In the Garden: Plant flavorful and nutritious garlic this fall
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Lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, fight heart disease, boost your immune system, and add a bit of flavor to your meals by growing your own garlic. This vegetable has been used as both food and medicine for thousands of years.
Purchase firm, healthy bulbs of garlic sold for growing in the garden. One pound of garlic typically fills a 30’ row but this can vary depending on the variety. It’s best not to use garlic sold at the grocery store as it may have been treated to prevent sprouting and it may not be suitable for growing in your climate.
Select the best variety for your growing conditions and preferred flavor. Hardneck garlic typically prefers colder climates while most softneck garlic prefers warmer climates, but this varies with the varieties within each group. Hardneck garlic varieties develop a stiff flower stalk, tend to have larger cloves, and flavors ranging from mild to spicy. Softneck varieties vary in their adaptability to long cold winters, cool moist springs and warm summers. They lack the stiff flower stalk so the leaves can be braided, and the bulbs tend to have a longer shelf life.
Garlic bulbs typically contain seven or more individual cloves. The larger the clove you plant, the bigger the bulb you’ll harvest. Separate the cloves right before planting and do not remove the papery covering. Use the largest cloves for growing and the smaller ones to flavor your favorite fall and winter meals.
Grow garlic in a sunny location with well-drained soil. Prepare the soil by adding organic matter like compost and a low nitrogen slow-release fertilizer. Avoid high nitrogen, fast release fertilizers that promote top growth with smaller bulbs. Fertilize again in spring as growth begins.
Plant the cloves in the fall about six weeks before the ground freezes in cold climates and late fall or early winter in warmer regions. Space individual cloves six inches apart with the pointed side up and the base of the clove two to three inches below the soil surface. Space single rows 12 to 14 inches apart or double rows six inches apart with 30” between each set of double rows. For more intensive wide row and square foot growing, plant multiple rows with four to eight inches between cloves.
Spread a six-inch layer of weed-free straw over the soil surface after planting to conserve moisture and suppress weeds. This also provides added insulation in colder regions and helps prevent frost heaving that occurs when temperatures fluctuate, causing soil to alternately freeze, thaw and shift throughout the winter. Cover the straw with evergreen boughs in windy locations to help hold the straw in place.
Water newly planted garlic thoroughly at planting and as needed in fall to encourage the roots and a shoot to form. Water often enough to keep the soil evenly moist during the growing season. Inconsistent moisture when the plants are actively growing results in smaller and misshapen bulbs. Keep the soil around the plants covered with organic mulch to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.
Make this the season you plant garlic. Then enjoy the homegrown flavor and health benefits it provides.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine, and her website is MelindaMyers.com, which features gardening videos, free webinars, monthly gardening tips, and more.
