How to Grow Garlic in Your Home Garden Successfully

Greetings fellow Gardeners!The following tutorialthree inches below the surface. If you live in a
refers to garlic growing specifically, but can easilycolder climate with significant freezing, then do
be used for most onion crops as well.Theplant deeper to protect the cloves, and consider
following information is for general garlic growingmulching, just like you do when you plant bulbs
that I have used for my own home garden. Oflike tulips and daffodils. Water in the cloves and
course, there are lots of specialty seeds andyou are done till spring!OK, spring has arrived and
plants that require more specific techniques but asyou anxiously watch the plot for any sign of
I am not a professional horticulturist, but a homegrowth.........and there they are! Now is the time to
gardener like yourselves, I will stick with what Ifertilize with some nitrogen based fertilizer or
know!For basic garlic growing you need a fewcompost as you can see in my picture at the top
things. First of all your garlic cloves! We startedright of the page. We fertilized with a home made
out by growing garlic from garlic heads bought atmix of compost, bonemeal, canola seed meal,
the store, but then I decided to try some newdolomite lime, and potash. We also set up
and different varieties! Last year I ended up thewatering through soaker hoses so that we
with some German Reds left over after my fallwatered the plants, not the weeds.Weeding is
selling on virtualseeds.com, so decided to plantcrucial! Let me repeat...... weeding is crucial! The
them with the idea of offering them to mynext most important chore you need to be
customers in 2001. This way, I could be assuredvigilant about is weeding! Garlics do not want to
of the freshest product possible and it allowed mecompete with other vegetation! So semi-weekly
to use the garden space normally left fallow allweeding with a hoe is necessary. Do not dig down
winter to good use. spring So, I planted inin the ground around the plants or you can tear
October and waited for spring.Remember toup the developing bulbs. Just a light scratching of
work in some good compost and bone mealthe soil is all you need to keep the weeds at bay.
before planting your cloves. I planted mine aboutI use a "hula hoe" and love it!HARVESTING: By
three inches deep or about three times the sizethe first of July, I can see that my crop is getting
of the clove. We have fairly mild coastal wintersready to be harvested. How do I know? First of
so not a lot of hard ground freezing until aroundall, the weather has gotten hotter so I know that
January and then it is only for a few weeks atthe bulbs are forming underground and secondly
most. More on this subject later in theby observing the plants. Now the tops are starting
tutorial.......Viola!to brown and die back, a sure sign that harvest
Come late spring, what to my wondering eyestime is near. So I stop watering about ten days
to appear, but garlic sprouts!Let's back up a littleto two weeks before harvesting. This is
to discuss the two basic types of garlics for thenecessary so the plants can start to "hardened"
home gardener. Generally speaking we are talkingthe outside of the bulbs.Mid July is here and it's
about hardnecks and softnecks.HARDNECKtime to harvest. The plants have now browned to
GARLICS(See picture at top of page) are veryabout 60-75 percent. I gently pull on the first plant
popular because they are easy to grow in mostand it comes up easily! Of course, mine are
types of soils as long as the soil is fertile and wellplanted more shallow than most of you will do so
draining. Hardnecks will store for three to sixthe bulb is nearer the surface. Most gardeners will
months on average so are grown for early winterneed to gently spade around the plant in order to
usage. There are many different varieties fromget the bulb loosened and pulled up.CURING AND
the German Reds that I offer my customers toSTORAGE: Now all that is left is to "cure" the
Spanish Roja and more. As you can see from thebulbs and store for usage. Curing refers to
titles, these garlics most often have some coloringallowing the bulbs to dry out in a warm but
to them such as streaks of purple, red or brown.shaded area. Don't wash your plants but let the
They are valued for their high allicin content andsoil dry naturally, then brush off when you are
great flavor that holds up to cooking. Hardnecksready to store or hang. I am drying mine on a
can be a little challenging when separating thepallet so that air can circulated around the plants.
cloves as they have a fair amount ofAs you can see by the picture, garlics need to be
"parchment" or the papery skins you have to peeldried in a single layer. Drying takes from two to
away to get at the "meat". They tend to have athree weeks depending on the weather or your
inner circle of large cloves with few to any smallerchoice of storage area. Some people will braided
cloves on the outside. Hardnecks are planted inthem and hang for curing. What is important is
the late fall and harvested in early to midthat the plants have good circulation of warm, dry
summer.SOFTNECK GARLICS are the ones youair so that mold and mildew doesn't take hold.
see in the grocery store and in garlic braids.When your garlics are done curing, then clip off
These are normally white such as the silverskins.the top to about 1.5 inches from the bulb and you
The variety you see in the store most likely ismay snip back the roots. Garlics can be stored in
"Colossal" or another generic variety. Stores anda dark, dry, cool place such as a basement,
their customers want the whitest garlics. Flavor isstorage room etc and used as needed. Check
good and can be from mild to very strong. Thethem periodically as some varieties do not store
necks are more pliable than hardneck varieties soas long as others. Ideal storage temperatures
they make good candidates for braiding. Softneckwould be in the 40's to 50's.
garlics advantage is that they store longer, up toDon't forget to keep your biggest and best bulbs
nine months. They generally have numerousfor this year's fall planting! Rotate your crops each
cloves in a head. Softnecks also are planted in theyear. Garlics are pretty much pest free but can
fall with later harvesting in late summer.Do youpick up soil diseases which can devastate a
have garlic in your refrigerator that has begun tocrop.Thanks for reading my tutorial on garlic
sprout? Can they be used in cooking? Not likely asgrowing. This tutorial is from my own personal
the cloves will feel "empty" as the plants haveexperience so soils, growing conditions and
already used the stores to start the plants. Canweather may be different for your location and
the cloves be separated and planted? Sure, andyou may need to amend these guidelines to fit
garlics can be planted in the spring but generallyyour situation. A great source for information on
don't do well as an annual crop. They aregarlic growing is your local county extension office.
genetically meant to be planted in fall so they canAsk to speak to a Master Gardener or stop by
establish roots, then they wait for spring to startand pick up a helpful brochure on garlic growing.
growing in earnest.PLANTING: In most parts ofMost of all, have fun in your garden!ALL
the country, you want to plant your cloves aboutNATURAL BUG SRAY:
six weeks before your winter freezing weatherHere is a simple homemade recipe for an
sets in. This is to allow the cloves to send downeffective bug spray for your garden!"
roots and get established in the soil before hardPlace one peeled onion, two peeled garlic cloves
freezing weather sets in. This keeps the garlicsand 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 3 cups of water
from being forced up and out of the soil duringand blend until smooth. Let the mixture sit
hard freezes and thaws. As you plant yourovernight, then carefully strain the liquid into a
cloves, be sure to add some good qualityspray bottle. I bet this would be effective in
compost and a tablespoon of bonemeal to thediscouraging Fido or Fluffy from using your
bottom of the hole so the plants will have somefavorite rose bush or flower bed as a toliet!
excellent nutrition to draw upon. I plant mineRefigerate unused solution and discard after thirty
about three times the size of the clove or arounddays.Happy Gardening!