How to Plant Garlic Now!
Now's the time to get your ground ready to plant garlic and buy garlic seed. Garlic is a fantastic food to keep in your diet--so many benefits (maybe more on that another time).
In the Walla Walla, WA area, you can plant garlic between mid October to mid November, before the ground gets muddy or frozen.
So, here's a few tips that have served us well over the years in planting garlic.
1. Get good quality seed. The bigger your cloves the bigger your garlic heads will be later. So buying those jumbo sized or seed quality garlic is BEST even though they are more expensive. You also don't want any moldy/discolored cloves. And best to use organically grown garlic that hasn't been refrigerated.
2. Prepare the soil. Till and amend the soil with compost or rotted manure or fertilizer of choice. We also test our soil to add any missing nutrients. If you have poor drainage, plant in raised beds.
3. Plant the cloves. Break the cloves from a bulb, being careful not to damage the basal plate at the bottom. Plant the cloves with the pointed side up and root side down, 2-4 inches below the surface. Space the cloves four to eight inches apart.
4. Mulch. Cover the cloves with four to six inches of straw, alfalfa hay, shredded leaves, or goat manure. This helps keep the soil moist and insulates the garlic during winter.
5. Water. Water the garlic once or twice a week, depending on the soil moisture and temperature.
6. Be patient. Yes, they take a LONG time to grow. Weed as needed in the Spring. Harvest in early July or late June, depending on where you are.
Enjoy your very own fresh garlic!
Lana