You may plant garlic in either fall or spring. To plant, gently break the whole garlic bulbs apart and separate into individual cloves, leaving the papery skin intact. Plant the cloves pointy-end up about 1 to 2 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches apart. For best results, plant only large, solid cloves. After fall planting, water them in well and then mulch with about 6 inch layer of chopped leaves, hay or straw. Note that you should start with garlic sold specifically for planting rather than using garlic from the grocery store. Next year, keep in mind that fall planted garlic will be ready in spring, spring planted garlic by July or so. You need to keep an eye on the plants and watch for browning of the foliage. Some gardeners harvest as soon as the tops begin to brown and fall over. Professional garlic grower Ron Engelund harvests his garlic after the leaves begin to brown, but before they all turn brown. His rule is to harvest when 6 of the leaves are still green. In his opinion this is optimal in terms of garlic maturity and its ability to stand up in storage. For curing, allow any soil left on on bulbs to dry, then hang the garlic in a garage or other well ventilated spot (or place them loosely on a slotted tray like a nursery flat) and allow them to dry for a month. Then collect the bulbs and store them in a cool place. It is important to have excellent air circulation around the individual bulbs, too, so some gardeners will use a mesh bag for storage. Good luck with your garlic! |