Step By Step Guide To Planting Garlic in the Fall, by Our Barnes Life on YouTube. 11 min 8 s.
- Video length
- 11 min 8 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Break the garlic bulbs into individual cloves a day or two before planting. Keep the papery skin on each clove and set aside any soft or damaged ones.
Sort the cloves by size. Plant the biggest, fattest cloves because they grow the largest bulbs, and use small ones for green garlic.
Choose a sunny spot with loose, free draining soil. Dig in a few inches of compost and rake the surface level.
Run a string line along the bed to keep rows straight. Space rows about 12 inches apart so you can hoe and weed between them.
Push each clove into the soil with the pointed end up, about 2 inches deep. Space cloves 4 to 6 inches apart along the row.
Fill the holes and firm the soil gently around each clove. Water lightly if the soil is dry.
Scatter a balanced fertiliser or a thin layer of compost over the bed. Avoid fresh manure directly on the cloves.
Cover the bed with 2 to 3 inches of straw, leaves or similar mulch. Leave a small gap around each shoot so it can push through.
Tips and common mistakes
Buy certified seed garlic rather than planting supermarket cloves, which may carry disease or be treated to stop sprouting.
Plant pointed end up. A clove planted upside down still grows but takes longer to emerge.
Do not mulch too heavily before shoots appear, or the cloves may rot in wet soil.
Keep the bed weeded through winter so the young garlic is not smothered.
Questions
When should I plant garlic in autumn?
Plant about 4 to 6 weeks before the ground freezes, usually September to November depending on your climate. The cloves need time to root before winter.
Can I plant garlic from the grocery store?
It may grow, but supermarket garlic is often treated to stop sprouting and can carry disease. Buy seed garlic from a garden centre or supplier for a reliable crop.
Do I need to water garlic over winter?
Usually not, as rain is enough. Water only if the soil dries out badly, and stop watering as harvest approaches in summer.
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.
