Garlic Growers needed
Revised August 24, 2025. My circumstances are changing. It was not possible to build two new raised cedar beds in the Monticello garden to plant my garlic seed for the 2025 crop. And the Shelby Park Community Garden (SPCG) in Louisville, KY where I plant my garlic reconfigured their planting beds in May 2025. So there were no beds that could hold the garlic October 2024-June 2025 because the beds were all deconstructed and new beds built in their place. SPCG is grateful for a Tito’s Grant to revitalize our raised beds. However, these circumstances left me in a quandary—where to plant the seed I saved from my 2024 crop?
I’m grateful one grower in McKee, Kentucky agreed to plant the majority of my saved seed. The harvest was partly GREAT and partly compromised by the extreme cold weather during the winter. We lost some of the crop that sprouted and grew beautifully in the fall. Not all of the plants emerged in the spring or deteriorated and were not braidable once dug. Another grower in Wayne County, KY allowed me to plant the final seed in their garden row. That crop also revealed the stress of the extreme cold and wet spring—some was sound and some was lost. The almost-half of the seed that I planted later (November) in more protected beds (close to my house) in Louisville did not experience as much stress and yielded a more sound crop—though smaller bulbs—than the other plantings.
I’ve decided to adjust the planting directions based on the results of our crop yields in 2025. Of course, we know we have no control over the weather and must tend the crop the best we can whatever precipitation or lack thereof is presented to the crop in the ground.
I’m looking for raised beds close to either of my garlic workshops where I can grow some of my seed. If you are a grower near me in Louisville or Monticello, will you plant some of my seed in your prepared soil, tend it through the growing season, and help me harvest it in May or June, 2026, that is, if I’m able to get to your beds at the right moment? One grower in 2025 recognized the stress on the plants and determined to harvest sooner than I could get there. That saved the crop. I am grateful for the knowledge and experience my growers already have and I rest on your best judgment in my absence from your location.
If you want to try your hand at growing garlic with organic practices and you have a 4’x8’ raised bed area (or a size close to that or larger) that you could devote for this purpose for fall planting of my garlic SEED, please contact me by text message to (502) 494-4052. I’ve decided we will plant my seed this fall near Thanksgiving.
Louisville Broadleaf Czech SEED braid 2025 for the 2026 crop. I save 10% of each crop for the next year’s SEED. This is one of my 5 SEED braids: in addition to this variety, MUSIC hardneck, Inchelium Red softneck, and another softneck variety. I did not save Thai Fire SEED because we lost so much of the crop due to the weather stresses.
Grower Commitments:
The grower will receive my organically grown SEED (valued at $38 per pound) at no cost to the grower, and will earn a portion of the harvest for their personal use.
The grower will pay the cost of organic soil amendments for their growing beds (Lynn can provide these amendments at cost—usually under $25 for a 4’x12’ raised bed)
Lynn will receive the largest bulbs—10% of the plants from the grower’s June 2026 harvest to replenish my SEED for the next season.
After the grower chooses their portion (approximately 20%—this amount is negotiable) from the harvest, Lynn will receive the rest (approximately 70%) of the crop to braid.
In “Planting garlic in Kentucky (zone 7A)” blog you will find how to prepare and amend the soil prior to planting, how to plant the cloves, how to tend the beds through the long garlic growing season here in Kentucky (zone 7a), and how to know it’s time to harvest. Phone consultations with Lynn will guide you whenever you have questions or concerns (weather, mostly). We have found it is necessary to be ready to cover the entire bed with plastic to prevent it being rained on during the last 3 weeks before harvest. The plastic must be opened after the rain passes so the crop can finish making the bulbs.
I will come to each growing site to assist you growers-of-my garlic-SEED in preparing the soil, planting, spring side-dressing, and harvesting as much as I can.
The grower commits to tend to the growing garlic plants throughout the season:
mulch with 3” of straw
water, deeply, every three days when it does not rain at least an inch
since garlic does not compete well with weeds, pull the few weeds that break through the mulch
side-dress with organic soil amendments in the spring
help Lynn harvest the crop in June when the plants reveal that they are mature
During the 3 weeks before we expect to harvest, the grower agrees to cover the bed with a high-tunnel (clear plastic on plastic pipe hoops) so the crop is not soaked with the rain just prior to harvest (which will ruin the crop). I’m grateful, this circumstance has only happened twice in more than 15 years that I’ve been growing garlic to braid. Unfortunately, that was during the past two growing seasons.
If the grower wants to learn my braiding techniques, I will provide a braiding workshop for them at no cost. When their braids are ready to be sold, at the grower’s request, I will post pictures of their braids on my website and other places for sale. Braids from their portion of the harvest will earn them 100% of the sale price, and it will be their responsibility to deliver or post them to the buyers. The grower may advertise their product however they see fit.
Lynn will receive the total sales price of the product she braids with the 70% of the harvest that the grower will provide her. After the largest bulbs— 10% of the harvest is returned to Lynn to repay the SEED garlic she gave the grower at no charge in the fall 2025, the grower receives approximately 20% of the harvest to use however they choose.