Tips and Tricks on How to Grow Garlic
Are you up for a home-grown garlic project?
More and more people are getting so much inclined to home-grown veggies. With the advent of life-threatening diseases, many think it is wise to change their lifestyle to something healthier. We all know that vegetables are most nutritious when served fresh. Buying fruits and vegetables from grocery stores and supermarkets is no longer a good option for health conscious individuals.
Aside from growing the usual green leafy veggies like lettuce and cabbage, many homeowners are getting interested in growing different spices in their very own gardens, particularly garlic. They say that home-grown garlic is the most pungent and flavorful garlic in the world and after tasting it, you’ll never want to buy from local stores again. Learning how to grow garlic is very much beneficial to homeowners like you. Once you see each bulb grow big and robust, there’s always the feeling of supreme satisfaction.
Why Grow Garlic?
Why not? One of the most popular spices in the world is garlic. Fried rice, barbecue marinades, salads, meat and vegetable dishes are all made perfect with garlic. Sauces are incomplete without it and the smell of any dish served will not be so appetizing without the strong and rich aroma of garlic and its relative spices. Aside from being versatile, flavorful, and pungent, garlic is also known to be an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, manganese, magnesium and antioxidants that help promote overall wellness. So if you’re thinking of some crops to plant in your backyard, you don’t want to forget having garlic on the list!
Aside from being such a great advantage on health and daily cooking, learning how to grow garlic is fun and easy. History will tell you wise that garlic is one of the oldest crops that people learned to cultivate. Garlic is generally propagated asexually and it can be done by planting individual cloves in the ground. You really don’t have to be an expert about planting crops and background in gardening is not a requirement. Your enthusiasm is enough. So let’s get started!
There are just few things that you need to learn before you start growing garlic. These are the types of garlic, the best season to plant, the soil condition, actual planting, maintenance, and of course- the harvesting.
Which variety of garlic should you grow?
There are hundreds of types of gourmet garlic in the world and some of the most popular are silverskin, artichoke, purple stripe, rocambole, and porcelain. You want to choose the one which you can easily grow in your area. To make things easier for you, there are just two things that you need to remember when selecting which garlic variety to grow. Basically, all varieties of gourmet garlic can be divided into two: softnecks and hardnecks. Softnecks are those that you usually see in the supermarket and they’re best grown in places with mild climate. On the other hand, hardnecks grow best in very cold areas. Moreover, the smallest varieties of garlic are said to have the strongest flavor and aroma while the largest have lesser taste and smell.
When is the best time to grow garlic?
This is the primary aspect that you should know before planting garlic. You don’t want to turn all your efforts to waste. Poor weather conditions can lead to poor yield which is characterized by very small garlic bulbs. This popular ingredient is best cultivated in warm seasons but it can be grown in any time of the year. You just have to employ some preparations to make sure your garlic will grow to its fullest. In Asian countries where it’s usually warm, growing garlic is much easier and it can be cultivated all year round. In countries where it’s usually cold (like in the US and Europe), the best time to plant garlic is during early winter (late fall) and spring. If you’re going to plant it in the fall, it should be ready for harvesting in summer. Experts recommend planting garlic after the coldest season of the year. Even though this crop is winter hardy, it can be damaged by extreme cold temperature.
Preparing your planting area
The next most important factor that affects your home-grown garlic is the soil. All plants love to grow in fertile soil. The good thing about garlic is that it grows in almost all kinds of soil but if you want surefire yield, select the best area in your garden where the soil is loamy, humus, and well-drained. If you don’t think the soil isn’t good enough for your garlic, there’s no need to frown. You can actually do something to make it conducive for the crop.
Adding organic matter to the soil is one way to make it fertile. You can get earthworms, compost, or dried leaves, animal manure and burry them altogether in the ground. Wait for a couple of days for these organic substances to decay and become natural fertilizers. The ph level (acidity level) of the soil is very much important in growing plants. Different crops require different ph levels. For garlic, it is recommended that the neutral ph of the soil is about 6 or 7. To achieve this condition, choose the area in your garden that gets sufficient sunlight. And remember not to plant your garlic in frozen soil.
Selecting your plating stock
It’s fall and your garden’s almost ready for your garlic planting project. The next thing you need to learn on how to grow garlic is selecting your garlic planting stock. Which one do you plant? What part of the garlic crop should you get for your planting activity?
Well, everything starts from the cloves. If you will notice, each bulb of garlic is composed of individual cloves. The garlic clove the very seed of the crop which is the main part you will need. You can buy garlic bulbs from the nearest supermarket but if you can find one that’s freshly harvested from the farm, much better. When looking for the clove to plant, look for the largest one. When breaking the bulb into individual cloves, make sure to do it gently to avoid damaging the cloves as it may lead to rotting.
Now, let’s plant your garlic cloves!
This is the easiest part actually. All you need to do is to simply push each clove into the amended soil, having its tip just below the surface of the ground. Maintain at least 6 inches space between the cloves when planting. If you live in a place with very mild climate, you can simply leave your planted garlic as it is. You may just need to top your garlic bed with ¾ to 1 inch of loose dirt and gently pat it down. If it’s always rainy and snowy in your area, make use of higher garlic beds and plant the cloves at least 4 inches deep and cover them with heavy mulch to prevent the cold temperature from sipping in. As the spring blooms, you can now remove the mulch so the sun can warm the soil then mulch it once again but this time not too thick. If you want to grow bigger bulbs, you can cut stalks that may develop once or twice during the growing period.
Post planting period- maintaining the garlic beds
Garlic is a very resourceful plant and it will not necessitate much of your care and attention. It has its own way to get the nutrients it needs from the soil. However, there are things you can do to make it grow healthier and more flavorful. Experts will tell you different tips on growing garlic. Some recommend applying fertilizer in early spring for better yield and some recommend the use of foliar spray and tea compost. If you’re thinking of using foliar spray solutions, make sure that the plant is well-watered and healthy.
Overwatering can lead to poor yield like burst skin, mold, cracked bulbs and the like. It is enough that the ground is moist by mulching the garlic beds. Water them whenever the soil begins to dry out and as the harvesting season approaches, cut back water supply. Just make sure that the soil is in good and moist condition.
It’s harvest time!
They say that when the leaves start to dry out, the garlic is ready to be harvested. Well, this is just an indicator and not really an accurate sign that the garlic is ready to be reaped.
What you can do is to inspect a few bulbs. As you lift a garlic bulb from the soil, it should already have good bumps or cloves and the wrapper or skin is starting to detach from the cloves. Also, the bulbs should begin to split. If you see all these signs, then you can now harvest your garlic.
With all these steps, you can surely grow garlic just like the way professional crop growers do (and even better!). But before you start with your home-grown garlic venture, here are some trivia on this great, tasty, and powerful ingredient that will surely motivate you to plant more!