It’s a good thing that garlic is so easy to grow considering how much of a staple it is in our everyday cooking! There is nothing like the aroma of freshly minced garlic simmering on the stove. So what do you need to know about planting garlic? Well you have come to the right place, please read below and enjoy!
Site Conditions
The best time to plant garlic is in the fall, a month or so before the ground freezes. Garlic requires loose, well-drained soil with lots of organic matter such as compost since they are heavy feeders. Its root system does not grow too far or too deep so it needs plenty of water and food nearby.
Prepare to Plant
Garlic bulbs can be purchased from farmers markets, garden centres or from mail-order catalogs. Be careful if you plan to use imported garlic from grocery stores because these may not be hardy enough to survive our winters.
Planting
Once bulbs are selected, break cloves apart and only use the largest cloves for planting; be sure to leave skin on cloves as this serves as a protective layer. This step should not be done until you are ready to plant.
Plant the cloves (root end downward facing, the pointed tip upwards) 2” deep, 6-8” apart. Cover with 2” of soil and a 6” layer of mulch (grass clippings mixed with leaves or straw). This will protect the garlic from freezing or heaving out of the ground. It is optional whether you leave this on in the spring, it can be removed if you wish to add a layer of compost. Alternatively, a compost layer can be added in the fall before the mulch layer is applied.
Harvesting
Garlic should be pulled in late summer when the bottom 2 or 3 leaves have turned yellow. Once the soil has been brushed off and these yellow leaves have been peeled off, the garlic must be ‘cured’ or dried. This process takes 2-3 weeks by leaving garlic in the sun (cover if it rains) or in a dry room.
Hardy Varieties
‘Music’ – One of the most popular varieties of garlic which produces 5-7 cloves per bulb and stores well once harvested.
‘Bogatyr’ – If you like spice better give this one a try! This garlic has a fiery, spicy flavour that holds well in cooking. It produces 4-7 cloves per bulb.
Good luck with planting, my mouth is already salivating knowing all the garlic I will be harvesting next year!
Andrea
Post contributed by Andrea Weddum, Landscape Designer
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