I got the garlic planted this weekend as well. We're always excited to grow some garlic but we skipped last season because of the pandemic we missed the ordering deadline. We didn't miss it this time, ha.
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| Lorz Italian garlic |
We ordered from Great Northern Garlic. We don't get anything for mentioning them, just putting it out there for anyone who wants to order some quality seed garlic. It came a few weeks ago so we put them in the fridge to let them get ready for the cooler weather.
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| Sorting the seed garlic |
I sort through them, you break them apart and try to leave the paper skin on each clove. You are planting them not cooking with them. I sorted them to get 36 good ones (I look for the plump cloves).
I use the bag they come in to put them so I can get them to the planting bed easier.
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| Garlic planting tool |
Then after getting the soil turned and fluffed up (added some fresh along with a bit of compost), I poked 36 holes in the bed. A couple years back, someone asked me if this was a special tool. No, you can use anything to poke a hole, but to save my back for doing 36 holes, I use this. It used to be another tool that the end broke off of when I was using it to dig the trench for the underground water hose to the garden. I just put it aside thinking I'd throw it away. Then when I needed something to make a bunch of holes once, I thought "hmm, this might work" and it did! It's nice because I can use the handles at the top, stand over the bed to make a hole, wiggle it around etc. It works great.
Put them in the holes pointy end up, ha.
Cover with soil.
Is this before or after? Ha. After the holes are filled with the garlic cloves, I go over it by hand and smooth it all out. After all the hard work, there's nothing to see for it when you're done, ha.
As in years past, I covered it with a straw mulch and water it well. Depending on how wet the Winter is, they shouldn't need regular watering (well, by regular we mean daily). Will water once a week when we're out there but otherwise we just set them and forget them.
Hopefully in a few weeks we'll have some little green sprouts coming up through the mulch and next May or June, we'll harvest 36 heads of garlic and hang to dry.
I guess I need to get some garlic planted. It will be my first try at it so maybe it will work and maybe not.
ReplyDeleteOur first two seasons were hit and miss but since then, we seemed to have figure it out, ha. We'll see if this season works as well. Then I'll feel safe saying we know how to do it, ha. Good luck!!!
DeleteMaking your holds; like I've mentioned to my hubby time and time again; use what you got. If it works; then it's a good thing. Nothing like planting garlic on Halloween weekend. :}
ReplyDeleteI never had any luck in the past growing garlic, but I just may have to plant a few and see what happens.
Old Proverb; A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat. :}
Enjoy your evening
It has been raining here all day and it's rather chili.
Talked to my brother in Ohio and they had a hard freeze; down in the 20's there.
I didn't realize that it was Halloween weekend when I planted it. THat's awesome. Stay away vampires!!! ha.
DeleteI'm not sure how it would work in the ground I mean, obviously that's how most of it is grown but our soil is so bad (clay) here that the raised beds just seem to really work for us. We are cold here today but it's beautiful! Stay warm!
I need to plant garlic. My yard thieves stole a whole huge pot of garlic from my yard.
ReplyDeleteOh man, bummer. They probably didn't even know what goodness they had.
DeleteI ordered some garlic from your recommended company. I’m going to use your instructions and hopefully have a nice crop of garlic next year. Thanks for the detailed directions.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have it too!!! Keep us posted and I'll update along here too as things progress.
DeleteYour stick is called a dibbler in gardener parlance!
ReplyDeleteAh yes! I remember that now. Necessity is the mother of invention, ha. Thank you!!
DeleteThank you for the step by step, I will give it a go too.
ReplyDeleteHope you do. We failed the first couple of times but once it was our fault and the other time we feel the quality of seed garlic we got was not very good. Keep us posted.
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