Between September and the end of November is the best time to plant garlic. Home grown garlic offers more flavour, hotness and overall character. Garlic is a perennial member of the onion family and planting in the fall gives garlic a jumpstart on the growing season and will be one of the first things to sprout in the garden next spring, just as soon as the snow melts.
This undemanding crop is one of the easiest crops to grow in the garden. All parts of the garlic plant are edible; however, the bulb is the most prized and useful in the kitchen. The garlic bulb can be divided into numerous cloves which can each produce a new head.
There are a few simple tips that go a long way towards growing garlic, so that it is ready to harvest from late spring to mid summer.
Timing: Do not plant garlic until after the autumnal equinox in late September, before the first hard frost.
Aside from planning when to plant garlic, it is just as important to choose the best garlic seed to plant. Look for bulbs that have a tight papery wrapper that is completely intact and ideally, find the largest cloves for planting to produce the largest bulbs.
Sowing: Garlic is grown best in the ground or possibly in raised beds. Do not skin the cloves. Separate cloves 10-15cm (4-6”) apart, pointed up, with the tip of the clove 2-5 (1-2”) deep. The deeper a garlic is planted, the more protection it has for winter. Dig well and add compost, especially if soil is heavy.
Growing: Maintain rich and well drained soil, fertilizing when spring growth starts. Ideal pH: 6.2 - 6.8 but lime the soil several weeks before planting if the pH is lower than 6.0. To keep energy in the bulb, cut flower stalks.
Harvesting: Fall planting garlic may result in a late spring or mid summer harvest, between July to September. Garlic bulbs will be at their best when the lower two thirds of leaves have dried up and turned brown.
Take time to loosen the soil above each bulb to harvest gently. Rather than pulling the stem upwards, gently pull while gathering the bulb out of the soil at the same time.
Once the bulbs are harvested, lay the plants out of direct sunlight in a single layer that is dry and airy for at least a week. The green leaves should dry and turn brown on its own.
Protection: It is highly recommended to cover garlic with mulch such as straw, hay or leaves, to protect the bulbs over winter, especially in the colder regions of Canada. Not only will the mulch help protect garlic from freezing and thawing, but it will also keep the soil warmer to allow the roots to continue to grow into early winter.
Pests and Disease: Disease is more of an issue in poorly drained soils. White rot causes black spots and decay on the bulbs however, flooding the bed in the spring for 4 weeks may kill it. It is best to leave decaying alliums in the ground and utilize a strict 4-year rotation to avoid this.
Garlic is one of the most accepted culinary ingredients around the world. Although it does cause bad breath, garlic is high in protein, vitamin C, potassium, calcium and phosphorus. Aside from its diverse uses in the kitchen, garlic is appreciated as medicine, known to have antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal properties.