Planting a small amount of garlic can yield a year’s supply
Garlic (Allium sativum) is a culinary staple in many kitchens and is best planted in fall, at least three weeks before the ground freezes so the roots have a chance to develop, but the shoots do not break through the surface of the soil.
Garlic plants are typically hardy and do not require much space in the garden or active care when planted in a loamy soil in a full-sun location. A small planting of garlic can supply an entire year’s supply for most households.
Garlic is a species in the onion genus – Allium, and is closely related to onions, shallots, leeks and cloves. While onion leaves are round and hollow, garlic leaves are flat. A head of garlic is composed of individual cloves enclosed in a papery bulb cover. Each clove is its own small bulb and contains many unexpanded leaves.
Site requirements
Garlic does best in a rich loamy soil and will tolerate a wide range of soil pH between 6.0 and 8.0 with 6.0 to 6.5 being ideal. Be sure to have your soil tested for fertility and pH in order to determine specific characteristics of your soil. Planting garlic in highly compacted, poorly drained, or heavy clay soils can lead to disease problems in wet years and small misshapen heads in dry years.
Garlic grows well in any type of raised bed and must be grown in fullsun locations. Garlic can be planted following any vegetable grown in the garden but care must be taken to remove all weeds and plant residue from previous crops before planting.
Garlic does not compete well with weeds, so monitor the planting through the winter for germination of winter annual weeds such as chickweed, bitter cress, catch weed, henbit, and especially purple deadnettle. Beds with heavy weed pressure can be mulched with four inches of straw, which will also provide winter protection.
Three types of garlic
There are three types are garlic that are commonly grown: hardneck, softneck, and elephant. Hardneck varieties produce fewer but larger cloves. Hardneck cloves peel easily but do not store as long as softneck varieties.
Softneck garlic is also known as artichoke garlic because these varieties produce so many cloves in each head. These varieties of garlic can contain 14 to 20 cloves per head depending on the variety. As the name implies, the stem of softneck varieties is soft and pliable allowing the gardener to easily braid heads into a string for easy hanging and storage. Softneck varieties of garlic store well.
Elephant garlic is not a true garlic and is more closely related to leeks. Elephant garlic has a mild flavor and produce very large cloves that range in color from cream to yellow.
Planting garlic
Do not plant garlic purchased in the produce section of the grocery store as it may have been treated to prevent sprouting. Garlic should be purchased from a garden center or directly from growers.
When planting, separate the head of garlic into individual cloves. Each clove will have a flat bottom where the roots will emerge and a pointed top where the leaves will emerge. Plant cloves with the flat bottom down, spaced 4 to 5 inches apart in rows, and 2 inches deep. Rows should be spaced 18 to 24 inches apart.
Garlic is a heavy feeder of nutrients and will require two applications of fertilizer, one at planting to aid in root development and another when growth resumes in the spring when plants are 4 to 6 inches tall to encourage leaf growth and bulb development.
While a soil test will provide accurate recommendations for the type and amount of fertilizer to apply, a typical fertilizer application for garlic is 1 pound of 19-19-19 per 100 square feet of bed.
With very little work this fall, the smell of garlic can permeate your kitchen next spring.