Many gardeners are harvesting vegetables from the vegetable garden and are not thinking about planting in the vegetable garden, but this is the best time of year to be planting garlic. Garlic can be planted in the spring or in the fall, but planting garlic in the fall will give it a head start next season, resulting in a heavier yield. Garlic is a hardy perennial in the allium family that will withstand our northern winters. Garlic planted in the fall will form a good root system before the frost sets into the ground and next spring when the temperatures warm up it will be weeks ahead of the garlic planted in the spring.
Garlic bulbs are now available in the garden centres. It is better to purchase 'growing garlic' from the the garden centres rather than 'eating garlic' from the grocery store. Often, the garlic that is purchased in the grocery stores have been treated with a growth inhibitor which prevents it from sprouting. A garlic bulb consists of individual cloves which are separated just before they are planted. When separating the cloves try not to damage them, do not peel them, and plant only those cloves that are healthy. Another thing to keep in mind when planting garlic cloves is that the bigger cloves will produce larger bulbs, so you may want to use the smaller cloves in the kitchen rather than plant them.
Plant garlic in a sunny location, in a well drained soil, rich in organic matter. Work the soil to a depth of 20-30 cm and plant each clove with the pointed end up 7-10 cm deep in the the soil, spacing each clove 20-30 cm apart in rows 45-50cm apart. After planting the garlic water the area. Don't forget to mark the rows where the garlic is planted, so that they are not accidentally dug up next spring! Once the rows have been marked the planted garlic should have a good layer (15-20 cm) of mulch placed over it to help it survive over the winter. Mulch can be straw, shredded leaves or peat moss.
In the spring, remove the mulch. Keep the soil moist but not wet. If the soil is too dry the garlic will become irregular shaped and have small cloves and if the soil is too wet it can prevent garlic from keeping. Garlic is easy to grow and is rarely bothered by pests or insects. By mid June stop watering the garlic as it does not need it any more. The garlic is ready to harvest when half to three-quarters of the leaves turn yellow, usually around late July/early August. Do not let it stay in the soil too long as this will cause the bulb to split and shatter. Use a garden spade or fork dig up the the garlic bulbs. To store the garlic it should be cured. The garlic can be braided using the tops, or it can be cured by placing it in a well ventilated area for a few weeks. After a few weeks the tops and roots can be removed. When removing the top, leave a few centimetres of top os that the cloves are not harmed. Keep the paper skin around the bulb as this will keep the clove fresh. Depending on conditions garlic cab be stored for 6-8 months.
