Growing Garlic

(In Australia; the United States; the Mid Atlantic States and the Great Lakes area)

~ By Aletha ~

Australia: Plant individual Garlic Bulb Cloves in April, May and June at soil temperatures of between 10°C and 35°C and sow the cloves at a depth of approximately three times its diameter.

Garlic is traditionally planted in cold weather and harvested in summer ("plant on the shortest day, harvest on the longest"). Plant the cloves, point upwards, deep enough to just cover with soil. A fairly tough and easy-growing plant if planted on better soil with regular watering will produce a better crop while if planted on poorer soil and forgetting to water will produce a poorer crop.

To keep for later use, dig up and leave to dry out for a day or so after the green shoots die down. To use immediately, pull up a clove when you need it, or cut and use the green shoots. If you leave a garlic to go to seed you will probably get plenty of self-sown plants the following year.

Mid-Atlantic States: Plant individual Garlic Bulb Cloves in October, November and December and sometime in January. The main consideration to help you know when to plant is that garlic needs to grow roots before the freezing weather sets in. So if you plant about 4 to 6 weeks before the ground normally freezes, you will allow good root development, but not top growth prior to winter. In my experience Garlic should be planted in early fall. I always choose to start planting October 12 or Columbus Day.

Depending on the size of the crop you want and the weather, plant well into November. If the weather holds out and the ground is not frozen, you can plant into December and sometimes you can plant in January. It is best to get the garlic seed into the ground early fall to give the garlic time to set its root. The roots will grow deep into the fall and winter if you get a good rain and occasional snow melt.

Garlic likes a sunny area in your garden with rich, well drained soil. I heard that it doesn't do well in light or tight soils that lack organic matter so if you start using leaves and straw as cover this will help keep the ground moist.

Great Lakes Area: Well since I live in an area of the United States called the Great lakes area I am going to try to see if I can plant garlic this fall. So I know that I will have to take some of my garden bed and leave it alone all winter long and I know to plant before the first frost so I have to think and look up in the Farmer's Almanac to see when our first frost is in Illinois for me.

Okay, I looked up the first frost date for Chicago and that is on October 26 now I have to count back 6 weeks so that gives me September 14 when I have to put the garlic in the ground to give it 6 weeks to take root. I will have to make a note to do this and try it and see. I love garlic so will try a few bulbs and it should be ready to harvest in June when the first 2 leaves at the bottom are brown and the tops is over then it is ready to harvest.

Then I have to leave them outside on a screen to cure and dry. I will let you know how this is doing when I do it and also make sure you get the bulbs from a nursery and not the grocery store.

         

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