Put This in the Soil This Fall — See What Happens to Your Garlic by Spring, by Moja Kuhinja Tanja on YouTube. 2 min 44 s.
- Video length
- 2 min 44 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Break a garlic bulb into individual cloves a day or two before planting. Keep the papery skin on and pick firm, plump cloves, discarding any that are soft or mouldy.
Fill a bucket with water and stir in about one tablespoon of baking soda per litre. Drop the cloves in and leave them to soak for 15 to 30 minutes.
Lift the cloves out and pat them dry. Do not leave them soaking overnight, since the cloves can rot in cold, wet soil.
Check your soil. If it is acidic, scatter a thin layer of wood ash over the bed and fork it into the top few centimetres. Skip this on chalky or already alkaline soil.
Loosen the bed to about 20 cm deep and mix in compost. For pots, use fresh potting mix and make sure the container has drainage holes.
Push each clove into the soil with the pointed end up and the flat root end down. Set it about 5 cm deep, so the tip sits just under the surface.
Space cloves about 15 cm apart in rows 25 to 30 cm apart. Closer planting gives smaller bulbs next summer.
Firm the soil around each clove and water gently. Add a 5 cm layer of straw or leaves as mulch once the ground cools.
Tips and common mistakes
Only use ash from untreated wood, charcoal or paper, since painted or treated wood leaves harmful residue.
Plant after the first light frost in fall so cloves root before winter but do not sprout tall leaves.
Keep the papery skin on the cloves, because bare cloves are more likely to rot in wet ground.
Mark the rows with a label so you do not dig into the bed before the shoots appear in spring.
Questions
Does soaking garlic in baking soda really help?
It is a traditional way to clean the cloves and may reduce surface mould before planting. It is not a substitute for good drainage and healthy seed garlic.
How deep and how far apart should garlic cloves go?
Set cloves about 5 cm deep with the point up, and space them around 15 cm apart with 25 to 30 cm between rows.
Can I use wood ash on any soil?
Use it only on acidic soil and in a thin layer. Wood ash raises pH, so skip it if your soil is already neutral or alkaline.
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.
