Growing Garlic in the Fall | Tips & Tricks for Bigger Bulbs, by The Garden Nextdoor on YouTube. 11 min 6 s.
- Video length
- 11 min 6 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Pick your planting time. Aim for about 4 to 6 weeks before the first hard frost, when soil is still workable and cool. In mild areas that is usually October to early November.
Break the heads into individual cloves a day or two before planting. Keep the papery skin on and choose the biggest, firmest cloves from the outside of the head.
Prepare the bed. Dig the soil 20 to 25 cm deep and mix in a 5 cm layer of compost. Garlic wants loose, well drained soil and full sun.
Push each clove into the soil pointed end up, about 5 cm deep. Space cloves 15 cm apart and leave 20 to 30 cm between rows.
Cover the cloves with soil and firm it gently. Water lightly so the soil settles around them.
Mulch the bed with 10 to 15 cm of straw or shredded leaves. This keeps down weeds, holds moisture and stops the soil heaving in frost.
Water only if the weather is dry for a long spell. In most autumns rain is enough, and soggy soil rots cloves.
Feed in early spring when green shoots appear. Scatter a balanced organic fertiliser or a little blood and bone around the plants and water it in.
Pull any weeds by hand through spring. Garlic has shallow roots, so a hoe can easily damage the bulbs.
Stop watering about two weeks before harvest. Lift bulbs in midsummer when the lower leaves turn brown, then dry and cure them in a dry, airy spot.
Tips and common mistakes
Never plant supermarket garlic that may be treated to stop sprouting; buy seed garlic instead.
Planting too early in warm weather makes cloves sprout before winter and can reduce bulb size.
Keep the papery skin on the cloves; bare cloves are more likely to rot in wet soil.
Rotate beds and avoid planting garlic where onions or garlic grew last year to reduce disease.
Questions
Can I plant garlic in spring instead?
Yes, but autumn planting usually gives bigger bulbs because roots form before winter. Spring planted garlic often produces smaller heads.
What is the difference between hardneck and softneck garlic?
Hardneck garlic has a stiff stem and a curled scape and copes well with cold winters. Softneck garlic has softer stems, stores longer and suits milder climates.
Do I need to water garlic through winter?
Usually not. Only water if the soil dries out for weeks at a time, and never let the bed sit waterlogged.
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.
