Garlic

Alright, get ready to grow some fantastic garlic! Whether you're a seasoned green thumb or just starting out, garlic is an incredibly rewarding and easy crop to grow. It’s like the garden equivalent of a multi-tool – delicious, useful, and surprisingly low-maintenance. Let’s dive into everything you need to know about growing garlic.

TL;DR: Garlic Growing Made Easy

Want tasty garlic? Plant cloves in the fall (late September to November) for big bulbs, or in early spring (February/March) for smaller ones. Pick a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Plant garlic cloves 2.5cm deep, pointy end up, and 15cm apart in fall or 10cm apart in spring. Water when it's dry, pull weeds, and harvest when the leaves turn yellow. Cure your garlic by letting it dry, then store it in a cool, dark spot. Choose between hardneck garlic and softneck garlic, depending on your climate. Watch out for garlic pests and diseases. Simple, right?

All About Garlic

Garlic, a member of the allium family, is a real garden champ. It's hardy, versatile, and relatively pest-free. When it comes to types of garlic, you'll find two main categories: hardneck garlic and softneck garlic. Hardneck types are tougher and better suited for colder climates, they also give you tasty garlic scapes in the early summer. Softneck garlic is more common, great for warmer areas and better for long-term storage, and they are ideal for braiding garlic.

When To Get Planting

The best time to plant garlic is in the fall, between late September and November. This gives the garlic cloves time to develop a good root system before winter and results in bigger, better bulbs when you harvest in the summer. Don’t worry if you miss the fall planting garlic window, you can also try spring planting garlic (February and March), but the bulbs might be a little smaller.

Finding the Perfect Spot

Garlic is a sun worshipper, so make sure you plant it somewhere that gets lots of direct sunlight. The soil should be well-drained – garlic hates wet feet! If you're working with heavy clay, amend it with some lovely compost to make it more hospitable for those garlic cloves. If you don’t have much ground space, no problem you can also look at growing garlic in containers!

How to Plant Garlic

Use good quality organic garlic for planting. Break a bulb into individual garlic cloves just before planting. Pop each clove about 2.5cm deep into the soil, pointy end up. If planting in the fall space them around 15cm apart, and if planting in the spring, space them 10cm apart. Give them a good watering once you've planted them. Don't forget to add some mulch like straw or compost to keep those weeds down and the moisture in the soil.

Looking After Your Garlic

Garlic is pretty low maintenance, but a little care goes a long way. Water the plants regularly, especially during dry periods, but don't overdo it as it can cause the garlic bulbs to rot. Keep weeds at bay, and you don't usually need to add any garlic fertilizer. If you want, you can give them a little boost of potash in the spring to encourage growth.

Harvesting Your Garlic

You’ll know when your garlic is ready to harvest when the leaves start to yellow and fall over, usually around mid-summer. Carefully lift the bulbs with a garden fork, being extra careful not to damage the bulbs. Remove the loose soil, but don’t wash them. Leave them to dry fully by placing them in a dry and airy space, this is called curing garlic.

Storing Your Garlic

Once your garlic is properly cured, it's ready to store. You can braid garlic together for a beautiful display, or simply store it in a basket or box in a cool, dark, and dry spot. Softneck garlic tends to store for longer than hardneck garlic.

Garlic Pests and Diseases

While garlic is pretty robust, there are a few things to watch out for. Onion white rot is a fungal disease that causes the bulbs to rot. Make sure your soil is well-drained to reduce the risk of this. Leek moth and eelworms can also be a problem, rotating your crops is an excellent way to reduce eelworms.

So, there you have it! Growing garlic is a breeze, and the satisfaction of harvesting your own homegrown garlic is truly unbeatable. Happy gardening!