Plant garlic before first autumn freeze – Mid-September thru Mid-October 

PLANTING GARLIC 

Garlic prefers deeply cultivated, well-drained soil.  Amend the soil with 2”- 3” inches of compost. Work the compost deeply into the soil and incorporate organic Nitrogen fertilizer before planting.  Separate the individual cloves and plant them rough edge down/tip up at 2” depth with spacing at 6” – 8”.  Plant rows 10” – 12” apart and do not plant more than 4 rows.  Mulch for Winter with 5” of straw or leaves to protect from winter freeze and thaw. Also mulch over the top with 2” of shredded hardwood mulch to hold the material in place. 

GROWING GARLIC 

In early Spring, garlic will begin to grow and push through the mulch.  After seeing the plants emerging check where they have not come up; you may need to help these spots by gently pulling some of the mulch away to help the new shoots to push on through.  Once the garlic is up, apply 1” of water a week (if no rain) and then less as summer progresses.  Fertilize every two weeks from early spring to June 1st.  Hardneck varieties will produce a flower scrape that will grow into a curled form. Cut and remove the scrapes as they develop.  

HARVESTING

Typically, garlic is harvested in early July but may not be ready until the first of August.  As the plants reach maturity the leaves will begin to turn brown from the tips downward and from the base upward.  You know garlic is ready for harvest when approximately half the leaves have turned brown, and half of the leaves are still green.  Stop watering a week before harvest to dry the soil. Loosen the soil around the plants and pull the entire plant from the bed. Rub the dirt from the roots and let the plant dry in a cool shady area. After 3 – 4 weeks cut the roots to an inch from bulb and remove the outer skin of each bulb.

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