Planting Fall Garlic
Today in my inbox I received my weekly news letter from Amy at Tenth Acre Farm https://www.tenthacrefarm.com/ Amy is the author of “The Suburban Micro-Farm Modern Solutions for Busy People”. What caught my eye was the article about now is the time to plant garlic. As a home cook I love using fresh ingredients from the garden like basil, parsley, cilantro, thyme, rosemary and oregano but I never planted garlic.
So I have a
few questions:
·
what variety
of garlic should I plant
·
when
to plant
·
how
to plant
·
what
else do I need to know
What variety of garlic should I plant?
Over the years
I have purchased seeds from “Southern Exposure Seed Exchange” they carry many variety
of hardneck and softneck garlic. So what is the difference between hardneck and
softneck? Hardneck is better suited for cool weather and is less pungent then
softneck. Softneck can be braided and is
more pungent. So I chose Chesnok Red
Hardneck (Amy’s recommendation) and Italian Softneck along with Elephant
Garlic! Why because I think the kids
will have fun when we harvest it and I have no Idea what to expect.
When to Plant?
Based on
information from “The Old Farmer’s Almanac” the best time to plant is in the
fall after the “autumnal equinox”. What
and when is the autumnal equinox you ask? Again from The Old Farmer’s Almanac”
the autumnal equinox is the first day of fall which this year is September 22
that is when the sun passes over the equator so both hemispheres receive about
the same amount of sun rays.
How to Plant?
First you need
good soil deeply cultivated well drained add compost and manure. Break the cloves apart a few days before
planting don’t remove the papery skin.
Plant the cloves, with the peels on, root side down about 2 inches deep
and about 6 inches apart. It is also
recommended to cover the bed with straw about 5 inches deep; this will keep in
moisture and over the winter will shrink down and keep the weeds out when
spring arrives. You may see some stalks
popping out before the winter freeze starts but roots are growing.
What else do I need to know?
In
early spring you will start to see shoots, make sure to water this is the time
the bulb is forming so keep watering the experts say about 1 inch per
week. Around the summer solstice yes the
first day of summer and the day with the most hours of day light. The bulbs
will send up a seed stalk call a scape.
You need to cut them off the bulb needs all the energy they can get to
grow large bulbs. The scapes are
delicious! Use in salads, actuality use
in almost anything you cook. I have seen
where they were used to flavor olive oil, vinegar and even make pesto from
scapes. So the big question is when do I
get to harvest and taste the fruit of my labor per “The Old Farmer’s Almanac” If the leaves
are starting to turn brown and the scapes uncurl and stand up straight, it is
time to harvest.
I will plant this week and report the progress in a later
blog. Have you grown garlic, what was
your experience, what variety did you grow? Visit TheUpScaleKitchen for a complete line of cookware. Please leave your comments below.
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| Garlic Scapes |
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