Garlic is a newer addition to our farm, and I have no idea why we didn’t plant it sooner. We started with just a few cloves from our brother Jay two years ago and quickly it became a must have! This year we expanded our selection and put down 200 organic cloves for medicinal recipes as well as cooking in the kitchen! I’m very excited!
Garlic is a powerhouse medicine. It’s full of organosulfur compounds and enzymes. It’s strongly antimicrobial, diaphoretic, hypocholesteremic, cholagogue, hypotensive and antispasmodic. The volatile oils are largely excreted in the lungs, making garlic an effective remedy for upper respiratory conditions. In the gut, garlic will act against bacteria, viruses and parasites that negatively alter healthy gut flora. The antioxidant properties are wonderful for the heart and blood preventing stagnation and perioxidation of fats. Garlic may even have anti-cancer properties!
Softneck or Hardneck?
Garlic is composed of a cloves, and cloves make up a bulb. Depending on the variety, a stalk or leaves will rise up from the bulb to produce a flower. The neck of a garlic bulb refers to the severed stem you see pictured below. Hardneck garlic cloves are quite large with a stalk that is very rigid in maturity lending to more depth of flavor. They also produce a beautiful ‘scape’ which can be enjoyed in the early Summer months (hello, garlic pesto!). Softneck garlic varieties are more leaf-like in their aerial parts. While they don’t have a scape, they tend to come to maturity more quickly, are milder in flavor and have longer shelf life. These are the types usually seen in the grocery store.
Hardneck and softneck garlic also have many sub-types that explain more about their color, flavor and even clues in to what you could expect for harvest time. We generally like hardneck garlic for their winter hardiness, large cloves, robust flavor and great medicinal benefits. Our six chosen winners this year include: German White, German Red, Klamath, Nootka Rose, Leningrad and Music.
Preparing the Soil
Garlic is planted in the Autumn months here usually some time between October and Thanksgiving (before the ground is frozen). It prefers healthy, loamy soil with an average pH of 6.2 to 7.0. If the pH is lower than 6.2 (too acidic), lime can be applied to reach a more optimum level. Next, we add some good mature compost and aerate the soil quite deeply. I worked up our bed 6-10″ deep. To encourage root develop right after planting, I add a little bone meal for extra nitrogen. If I don’t have any of that on hand, chicken poo works too! I always avoid commercial fertilizers and go the organic route. If you don’t have chickens, ask a farmer nearby. I am sure he/she will be happy to hand some over.
Separating Cloves + Marking Your Bed
Contrary to what most new growers may think, garlic only needs to be separated from the bulb rather than completely peeled when it’s being planted. If the skins do come completely off, no worries. It will still grow fine. Next, I mark my bed with 6″ square spacing. Meaning, I have 6″ between each row and each clove of garlic. If I was planting A LOT of garlic, I would make myself a handy standing dibbler to speed up the process. I’ve seen some really cool homemade gadgets using a broom handle and an old coat rack. Very slick! For this year, I just used the handle of a rake. It went pretty quick. Plop the garlic with the pointy side up in each hole and cover with 1-2″ of soil. I finished this part up with a label for each variety. I like to keep track of how each one will perform.
Add Some Winter Insulation
Garlic likes a little bit of protection here in the winter (Zone 5). We purchased a square bale of straw at our local farm store for a few dollars and generously apply 3-6″ of straw on top of the soil. You could also use some organic mulch or even leaves from the deciduous trees nearby if you would like. Now, stand back and admire your work! All done!
Garlic makes a great companion plant to roses too! Most of our German White variety is companion planted here. Garlic releases sulfur compounds which helps to prevent black spot. While I have only seen a little bit appear here in this bed of English shrubs, it would be nice to have to worry about it at all. I added a few scraps of wire fencing on top of the straw and weighted it down so the chickens can’t scratch at my freshly planted cloves.
Happy gardening, friends!
