The Ultimate Guide to Planting Fall Garlic (Plus My "Secret" Soil Setup!), by Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Garden) on YouTube. 16 min 24 s.
- Video length
- 16 min 24 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Pick hardneck garlic for fall planting. It needs a cold period, called vernalization, to form bulbs. Softneck garlic can go in the ground in spring instead.
Choose a sunny spot with loose, well-draining soil. Dig the bed over and mix in compost as the first layer so roots can push down easily.
Scatter an organic granular fertilizer over the compost and mix it into the top few inches. A cheaper bag from a farm store works as well as a garden brand.
Add a light dusting of alfalfa meal and a small amount of Epsom salt, then mix everything evenly through the soil.
Break the bulbs into individual cloves just before planting. Keep the papery skin on and plant the biggest cloves, pointed end up.
Set cloves about 6 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart. Push each one down roughly 2 to 3 inches deep, or about twice its own height.
Water the bed well after planting. Fall planting is mostly about growing roots before the ground freezes, not top growth.
Cover the bed with 4 to 6 inches of straw or shredded leaves once the soil cools, to hold moisture and stop heaving in frost.
Tips and common mistakes
Skip the extras if you want. Compost and good drainage matter most, and the alfalfa and Epsom salt are optional boosts.
Epsom salt adds sulfur, which helps garlic flavor and aroma, but use only a small amount so you do not upset the soil.
Water fall garlic only when the soil is dry, since too much moisture in cold soil can rot the cloves.
Buy seed garlic from a garden supplier rather than a grocery store, as supermarket bulbs may be treated to stop sprouting.
Questions
Can I plant garlic in spring instead?
Yes, but choose softneck garlic, which does not need a cold period. Hardneck garlic planted in spring usually forms small bulbs or none at all.
How deep and far apart should the cloves go?
Plant each clove about 2 to 3 inches deep, or twice its height, with 6 inches between cloves and 12 inches between rows.
Do I have to mulch right after planting?
Not always. In mild areas you can wait until the soil cools, then add 4 to 6 inches of straw or leaves before hard frost.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
