August has been an interesting month—we FINALLY got some rain! Yee hah! I met my number 1 fan, John, at a military ball, Glenda left me a very kind and gracious telephone message and Joan asked for advice about planting garlic.
John, number 1 fan, asked me to let you all know that he believes in fish fertilizer above all other fertilizers. I have used fish fertilizer with great results but regular readers know how important soil tests are and that fertilizers must be applied to meet the needs of the soil. Fish fertilizer is 5-1-1 so keep that in mind when applying it to your soils.
Glenda, thanks for letting me know that you’re reading and enjoying these articles. It was good to hear your voice and I’m sure that you’re being mightily used as you always are and continuing to be a blessing to many people. Keep your lamp lit.
Joan, your request for garlic information is perfect timing. All of us who grow garlic or want to try it need to get our orders in and get ready to plant.
There are basically three types of garlic: elephant, hardneck and softneck. Apparently elephant garlic is not technically classified as garlic but since it’s commonly referred to as “garlic” I’ll use that terminology also.
Elephant garlic has very large cloves and a milder flavor than the other two varieties.
Some garlic aficionados consider hardneck to have the best flavor; there are a lot of varieties of this type for you to try. One web site listed over forty.
Softneck varieties are good keepers so you’ll want to grow some of these to extend your harvest.
Plant garlic in a sunny area with well drained but moist soil. Our Western Pennsylvania soil will need lots of organic matter added to grow better garlic.
No more than 48 hours before planting break the bulbs up into individual cloves.
Make sure the pointy side of the bulb is up; Elephant Garlic needs to be planted 3-4 inches below the soil surface, the other varieties can be 2 inches below the soil surface. The cloves should be planted about 4-6 or 6-8 inches apart depending on the side of the clove. Rows should be from 18 to 30 inches apart.
Mulch the garlic bed well with grass clippings, keep it weeded and don’t let the soil dry out entirely. Don’t worry if you see the little green sprouts emerge before winter hits. I have planted garlic on January 1st in mild years and had no problem with getting a good crop.
The plants are ready to pick in summer when the top ½ to 2/3 of the leaves are still green but the bottom part is brown. Pull out the entire plant.
Don’t wash the bulbs after harvesting. Hang the harvested plants in bunches in a covered place with good ventilation for 2-3 weeks. Store in mesh bags or braided lengths in an even temperature area with good air circulation. Don’t store in the refrigerator.
Some web sites to order garlic are:
Enjoy getting your fall planting done and start dreaming about your gardens for next year! Happy gardening!