Plant garlic early and pick a sunny site
A location that hasn’t been used to grow anything in the onion family will increase odds of success
Q Over the past decade the garlic bulbs I’ve grown have become smaller each year. How can I manage this fall’s planting and next spring’s growth to reverse this disappointing trend?
A I have found that an early planting improves the chances of growing large bulbs. I’ve grown much larger bulbs since I began planting as close as possible to the third week of September. mid-September to mid-October is probably the best time window for planting.
When pulling a bulb apart into individual cloves, I plant only the large, outer ones and bring the smaller ones to the kitchen for use.
Spacing can be another issue. Plant with the clove tips resting about 5 cm beneath the soil surface and space the cloves 10 cm apart to give the bulbs room to develop.
Choose a sunny site that has not grown garlic or any other onion family planting in recent years — ideally, for the past four years. The only time I’ve had problems with my garlic was the year I planted in the same plot two years in a row. I removed and replaced a hefty top layer of soil, but still, the second-year plants were disappointing.
Once I’ve defined the garlic planting area, I prepare the soil by mixing in lime along with a balanced, slow-release, natural-source fertilizer and a generous (minimum 5 cm) layer of a nourishing homemade or purchased compost.
Early planting gives the cloves plenty of time to develop large root systems as the soil cools over the fall and early winter.
As green growth emerges and starts to elongate in the spring, I weed carefully around the plants and add a top dressing of compost.
Keep the plot weeded through the spring and early summer, as the bulbs are developing. That eliminates competition from weeds for moisture and nutrients.
In June, be sure to cut off and use the curly flower stems (scapes). You want the plants’ energies going to bulb growth, not flower and seed production.