GROW IT
For starters you need good dirt and reasonable drainage. I’m not going to get into dirt science here but the better your dirt the better your garlic. Well composted soil is good place to start. Garlic wants water on a regular basis. Don’t let it dry out.
FALL PLANTING
Fall planting should be done around the second or third week of October. Plant your garlic too early and you risk freezing your tops. I plant 3” deep. Keep your plants 8”-10” apart. This spacing is a little bigger than recommended for most garlic but I say: “give this garlic room to grow”! They are big plants with big bulbs. Clip your scapes when they show. Harvest the plants mid summer.
MULCHING
A few inches of loose mulch in the fall isn’t a bad idea. I’d recommend it, but to be honest I don’t mulch in the fall and have never lost any plants to frost. It gets cold here, like 20 below zero. I mulch heavy when the plants reach 12” in the spring. I mulch with at least 6” inches of leaves that I have saved from the fall. This will save you from doing a lot of weeding. I rototill it all in when the season is over.
SPRING PLANTING
Spring planting should be done as soon as conditions allow. Harvest in September. Planting in the spring will result in smaller garlic than what you would get for a fall planting. We’ve had good results with our spring planting yielding good sized bulbs all over 2” diameter.
