the flavor of 'softneck' varieties found in the grocery store and grown primarily on the West Coast or in China.
Relevant Events
Oswego Muck Onion Growers Pre-Season Meeting: Stop the Rot, Nematodes and SLB Fungicide Resistance
March 20, 2024
Phoenix, NY
2024 NYS Dry Bean Meeting and Cutting Event
March 22, 2024
Geneva, NY
2024 DEC Special Permit Handler Training -- Wayne County
April 9, 2024
Newark, NY
2024 DEC Special Permit Handler Training -- Orleans County
April 10, 2024
Albion, NY
Nitrogen Requirements in Garlic: 50 lb/A is Enough!
Christy Hoepting, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program
The results of two years of research (two trial locations per year) on effect of applied nitrogen on garlic yield are summarized in this article. Different rates of spring-applied nitrogen and seed size are taken into consideration, as well as plant tissue and soil analyses for nitrogen. In eight side-by-side comparisons, we never saw a yield response between 50, 100 and 150 lb/A of applied nitrogen.
2019 Garlic School: Fusarium Management, Eriophyid Mite Trial, Bloat Nematode
Christy Hoepting, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program
The 2019 Garlic School featured final results from a 2-year study which focused on understanding and managing Fusarium disease of garlic. CVP Specialists, Christy Hoepting and Robert Hadad participated in this project, along with Dr. Frank Hay, Plant Pathologist at AgriTech, and CCE Vegetable Specialists, Crystal Stewart (ENYCHP) and Sandy Menasha (CCE Suffolk Co.). Presentations from the meeting are now available!
Be on the Lookout for Southern Blight
Ethan Grundberg, Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Southern Blight (Sclerotium rolfsii) was found on golden storage beets this winter in Dutchess County. The fungal pathogen is fairly new to New York and poses a threat to a wide range of vegetable crops. Early detection and proper diagnosis are key to managing this disease.
Video: New York State Produce Auctions
Currently, there are 8 produce auctions in New York State. These auctions are aggregation points that allow local farmers to sell their produce in wholesale lots to buyers from across the region. To document the economic impact of produce auctions on agriculture, local businesses, family farms, and produce buyers, the Cornell Vegetable Program worked with Harvest New York to survey top sellers and buyers.
A new Cornell Vegetable Program video shares general information about produce auctions, how buyers and sellers use the auctions to expand their businesses, and how local communities benefit from them.
Crop Cooling and Storage
Robert Hadad, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program
On-Farm Cold Storage of Fall-Harvested Fruit and Vegetable Crops is an in-depth look at the planning and designing cooling for late season and winter storage but it also is useful for general cooling as well. This was written by Scott Sanford, Distinguished Outreach Specialist, UW-Extension, and John Hendrickson, Outreach Program Manager, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
White Rot Fact Sheet for Garlic
White rot is a worldwide problem in allium production, and has resurfaced in the New York garlic industry after a long period of eradication. Positive samples were collected in 2016 from the Hudson Valley, Central and Western New York, indicating that the disease is widespread. As with other soilborne diseases, white rot can be persistent and devastating. However, careful management can reduce inoculum, and because the disease is spread by seed and soil, it is also possible to prevent its spread into uninfested fields.
Garlic Production in the Northeast (from NOFA NY's Winter Conference, 2015)
WNY garlic farmer Ed Fraser of Fraser's Garlic Farm and Cornell Cooperative Extension's Crystal Stewart presented at the NOFA-NY Winter Conference. Their presentation titled, Intermediate Garlic Production, focused on more advanced techniques to deliver a consistently high-quality garlic crop, including cover cropping plans, fertility management, weed control techniques, post-harvest handling, and seed selection. Information was based on research results, on-farm trials and experience.
Organic Fertility Recommendations for Garlic Production
Crystal Stewart-Courtens, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
A brief article on fertility research conducted through a SARE-funded research grant
Harvest Considerations for Garlic
Crystal Stewart-Courtens, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
If leaves aren't the best indicator of maturity, how else can you tell?
Leek Moth Control and Information
Christy Hoepting, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program
Leek Moth was detected in four home gardens in Plattsburg, NY in 2009. It was first detected in Ontario, Canada in 1997 where it has become problematic especially to small-scale, organic growers in eastern Ontario and to commercial producers in western Quebec, who have limited insecticides available to them.
Leek Moth continues its spread to more farms and gardens across the U.S., a new comprehensive website is available to aid in the identification and management of this pest. This Cornell website features maps of the distribution of leek moth, protocols on insect monitoring and identification, best management practices for farms and home gardens, a photo gallery of damage symptoms and a comprehensive resource section.
Visit the Leek Moth website.
Spring Garlic Recommendations
Crystal Stewart-Courtens, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Garlic fertility and weed control recommendations for March through May.
Upcoming Events
Oswego Muck Onion Growers Pre-Season Meeting: Stop the Rot, Nematodes and SLB Fungicide Resistance
March 20, 2024
Phoenix, NY
Christy Hoepting and Frank Hay will get growers ready for the season with updates on managing Stemphylium Leaf Blight fungicide resistance, progress made towards understanding and managing bacterial bulb rot of onion, and results of the 2023 nematode survey and research project. 2.5 DEC recertification credits will be offered in categories 1A, 10 and 23.
2024 NYS Dry Bean Meeting and Cutting Event
March 22, 2024
Geneva, NY
The NYS Dry Bean Meeting will be paired with the annual Dry Bean Cutting Event again this year! The morning meeting will include presentations on the latest dry bean research in New York, with topics including market updates, white mold management, western bean cutworm management, dry bean variety testing, and incorporating NY dry beans into schools. 1.5 DEC credits will be available in categories 10, 1a, 21, 23. CCA credits will be available too.
The Dry Bean Cutting will follow the meeting and showcase the canned dry beans from the 2023 Dry Bean Variety Trial.
Collaborative and Alternative Marketing for Farmers - Learning from Those Who are Doing It
March 25, 2024
Join us for a virtual panel discussion meeting where panelists will share their marketing enterprise, why and how it came to be, and what it takes for groups of farmers to work together to improve their marketing opportunities. Then the floor will be open for Q/A and discussion with the audience. The goal of this effort is to learn about these types of marketing alternatives, what it took to put them together, and maybe get interest enough from those attending to explore new collaborations.