This time last year, I told you that I ordered one pound of garlic bulbs to plant in the garden. I had an excellent harvest and we have been enjoying eating our fresh garlic. For this fall, I have ordered three pounds of garlic. I have also saved the largest bulbs from the harvest of my own garlic to replant this fall.
For several years before I began flower farming, I achieved self-sufficiency in garlic and I did not buy any from the grocery store. I experimented with several varieties including soft-neck and hard-neck garlic before deciding that the hard-neck variety ‘Music’ is the best for our climate and for storage.
When the bulbs arrive, I will break them into individual cloves. I generally also soak them for about 30 minutes in a mixture of cheap vodka and fish emulsion to kill pathogens that might cause the bulbs to rot and to give them a little boost of nutrients before I plant them.
Constantly wet soil will kill garlic more quickly than anything else, so make sure water doesn’t stand in your chosen bed over the winter. Raised beds are ideal, but this does not mean you have to build something expensive out of wood. Just shovel some soil up from the area surrounding the bed and create a raised area 4-6 inches tall.
Garlic needs full sun and the best, most nutrient-rich soil you can provide. Add compost and all-purpose fertilizer to your planting space.
Plant the garlic cloves, pointed end up, about 6 inches apart in all directions and about 2-3 inches deep. Water them if rain is not expected soon or if the soil is dry, but generally they do not need any more attention in our climate. I cover my garlic beds with a layer of fallen leaves or straw that is several inches thick, and I leave them alone for the winter.
Most Hard-Neck garlic produce “scapes,” which are the flowers of the garlic. These are great as a spring treat. Break them off so the garlic bulb puts its energy into producing a large bulb instead of making seeds and use them like onions or garlic when you cook.
In June, when the green leaves of the plant begin to look tired, reach into the soil around the stem and try to figure out if the bulbs are large enough. You should be able to see or feel individual cloves. Don’t leave the bulbs in the ground until the tops are completely dry because the bulb will break apart while in the soil.
Pull them out on a warm, dry, morning and leave them in the sun for a few hours. Let them cure outdoors in a space safe from rain for a few weeks until the stalks are completely dry and crunchy. Don’t remove the stalks from the bulbs before they dry naturally because you might damage the bulb and cause rot.
If you want to try to grow garlic, visit Grow Your Garden with Sal at 113 Hilltop Drive, Columbia to buy bulbs and other plants and seeds for the fall garden. Sal also has a website, www.growyourgardenwithsal.com with plenty of vegetable gardening information.
When you visit One Hubcap Farm, you will notice that I am mowing down beds of flowers as they finish blooming and I am preparing to plant flowers that will bloom in the spring. We still have plenty for you to pick and in bouquets, but our season will end in a few weeks. We are open 9-6 Friday and Saturday at 1236 Muller Road, Blythewood. Visit www.onehubcapfarm.com for more information.