An Introduction
Hardneck garlics are unique in that they need a period of cold to break their dormancy and begin to grow. The easiest way to do that is to plant it in the fall. That’s right, you plant your garlic crop when all the harvesting is done in your garden and you think it is time to let everything sit for the winter months.
Here in Ottawa, I find that the best time to plant the garlic is around mid-October. The nights, and the ground, are cold enough to break the dormancy but there is enough time for the cloves to begin to root before the ground freezes. The cloves set roots and begin to grow, then go dormant at freeze up until the grown starts to thaw in the spring. It is not unusual to see the beautiful green shoots poking up through the snow, especially if there is a late snow. If by chance the shoots appear before freeze up in the fall, simply mulch them over to protect them from freezing winds and they will continue their growth in the spring.
The nitty gritty – fall
To plant your garlic, first turn over your soil. If you are planting a small patch, it is easiest to do that with a spading fork. Add some compost and bone meal as you turn the soil. You can also add fertilizer at this point to assist in the root development – a 4-13-0 fertilizer works well.
Mark off your rows at about 6-8 inches apart. The garlic will be planted at 6 inch intervals in the rows. Begin the process by breaking the bulbs apart into separate cloves. I usually do this the evening before I plan to plant, as it speeds up the planting process. When you break apart the bulbs, notice that there is a ‘basal’ plate, with the roots attached that is attached to the hard stem that is in the middle of the bulb. Check to make sure that the whole plate has been taken off the bottom of the clove, as any basal plate on the clove will inhibit the formation of roots.
Some people like to make holes in the rows into which they place the garlic. I usually skip that step, as I make sure that the bed has been well dug and the soil is loose enough that I can press the clove into the ground. Grasping the clove with the root end of the clove (flat end) facing down, I simply press it into the soil as far as I can push it – about 2-3 inches. Once all the garlic is planted, I generally simply rake the bed lightly to cover the holes. Another option is to spread a 1 inch layer of compost over the bed, which fills in the holes and gives another inch of planting depth to the garlic.
For those who don’t like to have the black squirrels dig up the cloves (I’ve had a fair bit of problem with this in the past two years), you can simply lay some fine mesh wire (‘chicken wire’) over the bed and anchor it at the ends so it doesn’t roll up.
Now, sit back, enjoy a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate, watch the snow fall and wait for the delight of watching those lovely shoots poking out first thing in the spring.
Check next week for: The nitty-gritty – spring and summer
21 thoughts on “Planting Garlic”
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