When and How to Plant Garlic in the Fall for the Most Success
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Planting and harvesting your fresh garlic as you need it cannot be beaten. Garlic is a versatile crop used for a variety of reasons and planting garlic can be done in small containers or large areas; it all depends on your room and how much garlic you want. If you're interested in growing your own garlic, you may want to know the best time for planting. Here's everything you need to know about planting garlic in the fall.
Why You Should Plant Garlic in the Fall
You should plant garlic in the fall to give your garlic plants ample time to develop. When planted in the fall, roots will begin to grow before the plant goes dormant in the winter. A process called vernalization is key to garlic's development. Vernalization—the process of accelerating plant growth by exposing it to long periods of cold—occurs when you subject the garlic to temperatures below 50° Fahrenheit for eight to twelve weeks. If you don't plant garlic in the fall, the best way to mimic this process is by planting it as early in the spring as possible—but planting in the fall is always best for growth.
How to Plant Garlic in the Fall
There are many varieties of garlic to choose from. After selecting your seed garlic bulbs, separate them into cloves. Pick large, healthy cloves that appear defect-free as the garlic you will plant.
Planting garlic is much like planting other plants but, depending on your location, you may need to take a few extra steps. Garlic, as a heavy feeder, needs extra nutrients in your soil to help it get an extra boost as it comes out of dormancy. Planting your garlic in the fall is easy if you follow these few steps:
Mix a few cups of bone meal or good water-soluble organic fertilizer to prepare your soil. An NPK formulation of 5-10-10 is recommended.
Place the cloves you selected into the pre-treated soil with the papery skin on and the wider side down, 6 to 8 inches apart, 2 inches deep.
Plant in rows about a foot apart, depending on where you plant and how many cloves are planted.
Water immediately after planting and until frost.
If you live where the ground freezes, prepare your garlic for the easy steps involved in overwintering, which can be found below.
Winter Maintenance for Garlic
You might be worried that you will love your garlic crop over the winter if your ground is as hard as cement because of frigid temperatures in your area. If you prepare by taking some easy precautions, you have nothing to worry about, and your tasty garlic should come out unscathed.
You will need to cover your plants with 3 to 4 inches of organic mulch or hay a week before the first frost. Then, when temperatures rise and spring ephemerals emerge, remove the cover and add it to your compost bin. You will soon see shoots start to break through the soil, meaning you are on your way to a great garlic crop.
Tips for Growing Garlic in the Fall
Here are a few tips to help you grow the best, tastiest garlic in your garden!
If you live in lower USDA zones, you will want the hardneck variety for the cold hardiness. If you live in higher USDA zones, pick softneck garlic.
Fertilize in the spring with bone or fish meal.
Weed your garlic garden constantly. Garlic does not do well with competition since it feeds so heavily.
Pick large bulbs when you are picking your seed garlic.
A hard stem-like blossom shoot will appear before the plant flowers on hardneck varieties, known as the garlic scape. Garlic scapes should be cut off and used. They have an amazing oniony, scallion, and garlic-like flavor.
If you miss the scape and flowers appear cut off garlic flowers, allow your bulbs to grow larger.
Frequently Asked Questions
How deep do you plant garlic when in the fall?
You want to plant you garlic cloves just about 2 inches deep.
Do you water garlic when it is planted in fall?
Yes, continue watering your garlic every two to three days until the first frost and then stop during the months of winter dormancy.
How do you prepare soil in the fall for planting garlic?
Prepare the soil by adding bone meal or a pre-mixed commercially available fertilizer with an NPK formula of 5-10-10.
Read Next: How to Grow Garlic
Read the original article on The Spruce.
