Greetings from Abingdon VA
Have you ever wondered how to plant garlic?
Yes, well let me tell you how it is done. So for any of you beginning gardeners out there, don’t worry, planting garlic is fairly basic. In fact, I, myself, was just taught the other day the simple steps.
Prepping garlic to be planted…
First things first, you want to take the garlic that you have and break it up into individual cloves. Make sure to inspect the cloves for mold or disease. You don’t want to plant unsavory garlic.
Next to prevent risk of fungal infections during the growing season, you are going to want to soak all the individual garlic cloves in a gallon of water containing one tablespoon of baking soda. Let the garlic soak in the mixture overnight the day before planting. Then, drain the garlic. You will then want to place the garlic in 70% rubbing alcohol for 3-4 minutes directly before planting.
Time to plant…
Okay, you are officially ready to put the cloves of garlic in the ground. When you are planting the cloves, they are going to be planted 4-6” apart. You can decide the number of rows in each bed. I, personally, planted three rows in a bed about 3′ wide.
Each clove of garlic is planted pointy side up 3-4” below the ground or approximately to your knuckles if you are planting by hand.
Mulch,
Mulch,
&
Mulch…
Mulch your garlic bed with good quality compost. This will fill in the holes and provide fertility with each rain. Next, go back over the garlic bed and mulch it with grass clippings, leaf mulch, or straw. This will help to reduce soil erosion, as well as help to regulate the soil temperature over winter.
Good luck & remember garlic can be planted anytime between Halloween and Thanksgiving!
Sincerely, Hannah Kintzel, Emory & Henry College Community Engagement Fellow for ASD’s Learning Landscapes & Grow Your Own Programs
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