Above ground, garlic appears as flattened, grass-like leaves (also known as scapes).
Garlic is known to be toxic to animals.
In the north, plant garlic in the fall before the first frost.
The Spruce / K. Dave
When planting in fall, start as soon as the soil temperature has dropped to 60F.
you could help to prevent heaving by covering the plants with 3 to 4 inches of straw mulch.
Choose the largest cloves for planting and use the smaller ones for cooking or preserving.
The Spruce / K. Dave
Dig holes in the ground that are around 2 to 3 inches deep to plant your garlic cloves.
Space holes 4 to 6 inches apart.
If planting in rows, space each row 2 inches apart.
The Spruce / K. Dave
Fill the planting hole with soil and pat it down gently.
Top with 3 inches of mulch and water lightly.
You should see garlic scapes emerge in about six to eight weeks.
softneck garlicThe Spruce / K. Dave
Soil
One of the most important factors in successfully growing garlic is to start with nutrient-rich soil.
It should also be moist but well-draining, with an ideal pH of 6.0 to 7.0.
Water
True to its easy-going nature, garlic doesn’t have a ton of water requirements.
The Spruce / K. Dave
Fertilizer
The use offertilizercan be beneficial when growing garlic.
Mix a slow-release organic fertilizer blend into your soil as you plant your garlic in the fall.
Types of Garlic
The many sub-varieties of garlic fall into two basic categories:hardneck and softneck.
Softneck varieties are best grown in warm climates, while hardneck is the garlic of choice for northern growers.
Hardneck Varieties
Hardneck garlic is so named for its stiff central stalk, or neck.
It typically produces fewer cloves compared to softneck bulbs.
The cloves tend to be all one size, forming a circle around the plant’s neck.
Both are culinary favorites, but wild garlic is much milder in taste than garlic.
Dig up a test bulb or two to determine maturitythe garlic should be well-wrapped but not split.
Angle the fork so that it goes under the bulb and lifts it out of the ground.
Dont pull the bulb out by its leaves, or you risk breaking the bulb off.
Use caution because garlic bruises easily.
Brush off any soil clinging to the bulbs.
Once the tops and roots have dried, they can be cut off.
you’re able to also further clean the bulbs by removing the outer skins.
Just be careful not to expose any of the cloves.
Harvested garlic likes to be stored in cool temperatures, as low as 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
The softneck varieties may last up to eight months.
Hardneck varieties may dry out, sprout, or go soft within two to four months.
Keeping hardnecks at 32 degrees Fahrenheit sometimes helps them survive for up to seven months without deteriorating.
Cracked bulbs are difficult to store for very long.
Choose a large container of any material with lots of drainage holes, or use a large grow bag.
Others prefer to leave the scapes intact because they feel it helps the bulbs in storage.
Propagating Garlic
There is nothing easier to propagate than garlic.
Simply put aside a few top-quality bulbs to plant in the ground or a container the next season.
Store bulbs for replanting at room temperature, with fairly high humidity of about 70 percent.
The mulch will keep the ground moist, stop soil heaving, and stop the growth of spring weeds.
Nematodes don’t need water to survive and can live in the surrounding soil for several years.
Severe damage can cause the garlic plant to wilt and die.
As the roots rot, infected plants can uproot easily.
Cloves dry up after sprouting greens so just repeat the process.
Many other vegetables can be grown alongside garlic, includingtomatoes,peppers,potatoes,carrots, andspinach.
Sometimes garlic from a grocery store is treated to prevent sprouting.
2015;06(01).
