Plant Next Years Garlic NOW!

By: Ron Cusano               Sept., 2009                             Vol. 2  Article 1012

 Garlic is a crop that almost everyone loves, but few plant! Why??  Because many have tried planting it in Spring with poor results. For good garlic, you need to plant the previous Fall to get a good crop the following Summer.  Fall planting allows the cloves to send out a good root system NOW, for the earliest Spring growth, which results in good bulb size at harvest.
     Many of the seed catalogs sell organic garlic bulbs for planting, but I have found over the years that I get just as good results from stock bought at the local supermarket.  Unlike store bought potatoes that usually are sprayed with a chemical to retard sprouting, garlic is not treated and sprouts well.  Of course, buy using store bought garlic for planting, you don’t get to choose the variety, but the savings on your planting stock is significant
     Choose only the largest bulbs, and plant only the largest cloves. The largest cloves produce the largest bulbs. Separate the cloves in the bulk just before planting, in order to keep them from drying out. 
     Stiffnecked garlic needs to be planted with the root end of the clove facing down.  Since you can’t be sure what type you are getting from the supermarket, plant all the cloves with the root end down, just to be safe. Plant at least 2” deep, but not more that 4” deep in fertile, well drained soil. Excessive soil moisture will cause poor or no bulb formation.  I like to amend the soil with some additional organic matter, such as compost, and a sprinkling of bone meal at planting time.  In areas with heavy ground freeze, a layer of organic mulch is a good idea. Garlic survives even the worst Winter conditions and is a hardy crop that is easy to grow.
     The crop should be ready early to mid Summer next year. When the tops start to fall over, it’s time to harvest. After pulling, cure the bulbs for a week in a shady, airy spot.  Leave on a few inches of stem, braid them together, and hang in any cool location for use over the Winter.  Garlic should keep  6-month or longer.

Blessings,

Ron
“The Garden Guy