Garlic is a standby in my fall garden . While it can be establish in the spring , it benefits significantly from overwintering if planted in the fall and then can be reap by mid - summer , free up infinite for a second summer planting .
If you ’re accustomed to the distinctive entrepot - grease one’s palms garlic , you may be surprise by the variety show in flavor , texture and colourize among the various garlic varieties available in seed catalogs . The vast majority of commercial ail is a individual kind , much of it grown in California . counterpoint this with the hundred of multifariousness available that will develop in your region , and you ’ll never desire to buy market computer storage garlic again .
Choose a Garlic Variety
To guarantee optimal success in opt a variety you ’ll desire to consider a few factors . Garlic , like onion , shallots , leek and Allium porrum , is in the genus Allium and is split into intemperately - necked and gentle - necked multifariousness . While hard - make out ail is easier to unclothe due to its fewer and larger cloves , it has shorter shelf life than soft - neck motley . Examples of hard - make out garlic are German Porcelain , Music and German Extra Hardy . Soft - necked miscellanea , which are more nearly tie in to leek , let in Asiatic , Turban and Elephant .
Your growing region should also play a factor in the variety you select . knockout - necks favor long , cold wintertime , so gardeners in warmer regions may get low yield , former run out and disease in the hard - neck garlic miscellanea they plant , so soft - neck opening variety may be a better bet . Bear in mind that gentle - neck variety do n’t produce inflorescence stalks , calledscapes , which can be a disadvantage for Captain James Cook who care to like to harvest and eat them .
Site Selection & Planting Tips
The optimal time to plant garlic will change a bit by region , but broadly , a few week before the first frost is have a bun in the oven is a good clock time . For southern and southeast regions this can be anywhere from mid - October to later November or even early December . The end is to allow just enough time for the Allium sativum to found beginning growth , but to not produce shoots that extend too far above ground . While there is a bit of guesswork involved here , do n’t stress it — garlic is a hardy plant life .
Pick an field that get a good amount of sun : Ground plots andraised bedswill work equally well . waitress until planting day to fracture cloves asunder . blank space cloves pointy side up and root side down , about 2 inches deep in southerly region or up to 4 inches mysterious in northerly regions , and outer space each clove about 4 to 6 inches apart . Garlic like sluttish , well - composted and fecundate soil with gamey levels of phosphoric and potassium . remediate your grease with bone repast and kelp meal before planting if needed . Sometime between planting and the first freeze , mulch heavily with shredded leaf or straw to keep the garlic well - insulate , maintain respectable wet levels and downplay springtime - meter Mary Jane growth .
Garlic Care & Disease Prevention
In improver to themulchyou bestow in the fall , it may be prudent to add more as shoot get down to develop in the spring . Watch closely for weeds , as they can fall garlic payoff by as much as 50 percent if give up to get out of hand .
Although garlic can be affected by a number of diseases , the worst is white-hot rot . Prevention is the serious practice , as this disease is unmanageable if not unimaginable to carry off once it has infected the soil . The early signs of ashen rot are difficult to distinguish from other diseases . It usually affects case-by-case plants initially . see for former yellowing of verboten leaves and stunted growth . Inspect the incandescent lamp immediately for rotting and the presence of a white fungus . Dig the plant life and border soil from the ground , burn the plant , and dispose of the soil a good length from any garden areas .
Always buy garlic from a reputable source that you confide keeps their seeded player disease - loose . ( I use Southern Exposure Seed Exchange . ) Organic bulbs purchased from the grocery store are generally trusty , but never plant bulbs that are n’t demonstrate Organic , as they in all likelihood have been irradiate to keep sprouting . Some growers soak their light bulb in red-hot water , blanching agent or alcohol to forbid disease . Take note that over - soaking could kill off increment completely . To prevent blank rot and most other diseases , it ’s always good praxis to ensure your soil , compost and fertilizer fare from dependable disease - innocent source . Another good preventative touchstone is to rotate garden space every three to four years .
Harvesting & Storage
You should begin to see garlic stems bolt down up by mid - spring . The minuscule green shoot will finally grow to about 2 feet . toilsome - cervix will produce scapes once the shoots have amply grown . flower stalk should be glean shortly after they appear , while they are still young and untoughened . If not harvested , they will curl , straighten and efflorescence , halting growth and resulting in less yield . To harvest , simply grab the base of the stem , pull gently and twist if young . Curled scapes may want to be slew to invalidate pulling the root out . If allowed to blossom , the bulblets can be dried and spare for cum , though it will take two years for them to develop into a clove .
If stash away in good order , garlic can last until the next growing season . Generally , garlic will be quick to reap in mid - summer . Watch for the taboo leaves to become brown and yellow and harvest when four to six inner leaf are still greenish . First , carefully lift one light bulb with a digging ramification and check for the clove to be fully differentiated . If not , do n’t glean yet . Once you do harvest , loosely knock off any dirt , but do n’t wash the bulbs , as the grime will help with preservation . advert the plants or place them on a silver screen in a nerveless , glowering area for two to four weeks . hold back that they are in full juiceless by rolling the neck opening between your fingers . When quick , trim the tops to about 1/2 inch from the bulb and snip the antecedent . absent any remain dirt and either wash lightly now or hold off until you ’re ready to apply them .
Ideal depot experimental condition are in mesh bags in a coolheaded , wry , well - air area . Be sure to salt away them in an expanse that rest systematically at 40 degrees F or below . Garlic likes to sprout at around 40 to 60 degree F. If you ca n’t keep them in an area that detain at around 28 to 40 Fahrenheit , dart for above 60 . Be indisputable to go down aside some bulbs to implant next class . Stick to this oscillation and you may never call for to purchase garlic again .
Jereme Zimmerman
