Before you read this garliccare guide, what do you think about this question, “can i plant garlic in the same place as last year?”
The answer is yes however do not plant garlic in the same spot for two years in a row to keep it from getting sick. Make several shallow furrows 6 inches apart in the soil.
You need loose, rich soil to grow garlic with nice, big heads. Use a digging fork to break up the soil, then spread 2 to 3 inches of organic matter over the area and dig it in.
I use a well-aged mix of compost, leaf mold, and aged rabbit manure as my organic matter.
SUMMARY
CAN I PLANT GARLIC IN THE SAME PLACE AS LAST YEAR?
Yes you can plant garlic in the same place as last year, but Don’t plant garlic in the same spot for two years in a row to keep it from getting sick. Make several shallow furrows 6 inches apart in the soil.
Read also: IS IT TOO LATE TO PLANT GARLIC IN APRIL?- ANSWERED WELL
Once you try garlic that you grew yourself, you won’t be happy with garlic from the store.
It’s not hard to grow garlic. In fact, it’s almost too easy to grow garlic plants. It needs good soil, enough water, and, of course, to be planted and picked at the right times.
When is the best time of year to plant garlic? Four to six weeks before the ground freezes in your area, you should plant garlic.
You can be a little off about when to plant. I have planted as early as September (by accident) and as late as Thanksgiving (to try something new) and gotten good crops both times.
Read also: WHAT IS ELEPHANT GARLIC
Soon after you plant, roots will start to grow. Your goal is for the roots to grow well before the plants go to sleep for the winter. In the fall, green shoots may show up, which is fine.
HOW TO GROW LOTS OF GARLIC IN 6 SIMPLE STEPS
1. Prepare the ground
You need loose, rich soil to grow garlic with nice, big heads. Use a digging fork to break up the soil, then spread 2 to 3 inches of organic matter over the area and dig it in.
I use a well-aged mix of compost, leaf mold, and aged rabbit manure as my organic matter.
Don’t plant garlic in the same spot for two years in a row to keep it from getting sick. Make several shallow furrows 6 inches apart in the soil.
2. Select your varieties
Hardneck garlic and softneck garlic are the two main types. Cloves grow around a hard stalk in the middle of a hardneck.
Read also: WHAT DOES GARLIC LOOK LIKE? – ANSWERED WITH EXAMPLE
This stalk has a flower stem (or “scape”) at the top that curls. Many growers cut this off to send energy to the bulb. There are more cloves on softneck garlic, with big ones around the outside and many small ones in the middle.
Once they are picked, softnecks also tend to last longer than hardnecks. Split up a big head of garlic and only plant the cloves that are the largest.
The bigger the clove, the more likely it is that it will grow into a nice big head of garlic. You can use the smaller cloves in the kitchen.
3. Plant a clove and you’ll get a head.
To plant, put the cloves in a furrow 4 inches apart. Holding the pointy end of each clove, push it about 2 inches into the ground.
After all the cloves are in the ground, smooth the surface of the soil with your fingers or a rake to fill in the holes, and water well.
If you are planting more than one kind, make sure to clearly label each one. In case the labels get lost, I also draw a map of where I plant.
Read also: WHAT IS A BULB OF GARLIC – WELL EXPLAINED
I wait a month or more after planting to put down mulch so the soil can cool down. When it’s time to rake leaves, I put a few inches of chopped leaves on top of the bed.
4. Feed and water the plants.
When the weather warms up and the days get longer in the spring, top growth really gets going. I use a solution of liquid kelp and fish emulsion to fertilize the garlic twice: once when it starts to grow quickly, which in my area is around the middle of April, and again a month later.
Garlic doesn’t need a lot of water, but it also doesn’t like it to be too dry. When the top inch of soil feels dry, it’s time to water. I stop watering around the middle or end of June. By then, the garlic has grown and the cloves are starting to form in the heads.
5. Choose the best time to harvest.
When the plants have five or six green leaves and no more than one or two are starting to turn brown, harvest them in late spring or early summer.
Each green leaf is a layer of wrapping around the head. When you harvest, you might hurt the outer layer. When you clean the heads later, you may lose one or two more layers.
The goal is to have two or three tight layers of paper around each bulb. To harvest, drive a garden fork under the plants (being careful not to damage the bulbs), gently pry the bulbs loose, and then pull them out. Shake off any extra dirt, and then stack the plants.
Once you’re done picking, move the plants to a cool, dry place that is out of the sun and rain. If you are growing more than one kind, keep them separate and label them so you know what they are.
6. Allow the heads to cure, clean, and store.
To get garlic ready to store, hang the bare bulbs with their leaves in bundles or spread them out on a table or rack. You can start eating them right away, but if you want to store them, you have to cure them first.
After a few weeks, it’s time to clean the bulbs. Cut the stalks so that they are 12 inches above the bulb and cut the roots so that they are close to the bulb.
Rub off the outer layer of skin around the bulb, and use a nailbrush or toothbrush to gently remove any soil stuck to the base.
Try not to take off more layers of wrapping than you need to. Put the bulbs in a dark place with good airflow. Set aside the largest bulbs if you want to plant them in the fall.
