I finally planted my garlic this weekend and I hope it wasn’t too late. If it gets too cold, I may not get that root system going. Garlic is a bulb and gets planted in the Fall. In my zone, they suggest planting around Columbus Day and harvesting around the 4th of July.
My 2009/2010 garlic “crop” was my best to date. I planted individual cloves six inches apart, pointy side up in a 4×4 raised bed about 1-2 inches into the soil. I planted in a different area than last year since a three to four year rotation is suggested because of fungus and pests. I don”t use any pesticides or fertilizers. Here’s a pictorial retrospective:
By mid-March, little sprouts emerged.
In April, the little sprouts got a little bigger.
In June, the scapes were ready.
So I cut the scapes and used them in the same way I use garlic.
In Jul, I harvested my bounty.
I hung them up to dry in a dark room with a fan running 24×7.
Zoom, please:
A wise woman at Wild Hive told me that it’s best to store garlic in clay pots because they will absorb moisture. I read that you can clean clay pots in the dishwasher with two cups of vinegar.
Here’s my stored garlic:
It was a fun year growing garlic and I really hope I didn’t blow next year’s “crop.”
Here are some resources:
