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Did you know you can plant garlic in your own backyard?
Until a few years ago I had never even considered growing my own garlic at home. I had always just bought garlic at the grocery store or at a farmers market.
Each year I keep getting braver and braver and try to grow new things. Do I have success each time? No way!! The amazing thing I have found is by me trying new things and sharing my experiences, I have inspired other people to try too. As a matter of fact, each year I gain more and more knowledge and learn how I might try to do things differently the following year.
What month is best to plant garlic?
Planting hardneck garlic is really not complicated at all. In Ontario, hardneck garlic is planted in the fall. I typically plant my garlic at the end of October each year. Garlic is then harvested the following July. Good things are worth waiting for, right?
What is the secret to growing garlic?
Honestly, there are a few secrets to growing garlic. If you have never grown garlic before you need to purchase ¨ seed garlic ¨ from either a local garlic farm or farmers market. DO NOT buy garlic bulbs at the grocery store and plant those.
Garlic bulbs you purchase at the grocery store are typically imported from other countries and have often been treated with chemicals that prevent the garlic from sprouting/growing. You would be disappointed if your garlic did not grow!
Where is the best place to plant garlic?
You need to look at your property and decide where the most suitable location would be to plant your garlic. You need to pick a sunny location. If possible, pick a dry area that faces south. If the area has not been worked before you need to till the ground and remove any weeds or grass. Once the area has been tilled, add some compost and manure and till the area again.
To save yourself a lot of time, a day or two before planting your garlic, split your garlic bulbs so your cloves are ready to plant. You can store the cloves in a paper bag or basket until you are ready to plant them.
How deep do you plant garlic?
When planting garlic, I have had the most success by planting my garlic 6 inches apart in all directions. My rows are 6 inches apart and the cloves themselves are 6 inches apart. I made a handy little board to help me with spacing. Plant the cloves 2 inches deep into the ground. Plant the cloves with the pointy side pointing up towards the sky. Just remember, not all garlic cloves are the same size. Keep that in mind when you’re planting your cloves.
So I don’t confuse you, those are potatoes sitting on the board below and not garlic cloves. I wanted to show you the picture of my garden notepad I made. Very handy!
How long does it take to grow garlic?
Now you’re on the home stretch! Cover the garlic cloves with soil so the cloves are completely covered. Last but not least, you need to cover your new garlic patch with leaves or straw. I use leaves because we have lots and they’re free. You need to put quite a thick layer of leaves on your garlic patch. Some leaves will blow away. The leaves act as an insulator for the garlic over the winter months. Your garlic is now tucked away cozy for the winter!
Garlic takes approximately 9 months to grow. In the spring as the ground warms up, you will start to see small shoots appear. Don’t remove the leaves or straw that you covered your garlic with in the fall. As a result of all your hard work, you’ll be surprised to see how fast your garlic grows once spring arrives.
CLICK on the video below so you can see exactly what to do!
If you would like to know how to grow BIGGER garlic bulbs, make sure you read my post ‘Why are my garlic bulbs so small?’ In this post you will learn what garlic scapes are and why it’s so important to remove them to help grow bigger garlic bulbs.
Learning to grow your own food is actually quite amazing! The more you try the better you will get. In our busy world it is nice to take some time to enjoy the outdoors and get your hands dirty. Come harvest time all your hard work will be worth it!
Comment Below
Let me know in the comments if you are planning to plant garlic this fall. What type of hardneck garlic are you going to plant? I would love to hear from you.
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