Garden Writer’s Blog

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to eat fresh garlic, you know that garlic out of your garden will be crisp and pungent, unlike the potentially stale and generic grocery store variety. The rewards of raising your own garlic are definitely worth the effort and it’s very easy to grow.

Garlic is a hardy perennial member of the onion family. It’s one of the easiest vegetables to grow. Gardeners who can grow onions can grow garlic, too. Opt for planting the largest cloves in a head of garlic and the result will be spectacular.

Now is the time to start planning your garlic patch. You’ll want to put in your order before supplies run out in the fall. The secret to a harvest of large garlic bulbs is planting in the fall — generally four to six weeks before the soil freezes. This way the roots can become established before winter arrives and it also will guarantee larger plants and bulbs early the next spring.

The plants will start to produce bulbs in the summer. Here are the steps for growing garlic:

• Prepare the garlic planting bed – Garlic grows best on crumbly, loamy soils that are fertile and high in organic matter. Heavy clay soils will create misshaped bulbs and make harvest difficult.
• Add organic matter, such as well-rotted manure or compost to the soil on a yearly basis to keep it loose. Garlic does well with high amounts of fertilizer. As a general rule, apply three pounds of 8-10-8 garden fertilizer per 100 square feet.
• Garlic grows from individual cloves broken from a full bulb of garlic. You plant those individual cloves in the fall. Each clove will multiply underground to form a new bulb that will consist of 10-20 cloves and that will be ready the next summer.
• When planting, push each clove an inch into the ground, and space 4-6 inches apart. Allow about a foot between rows. After planting, lay down a protective mulch of chopped leaves, straw or grass clippings. Don’t worry if a few leaves sprout before winter. Most of the plant’s above-ground growth will begin in the spring.
• When garlic plants begin to grow in the spring, it’s time to feed them again to encourage strong growth. Apply a high nitrogen fertilizer, such as bloodmeal, gently working a teaspoon or two into the soil around each plant.
• If your fall mulch has decomposed, add another layer to reduce weeds and help retain moisture. Be sure to water your garlic bed during dry spells.
• When the summer solstice approaches, garlic plants stop producing leaves and begin to develop bulbs. Remove any remaining mulch and stop watering.

Many of you may think that once you have planted your vegetable garden in the spring, all that is left is to harvest in the summer and watch as the results of your spring labors wither and your garden turns unattractive shades of brown as summer fades to fall.  The end to summer does not have to mean the end to fresh and appetizing vegetables, nor the end to the enjoyment you gain from watching your garden grow.  Many vegetable varieties grow successfully when started in late summer or early fall; proper storage can extend your fresh garden intake through the winter.

Of course, the fall and winter climate in your area of the country may determine what will continue to grow, but most areas of the country experience mild weather into October and November.  Those of you who live in very wet climates, may want to use raised garden beds in order to more effectively control the moisture levels of your soil; raised beds are also easy to cover if an unexpected cold snap arrives.  Many experienced gardeners raise their entire vegetable harvest in raised beds so as to better control the growing environment and those hungry pests that find it so easy to invade a ground-level garden.  You will also have much better results with planting live plants as opposed to seeds. 

Garden Harvest Supply.com carries many varieties of fall vegetables, to include pumpkins and winter squash that mature just as the first frost adds that singular crispness to the air.  The vines and blossoms from these colorful plants will add to your garden’s beauty into late fall and early winter.  Check with your local extension service or surf the web for tips on storing for personal consumption and gratification all through the winter. 

Rhubarb, which is a perennial vegetable, adds a distinctive accent to your landscape while supplying your family ready access to its tart flavor in pies, muffins, sauces and any other use that you might find for Rhubarb.  Rhubarb is usually the first edible to appear in the spring and the last to fade in the winter.  You might also find that kale, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli that grow above ground are very cold weather hardy, while many of the root vegetables, such as beets lend themselves well to a fall or winter harvest. 

As with all of your vegetable gardening, fall and winter gardening and harvesting is a labor of love.  Don’t dread the end of summer; look forward to cooler temps and those vegetables that will provide that newly picked taste, vibrant color and healthful nutrition to your fall and winter table.