It’s about the time of year to look into getting a fresh supply of seed garlic. Yes, seed garlic is one of those crops that sells out faster than ice on a hot day.  We will be posting our garlic for sale in the next few weeks! so stay tuned for that.

That also means starting to think about where to plant garlic, and if you’re a newbie grower there are a few things to know.

First before you get into the garden, I want to make one point about growing garlic-It is an investment.

You buy into it. What you pay for is usually what you get. Buying certifited, disease free seed garlic will yield good results. Larger healthier cloves produce larger healthier bulbs (baring any mishaps in soil and growing practices). Seed garlic that is certified and tested is exactly that! It’s tested to ensure it is free of garlic diseases that can ruin a crop. Garlic is a good investment, especially when in theory you never have to buy the same variety twice. Just make sure you keep enough to plant each fall to replenish what you will need to plant and use in the kitchen next year. 

Even if you have some garlic in the ground, it might not be enough, its 2020, need I say more? I Think if anything this is the year to begin building up my Garlic stock again.

And if you are only getting your garlic from the grocery store, Stop it! stop using bad garlic! That stuff you are buying in the grocery store will NEVER compare to what you can grow at home (or get from a local farmer).

 Here the basics on how to plant garlic: choosing a location.

6 weeks prior to winter freeze

Garlic needs time to put down root growth in the soil before the freeze of winter hits. Depending on where you are located you need to time your planting accordingly. Garlic needs a total of . Putting garlic in the ground too early can cause the plant to grow shoots that will be killed off by winter. You are timing your seed garlic planting so that it has time to establish roots and then go dormant.

Choose a sunny, wind free location.

Garlic bulb formation is encouraged by long, warm days. Planting garlic where it is going to receive the most sun possible will greatly increase bulb and clove size. Garlic, being planted in the fall, is one of the first crops we see coming up in spring. Choosing a location that gets ample sun during this time of year is beneficial. Avoid northern slopes and areas of the home that will get less light early in the season.

Garlic also prefers a location that is out of harsh winds. Not only can heavy winds add stress to your plants, but the prolonged wind exposure can cause soil to dry out quicker.  This is not the most important factor but, if able to accommodate, why not?

Choose a well-drained location

Garlic is one of those crops that is going to do best in a location that not going to dry out or be stuck in standing water. Standing water can cause disease and growth issues. Remember: we plant the bulbs in the fall so any snow melt or heavy rains in the spring can put your garlic underwater and cause damage they might struggle to recover from.

During the long hot days of summer, allowing the soil to become extremely dry can cause irregular bulb growth and overall poor performance. As we choose a location that’s going to get the most sun, we also need to take care of the soil to avoid dryness. 

Choose Compost heavy locations and use straw as mulch.

Garlic will grow the best in soils that are rich and full of organic matter. This not only provides lots of room for beneficial microbes to provide nutrients but lots of compost will help retain moisture and limit the drying of the soil. Growing garlic in soils that are evenly moist over the season will produce healthier bulbs.

Using a layer of straw when planting garlic in the fall will help insulate it from extreme winter conditions, in addition to adding organic matter to the soil and suppressing weeds. I like to give the garlic beds a good 6-inch layer of straw lightly spread out over the soil. The cloves will get to work under this blanket, putting down strong roots in the fall, and come spring they will grow up though the straw.

I would avoid using fall leaves, unless they are mulched and broken down well, the leaves can create a sheet that the spring growth has trouble getting through. I’ve seen it before and, although the garlic was able to recover after the fall leaves were removed, that garlic was unhappy.

Fertilize in the fall or early spring.

If your raised bed, container, or garden plot is extremely rich in organic matter and beneficial microbes fertilizing is an extra bonus for your crop early in spring. If garlic has a good organic fertilizer that is high in nitrogen available in early in the spring, they will be able to put out a lot of green growth, and strong garlic in the spring will yield larger sizes by summer and bigger plants mean bigger bulbs.

If garlic has too much nitrogen for too long, they will not put as much energy into the bulb growth, so finding a good balance is key. That’s why I like to fertilize lightly in early spring when they are first poking up, but relay on my organic matter and compost to maintain nutrient needs though the growing season.  

Choose a location that is Weed free.

Garlic is great, but garlic growing in a plot that is overgrown with weed competition is not so great. I always choose a location for my garlic that has been worked well and is already quite free of wee competition. Trying to plant garlic in a location that will have a lot of weed competition will make it harder on both you and the garlic.

Lucky for us, I Find garlic one of the easiest crops to keep weed free. Why? Well first I choose a location that is already weed free. When planting in fall we beat up the weeds, then we mulch heavy. I also notice that because garlic is one of the first gardens crops up in spring it gets our attention early. So, we weed early when any weeds are small and easy to combat. Once summer comes around, we have already attended to the weeds twice! There should not be too much left to pull.