Garlic 2.0
Although I’m calling this Garlic 2.0, this is the third season for me planting garlic. It is the second time I’ve planted it in the fall, hence the 2.0 title. Just a quick recap, the first year planting our veg patch I attempted garlic, planting it in the spring… it failed miserably. I did some research and tried again the next year only that time I planted it in the fall and had great success the following summer which was this past summer!
I planted four different varieties, Early California, Spanish Roja, Music and Elephant garlic. From this lot, we enjoyed some tasty Garlic Scapes and had an abundance of garlic. There were fewer Elephant garlic heads but that was because I had a limited amount to plant. After harvesting, I hosted a garlic tasting gathering to help me determine which of the four had the best flavor. Music took first place followed by the Roja. The elephant garlic was the best for roasting as its size created large spreadable cloves although the flavor was mild.
With this knowledge, I decided to set aside the Music, Roja and Elephant garlic and save them for planting this fall. Bella and I hung the garlic in the potting shed to dry. As a rule, you want to save the largest heads for planting as they have the biggest cloves. I saved the Music, Roja and Elephant garlic for planting and used the Early California for cooking this summer.
Although we have not had our first frost, yesterday I planted the Music and the Spanish Roja in what was my Zinnia bed(s). I’m waiting for the frost to take my Dahlias so I can dig up the tubers. The Dahlia bed is where I will plant the Elephant garlic. With two years of veggie growing under my belt, this was the easiest and smoothest planting of garlic I’ve ever done! In the spring, I’d laid down new weed barrier and cut out long rows for planting, verse burning individual holes in the barrier which is what Andy, and I did the first year. This new approach made it so much easier to pull out the spent Zinnias and broad fork the soil.
As a gift to myself, I recently bought a “Garden Weasel Bulb Planter” tool which was a serious game changer when it comes to planting bulbs! I used it to plant Alum and Daffodil bulbs a few weeks ago and thought if it works for flower bulbs why not garlic cloves. It was a dream… I was able to create four rows of 16 holes in a matter of minutes standing upright with little to no effort! This was a huge contrast to last year when I was on my hands and knees for hours digging holes. With all the holes dug, I placed each clove in, root side down and covered it with dirt. Once that was done, I added a layer of manure and another layer of straw to keep them warm for the winter and to add more nutrients to the soil. I also labeled each section, so I know which garlic is in what row. For whatever reason, I get great joy out of planting garlic and the fact that I’m using my own cloves that I grew in my garden makes it all the better.
