09/07/2020
Someone asked me recently about how to grow garlic...I wrote out a reply then decided I should share in case anyone else wants to know.
So what I do is:
1. Prepare the ground. If you have a vege patch dig in some good compost or horse manure (or sheep poo). Garlic like well prepared ground.
2. Break the bulb into cloves. Choose the biggest cloves to plant (you can plant them all if you have space but the bigger ones grow better)
3. You can put them into the fridge for a week before you plant them to encourage them to germinate but I never bother because it’s cold enough outside lol
It’s the change from cold to warm that triggers them to germinate.
4. Make a row of holes in the ground, about 10cm apart about twice as deep as the size of the clove (approx 5cm) I just poke a hole with my finger!
5. Drop a clove into each hole, pointy end upwards! And cover.
6. Wait...could take a few weeks or maybe longer, they usually pop their heads up once it starts to warm up. Once the green shoots are a few cm, mulch with pea straw or sheep poo or both. Don’t mulch before the shoots come up as it stops the ground warming up as quickly.
The mulch helps keep the weeds down and also feeds the plants a bit.
Try and pull out any big annoying weeds like grass or dock.
7. Wait some more 😜
8. About 6 months later... the leaves will start to yellow or brown and flop. Have a dig around and check the bulb. If they’re a good size, pull them up gently, or loosen with a fork first then pull up.
I left mine for 7 months last year and got really good sized bulbs, but the longer you leave them the more chance they will rot in the ground so you should keep an eye on them. 6 months is usually perfect.
9. Put them somewhere warm and dry to dry off before you store them. I leave them under cover, but not in the bright light, until the stems are all dry, and then I plait them- because it’s fun and they look good 😜
