October is when most gardeners are getting ready to pack their plants away for the season. Trimming bushes, pulling weeds, finally attacking those tomato vines that could not be tamed in the summer months, we’re about ready to tear it all down and say, “I’M DONE!” Gone is the joy of planting in the spring when the weather is cool, and the garden is full of possibilities. We’re hot, we’re sweaty, and we are ready to hibernate through the long winter. However: there’s still have one last chore to tackle before we can hang up our trowels for the season. Trust us, it’s a fun one.
Garlic acts as the base for so many of our favorite savory dishes and seasoning blends. From sauces and soups to breads and butters, garlic is a kitchen staple for cuisines across the globe. It plays an essential role in our kitchens and can be an amazing late-season addition to your garden. The process for growing garlic is a bit hands on, from prepping the garlic, getting garden beds ready, planting, and careful spring maintenance, but the results it yields are completely worth it.
We met with Cindy from Keene Garlic to discuss the methods used by the experts to grow bigger and better garlic. She emphasized that although there are some essential components to garlic prep and care, “gardening is an art, not a science,” and the process can be adapted to each individual garden.
There are lots of methods you can use to grow healthy plants. How the pros grow at Keene Garlic comes from years of trial and error and it’s what they have seen work for consistent and excellent plants.
Garden Prep
Prepping beds should start approximately 1-2 weeks prior to planting (meaning about 1-2 weeks before you start your soak). For most gardens, you’ll want to plant about 6 weeks before your first frost date. In northern states, this usually means planting around the second week of October. Check out the Farmer’s Almanac to estimate when you should get your garlic planted. You can plant garlic after your first frost date, but for best results you’ll want to help your plants get their roots established before the frost sets in. Garlic needs to be planted in nutrient rich soil, so your best chance of success is to add nutrients and give them some time to break down and become available. This can be achieved with two different products: Activated Compost and BIOACTIVE™ All-Purpose Fertilizer.
Activated Compost is made with plant-based compost that naturally contains microbes, nutrients, and organic matter. We then add in a specialized mineral complex that feeds your plants and invigorates your soil’s biology. Activated Compost is a great choice for getting your gardens ready for garlic, especially if your soil has a lot of sand or clay and needs some extra organic matter. If using Activated Compost to prep your garden beds, we recommend using a 1 to 2-inch layer of compost over the top of your garden bed. You can use a rake or your hands to gently incorporate the compost into the top few inches of your soil.
All-Purpose Fertilizer is a 4-6-4 granular fertilizer that is inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi. It provides slow-release nutrients to plants, and the microbes necessary to make those nutrients readily available. Since All-Purpose Fertilizer is easy to apply and supplies slow-release nutrients over the plant’s life cycle, it is an amazing choice for heavy feeding plants that need a lot of nutrients. If using All-Purpose Fertilizer to prep your garden beds, evenly sprinkle approximately 1 cup of fertilizer over every 10 square feet of garden space (you remember earlier when we talked about gardening is an art, not a science? You do not have to measure perfectly for excellent results). You can use a rake to gently incorporate fertilizer into the top few inches of soil. Water lightly over the fertilizer layer to weigh it down and start the breakdown process.
Garlic Prep and Soak
If you have ever gotten garlic from Keene Organics, you’ve likely heard about their garlic fertilization soak! This is a two-step process that will clean and feed your garlic, allowing for healthier bulbs with stronger roots, meaning bigger bulbs when you harvest.
First: separate your garlic bulbs. Whether you choose to peel your garlic before separating them, or you simply pull them apart, either way is completely fine.
The first part of the soak is a sterilization step. Soak your garlic in 70% isopropyl alcohol, 3% hydrogen peroxide, or cheap vodka. Soak your garlic for approximately 10 minutes. This will quickly clean off your garlic and prepare it for healthier growing over the winter. When using purchased seed garlic, you’re growing with plants that aren’t from your garden. Giving them a quick sterilization soak can help to prevent the spread of pathogens into your garden beds and give your garlic a fresh start.
After soaking, remove your garlic using a slotted spoon or a strainer (you can use your hands for this part, but be mindful that any cuts or scrapes you have may sting). You can let your garlic air dry for a few minutes, but Cindy puts the garlic right into the next step!
Put your clean garlic cloves into a container with water. There should be at least enough water to cover your garlic completely. A few inches of water above your garlic is great, but not totally necessary. Keene Garlic recommends using the BIOACTIVE™ Liquid Biology Bundle to feed your garlic during the fertilizer soak.
Our standard recipe is one Tablespoon LiquiLife, and one Tablespoon Liquid Supercharger, mixed with one Gallon of water. Many gardeners will use small containers like mason jars to hold their garlic as it’s soaking, so they may not be measuring the exact amount of water they’re using. The benefit of the Liquid Biology Bundle is that it doesn’t need to be used perfectly to give benefits to your garden. Give it your best estimate on how much to use. Add both parts of the BIOACTIVE™ Liquid Biology Bundle to the water with your garlic. Stir or swirl gently to combine.
Garlic should soak in the fertilizer solution for a minimum of twenty minutes. Most gardeners will set up their garlic soak, and then plant the following day. However, if the weather is not cooperative and you are not able to plant the following day, garlic can soak for a maximum of three days. Garlic, when left to soak in the fertilizer solution for an extended period, will form fragile roots that can break off during the planting process. These roots are essential to supporting initial plant establishment, so you want to try to avoid longer soaking times.
Planting
Now that your garden beds are prepped, and your garlic is soaked, it’s time to get planting! You can dig a hole or a furrow, either way works fine, but you want to make sure there is about one inch of soil above the top of your garlic clove. This will vary slightly depending on the type of garlic you’re growing. Once your furrow or hole is dug, you can optionally place a light sprinkle of All-Purpose Fertilizer below where your clove will be planted. This puts your nutrients right at the root site, giving easy access to your garlic. Place your cloves about 6 inches apart, and then cover with soil. Press gently to secure. Do one final sprinkle of All-Purpose Fertilizer over the top of your garlic. Water this in lightly.
Keene Garlic then recommends covering your garlic in a layer of plant material. Use what you have available. Activated Compost works as a great garlic cover, otherwise you can use straw, grass clippings, chopped leaves, wood chips, pine needles, or a combination of any of the above! Mulch can be applied in a 3 to 6-inch layer.
Spring Care
In the Springtime, check on your garlic beds for sprouting. If your garlic looks like it’s struggling to break through your straw or mulch, clear off the beds so they have more room to grow. Right when your garlic emerges, fertilize it with (you guessed it) our All-Purpose Fertilizer! Water with the Liquid Biology Bundle once every 7 to 10 days, stopping just before your scapes emerge. Adding biology will help the plant take in nutrients during this important stage in its life cycle.
You can plant companion plants with your garlic, such as lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs, but make sure that your garlic plants are diligently weeded. With these garden beds being so carefully tended and full of nutrients, weeds will take any opportunity to take nutrients away from your garlic. Keeping mulch in your garden bed during the growing season will lesson weed pressure, so you don’t need to clear off your beds at emergence unless your garlic is starting to be smothered.
Garlic needs about 1 inch of rain per week throughout the growing season, so you may need to supplement seasonal rainfall in the late spring/early summer with regular waterings. Taper off your watering regime as you get close to harvest.
With well-fed soil, and carefully prepared bulbs, even novice garlic growers can cultivate bigger bulbs, better flavors, and tastier seasonings for your kitchen.
Want more information on growing garlic? Contact the experts at Keene Garlic!