Darrell Merrell's

Garlic Growing Tips

Plant from Sept. 15 to Nov. 30; optimum time is October.

Its all in the soil. Garlic is a heavy feeder, so it likes soil with a pH of about 6.5, loose and rich with lots of organic matter to provide good drainage.

Add one pound blood meal, one pound bone meal and one pound of wood ashes to each 10 feet of linear row and till in thoroughly before planting.

Plant the largest cloves to grow the largest bulbs. Leave the outer skin on the bulbs and do not separate cloves from the bulb until you are ready to plant.

Plant the cloves root end down, pointed end up, 6 to 8 inches apart. Cover with 2 inches of soil, add a 6 inch layer of mulch (grass clippings mixed with leaves, straw, prairie hay or preferably alfalfa hay). Do not remove mulch in the spring; it helps control weeds, preserve moisture and provides nutrients as it decomposes.

Cloves will begin to sprout through the mulch in four to eight weeks, depending on the variety and the weather conditions. Do not be concerned. The plants may suffer frost or a small freeze and will survive the weather.

When leaf growth begins, usually March, apply a foliar application of one tablespoon Liquid Sea Weed mixed with one tablespoon Liquid Fish Emulsion per one gallon of water with a hand pump sprayer every two weeks until about May 15. This ceases all new fertilization; the bulbs are now forming and more fertilization is detrimental.

Garlic needs about 1 inch of water per week during the spring growing season. Cease all watering about June 1; this will allow the bulbs to form better and harvest more easily.

Keep weeds under control early. Garlic does not compete well with weeds.

Harvest after leaf die back begins and there are still five green leaves remaining on the plant sometime in June. Varieties mature at different rates due to genetic make up and weather conditions. Harvest time is a judgment call. Do not wait too long or the bulbs will begin to separate in the ground.

Dig the garlic carefully, do not pull the stalk or it will separate from the bulb. Gently brush most of the dirt off do not wash. Be careful, do not toss or bang the garlic against a hard object or each other. It will bruise. Remove from the sun immediately.

Tie in a bundle of six to 10 and hang in a shaded, dry, well ventilated shed or garage. Leave hanging for four to six weeks.

After thoroughly drying, trim off the roots and cut the stalks off about 1 1/2 inches above the bulb. Store in net bags old onion bags are good. For optimum storage, hang in an area with 45 percent to 55 percent humidity at a temperature from 50 to 70 degrees. Do not refrigerate.

At all stages handle garlic carefully. It is alive. Bruise it and it wont keep.