As a beginner to intermediate gardener, you know that in order to feast on home-grown garlic in the summer you have to plant them in the fall. As a home gardener with a few years of gardening experience under my belt, who is taking a social media class from Northwestern University through Coursera.com, I found two articles that explain various tips on planting garlic.
The Spruce posted an article about garlic planting titled, How to Plant and Grow Garlic (Allium Sativum) by Lauren Arcuri. The article offers a lot of tips for planting, growing, harvesting & curing garlic. The author recommends separating the bulbs into individual cloves before planting while making sure to keep the papery layer intact on the cloves. She also recommends to plant the cloves pointy side up 2 inches deep if you plan to mulch & 3 – 4 inches deep if you don’t. She goes on to say you should plant the cloves 4 – 6 inches apart in rows spaced 18 – 24 inches apart.
Fine Gardening also posted a garlic planting tutorial article by Ruth Lively titled, Grow Your Own Garlic. She states that the best time to plant garlic is 4 – 6 weeks before the ground freezes in your areas. Lively continues on to state that garlic prefers loose fertile soil so you should loosen the soil with a digging fork before spreading a 2 – 3 inches layer of organic matter. She also says that you shouldn’t plant garlic in the same place 2 years in a row to avoid disease. She goes on to say that she waits a month after planting before topping the garlic with leaf mulch in order to give the soil a chance to cool down.
Drawing on these two articles and my own experiences planting garlic, I have listed three action items that you should take if you want to plant garlic this autumn:
- Loosen the Soil – Use a digging fork to loosen the soil before planting.
- Plant Pointy-Side Up – Plant the garlic cloves pointy side to the sky.
- Plant in Rows – Plant the cloves 3 – 6 inches deep in rows 18 – 24 inches apart.
Starting today, plant your garlic in loose soil, pointy-side up & in rows 18 – 24 inches apart & 3 – 6 inches deep & you will be well on your way to growing your own delicious garlic.
Like this article? Read my tips on harvesting & curing garlic, garlic harvesting tutorial & garlic planting tutorial articles.
Hello, my name is Megan and I am an avid home gardener who loves to try out new plants as well as stay true to my tried and tested favorites. I created this blog to give gardening advice and provide inspiration to beginner to intermediate gardeners. I am taking a social media course from Northwestern University on Coursera.com. Please feel free to connect with me on Twitter and Instagram.
The Plantiful Gardener 