Hey Y’all! Welcome back!! Today is all about garlic! I am going to teach you how to grow the biggest and best garlic! Them Vampires best not mess with you after you read this! You are going to be a garlic pro!
Growing:
You can grow garlic either in the fall or spring. If planting in the fall you should plant the bulbs before the ground drops below 60 degrees. This makes sure that the garlic survives the winter! You should also mulch it with 3 inches of mulch to hold moisture and insulate the ground.
Garlic is best suited in well-draining soil, with lots of light! They love sunlight! They are also heavy feeders, so be sure the soil has a lot of nutrients in it. You can either have a slow-release fertilizer or you can add compost. Garlic loves nitrogen! Be sure the fertilizer has a lot of nitrogen!
When you plant the garlic be sure to leave the papery skin on the garlic bulbs! Use the bigger cloves in the bulb. This will be sure you get big bulbs! Plant each clove about 2-3 inches deep. 4-6 inches apart, if planting in rows they should be about 2 inches apart. If you do not have that much space you can plant tighter, but bulbs will be smaller.
Watering is not always necessary, since garlic is a root crop. Too much water can cause rotting. Only water when the soil is dry.
Harvesting:
Now that you’ve grown your garlic! Let’s talk about the harvesting of the garlic. You can harvest your garlic when the bottom of the plant starts to die. This could be early spring to late summer. You can dig around the bulb to check on the garlic.
For harvesting you can either use a pitchfork to go under the garlic bulbs to pull them out to make it easier to harvest the bulbs or you can use my favorite method, just pull them up. I usually wiggle mine a bit before just pulling them out, so I don’t break the bulb off or bruise the bulbs.
Curing/ Storing:
Now that you have your grown garlic. You have to cure it. Use a dry, shading spot outside, or a well-ventilated room. Place the bulbs upside down. With tops down, to dry out. 3 to 4 weeks or until the tops are dried out completely.
Once the tops are dried out you can store them however you please! Braided, frozen, in honey, etc.! There are many ways to store it, do your research and choose the best for you and your family!
You’ve Grown Garlic:
Congrats! You’ve grown your own garlic! One more step to being self-sufficient! Happy Gardening! May all your garlic grow huge bulbs, and your garden succeed!
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