It’s fall and you know what that means…Time to Plant Your Garlic
Garlic is hands down the most easy plant to grow and care for. It is beautiful, the smell is intoxicating, and I can’t name a dish I don’t like it in!When I first started growing garlic I thought it was a sham! How in the world was the plant going to last through the winter if it had just barely started growing above ground? As it turns out all you have to do is choose the right variety, timing, and soil!
Step 1: Prepare the garlic
This step is debatable– but after several failed attempts at this process I swear by it…
Break a Garlic bulb apart (the whole thing) and put the cloves inside a big mason jar with equal parts of baking soda and liquid seaweed (I opt for around 1 TB). Leave the cloves in the jar for at least 2 hours prior to planting (this almost follows the way that you plant potatoes in that you cut them and wait…).
Why? you ask — is this step necessary? Answer: It does an amazing job at preventing bacterial and fungal growth!
Step 2: Prepare the soil
Garlic grows best in well drained soil — not sand! Make sure that your space is free of weeds and rocks, then dig 3-4″ down. Place the cloves into the spaces about 8″ apart. This will ensure that you do not have anything TOO close together! When placing the cloves in the soil be sure that the root end (flat part) is pointed DOWN and the other end UP!
Step 3: Cover
Once the garlic cloves are comfy in their new homes cover with soil and add some compost. Where I live we have a local composting facility. We love this because we know the quality of the soil as we donate with our own compost! Water the bed well, and cover with a good 6″ of straw. This will allow you to see the shoots poking through the straw.
Step 4: Wait
When the cloves are settled in they will begin to grow and if you have timed it right — you should see shoots poking through in roughly 4-6 weeks. Once this happens you also know that the frost is coming soon– when it does it will look like the garlic has stopped growing and is dying — but its not! You will be happily surprised come spring when the growing resumes.
How do you grow your garlic? Be sure to pin this for later!
Heather’s homesteading journey started in 2006, with baby steps: first, she got a few raised beds, some chickens, and rabbits. Over the years, she amassed a wealth of homesteading knowledge, knowledge that you can find in the articles of this blog.
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Healthy Notions, LLC says
Well, that looks totally doable! Thanks for the tutorial. 🙂
Andrea says
What climate are you in? I’m just wondering if this will work in Saskatchewan, Canada, as we have extremely cold winters? (-40 degrees celsius at least)
Andrea says
I just looked up -40*C and its the same as -40*F!
Linda says
I live in Cleveland Ohio and grow 2 kinds of garlic. though technically one is considered a bulbing leek. you should do fine up north.
Jessica Johns says
Where do you get liquid seaweed? Or is there anything you can use in place of it?
Heather says
I have gotten it from Peaceful Valley, or you could use a regular compost tea.
Linda McIntyre says
Good question, I want to know as well.
Jennifer A says
I was wondering the same thing as below. I’ve never heard of liquid seaweed. I’ll have to look into it, thanks for sharing on the Homestead Blog Hop!
Heather Harris says
I’ve gotten liquid seaweed from peaceful valley. groworganic.com
lisa murano says
Thanks for the reminder! I need to get planting!
Thanks for linking up with Green Thumb Thursday. I hope to see you back this week!
Lisa
Shannon Brown says
I had no idea you could plant garlic in the fall. (I’m definitely not the green thumb in the family!) Where do you find liquid seaweed?
Heather Harris says
I use the stuff from Green Pastures.
James Burnette says
Just a little early here in Tennessee, still super hot. But very soon. I’ll be putting in my first garlic bulbs next month.
Sbelieveit says
I feel sure there is a way to grow garlic without liquid seaweed. As cheap as garlic is, I may as well shop organic market if I go to all that trouble. Js.
Heather Harris says
I am sure there is, too…there’s always another way, right? Maybe try a compost tea instead of the seaweed? Let me know how it works! 😉