Spring planting season is here. It’s the perfect time to get out in your garden and plant some garlic! While you’re planting, there are a few things that you should know. Garlic is really easy to grow and requires very little care once it has been planted. You can plant garlic at any time of the year, but planting it during spring planting season will give you bigger yields. This article will teach you how to pick a good spot for planting garlic and how deep to plant it so that it thrives over the next few months while waiting for harvest time! Let’s see what you need to know about planting garlic in the spring.
What’s the Best Time to Plant Garlic?
Garlic planting season starts in mid-spring and goes through the summer. Garlic is a cold-weather crop, so planting it too early will result in late or no growth at all. To get the best results from your garlic planting, you should try to plant between March and May (based on your area’s growing zone). However, planting garlic as late as July will still generate results.
What’s the Perfect Location?
Garlic planting should take place in an area that receives full sun (at least six hours per day). It’s important to note that garlic doesn’t like direct sunlight, as it can burn the leaves. Garlic also requires well-draining soil and a lot of organic matter, such as compost or mulch. Before planting your cloves, add a three-inch layer of compost or mulch to the planting area. This will provide your garlic with nutrients and also help retain moisture so that you don’t have to water it as often.
What Conditions Do You Need to Meet?
Garlic planting is very low-maintenance. Once you have your planting area ready, it’s time to plant the cloves! You should buy garlic bulbs that are already separated into individual cloves (also called seed). Make sure that they’re not soft or moldy and then remove as much of the papery covering as possible without damaging the clove.
Next, gently plant each clove pointy side up about six inches apart in rows that are 15 to 20 inches apart. You should place the cloves two or three inches below the soil’s surface and then cover them with a thin layer of mulch for protection against frost damage during spring planting season.
What’s the Perfect Temperature?
Planting garlic in the spring is best done when the soil and air temperatures are between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Soil that’s too cold or too wet will cause your garlic to rot, so it’s important to keep an eye on both of these variables before planting.
Soil and Sunlight Requirements for Planting Garlic
Garlic planting requires full sun and well-drained soil (to prevent rotting). It’s also a good idea to add plenty of organic matter like compost or manure, which will improve the quality of your planting spot over time!
How Deep Should I Plant My Garlic?
When planting garlic, you should always plant it with the pointy end up. The flat end is called a “clove”, and planting them upside down will result in small or no growth at all! When planting your clove, be sure not to plant it more than one inch deep – planting too deep will cause the cloves to rot before they even sprout!
Should You Use Containers?
If planting garlic in the spring directly in the ground is not an option, you can plant it in a container! All you need to do is choose a large pot or planter, add plenty of organic material like compost and manure (similarly to planting in the ground), and place your cloves pointy side up about six inches apart. Be sure that there is plenty of room on all sides to water and fertilize your planting container, as garlic planting containers require more attention than normal!
What’s the Best Way to Water?
Garlic planting doesn’t need a lot of watering. Once you’ve planted your cloves and covered them with mulch or compost, they don’t need any additional moisture until they sprout. When planting garlic in the ground, it’s best to choose an area that naturally receives a lot of rainfall or is near your water source. If you want something more precise, aim for about one inch of rain per week when planting garlic in containers!
How Should I Fertilize?
When planting garlic bulbs, you should use an organic fertilizer that’s high in phosphorus (such as a bone meal) and potassium (like wood ash or kelp). You can also add compost to your planting medium. This will improve the quality of your planting area over time, whether you’re planting it in the ground or a container!
When Should I Harvest Garlic?
Planting garlic in the spring takes about six months to grow before it’s ready for harvesting! When growing garlic in the ground, you should wait until after its leaves die back at the end of summer or beginning of fall before digging up your bulbs. Garlic planting in containers is a little different, as you should harvest your garlic before the bulbs start to flower.
What Do I Do With My Harvested Garlic?
Once your planting garlic has been harvested and cured (a process that allows it to store for several months), make sure that you keep it somewhere dry until winter time! During planting season, you can plant garlic again to replace the planting bulbs that you harvested.
How Much Garlic Should I Plant?
When you decide to conduct planting garlic in the spring, you should plant enough to allow for at least four plants per person. Each planting site is perfect for planting between five and eight garlic bulbs – but remember that these numbers are just estimates. Even if you only plant four garlic bulbs, planting them in a square or rectangular pattern will allow you to harvest more and get bigger yields.
Finally
After planting your garlic cloves, be sure not to plant anything else! Garlic planting requires plenty of room for its roots – if other plants are planted too close by, their roots might compete with the garlic plant.
Remember… planting garlic does not require you to check up on it every day! Garlic planting is really easy, and once your cloves are planted, they will be fine until harvest time in July or August (based on planting zone).
FAQ
Can U Plant Garlic in April?
Planting garlic in April is a great way to boost your planting area’s nutrient levels and allow you to begin harvesting fresh garlic by July! However, planting garlic in April is not the same as planting it in March – planting too early will decrease your yields and make harvesting a lot harder later on.
How Late Can I Plant Garlic?
You can plant garlic as late as the beginning of June, but planting it after that will be less effective. If planting later than this, you should try to find a cooler spot for your planting site! Planting garlic too late can decrease your planting yields.
Can You Leave Garlic in the Ground Over the Winter?
Yes, planting garlic in the ground can stay there for up to two years. In fact, planting it a second time will allow you to harvest twice as much! If you aren’t planting garlic again the following planting season, be sure to pull it up or cover it with mulch.