It's that time of year again when the catalogs come out with beautiful daffodil and tulip bulbs and this is the ideal time of year to plant garlic for next year. Garlic is a member of the Allium family and looks like chives when it first comes up and flowers like the alliums in mid-summer.
You can plant into your flower beds just like you would daffodil or lily bulbs or prepare an area of your vegetable garden. It does not need extra nitrogen but the soil could be amended. In the spring a light addition of fertilizer could be worked into the soil as side dressing. Garlic likes approximately an inch of water per week in the early growing stage and likes it dryer just before harvest.
The ideal place to purchase garlic for planting is at our local farmers market or from catalogs. The garlic bulbs in the grocery store have been treated to discourage sprouting. Elephant garlic is the mildest herb that grows well in this area. The garlic bulb needs to be separated into cloves and each clove will grow a new bulb to be harvested next fall.
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If planting in the garden, prepare rows or an area that will not be disturbed in the spring. The cloves should be planted four to six inches apart and approximately two to four inches deep. The pointy end should be up and the root end should be down. This area should be covered two to three inches with leaf mulch or old hay. Keep weeds to a minimum as garlic cannot compete with weeds.
If planting into your flower bed, plant just like you would daffodil bulbs only much shallower. Prepare the soil just like you would in the garden and cover with leaf mulch after planting.
The tops of garlic are called scapes which should be cut (and can be used in cooking) to encourage the plant to produce a larger bulb. These scapes will become upright and then flower. A couple of flowers could be left on for show.
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Garlic can be harvested throughout the summer as needed in the kitchen and finally finish harvesting as the leaves start to turn brown. Lift carefully as the bulbs break apart easily. Allow to dry out of direct light for three to four weeks. Remove all but about three inches of stem and store in a mesh bag in a cool, dry area. Select a few bulbs for replanting and enjoy your bounty all winter.