Hi There! ;-) Thanks to someone's comment, I realized I've never actually wrote about planting garlic in the fall - A serious deficiency, as that is typically the best time to plant!
Right now I am quite busy, in the midst of planting, so I'll draw the outline and fill in more detail later:
First: Acquire good seed. Nice sized bulbs, undamaged and free of mold, from a local source. (Hardneck garlic is typically Ontario, or at least Canadian, so if it has a good strong stem in the middle that's one indication.)
Prepare your soil for planting (it generally doesn't need any special fertilizers unless you are concerned about the soil being poor quality just get it tilled and ready). Sun, or part sun seem to be ideal, although I've suspected that garlic can grow pretty good with part shade too.
Break the cloves apart - each one becomes a new plant. Plant them 3-4 inches deep, with the pointy end up - that's where the sprout emerges. Recommended distance for small spaces: 8 inches apart in a grid. Or, 6 inches apart in rows, 20 - 30 inches apart. I find hilling up the rows, or raising the bed a good idea for drainage and winter run off.
When to plant: I do it right now: Sept 20 - 25. Most people say that's too early. For me it works.
You can plant into October. I find November is a poor time to plant. Especially if we have a early winter, the roots don't have enough time to establish, and the bulbs can be small at harvest.
For keeping track of different varieties, a map kept in a safe place is the best insurance. Stakes can fall out or go missing or loose their marking over winter - use them anyway, but keep a map!
I do both, plus I grow very different kinds next to each other in the row, so that if the stake goes missing, I can still tell visually where the variety changed (a bio-marker, if you will).
If your garlic comes up before the snow flies - don't worry, I've had that happen quite a few years, and never had problems with the next harvest. If it doesn't come up, in the fall, and you are worried about the germ of the seed, you can always dig, very gently with your fingers and check on them (don't break off the shoot if it's there!) Otherwise, have patience, garlic is a survivor and you will find out in spring. Garlic emerges quite early, and grows quickly in spring.
Mulch is an option as well - both for winter protection and summer moisture conservation. I've used straw, hay and fall maple leaves to good effect. Just be sure the spout can get through the layer of mulch in April/May.
If you have rodent issues, apply the mulch after they are done making their nests - after freeze off in the late fall.
...I hope I didn't miss anything. It's back to planting for me!
All the best with your planting projects! Julie
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ReplyDeleteHello Julie
ReplyDeleteI have on my backyard some little raised beds where i grow some vegetables. I have planted garlic for 2 years in a row (i have like 40 plants now) and once again i have what i think is called moth leek killing my plants. How can i fight this?
Thanks for your help.
Regards
Carlos
Hi Carlos,
ReplyDeleteLeek Moth is a challenge, in 2018 it went rampant into new areas of Ontario. I am catching a few in pheremone traps this year, but nothing significant, thank goodness! Sounds like you have not been as lucky.
The moths fly at night, so the only sign of them is the larvae. They chew up the top leaves and scape, leaving a corn meal like debris called frass. Pictures can be found on line if you are not sure it's the same critter. The larva is a small (3/16 inch) white worm-like caterpillar with a dark dot behind it's head.
For a small plot, fine row cover tucked carefully around the plants should protect them. This can be removed during the day to weed, as the moths fly at night to lay their eggs. They can have two or three life cycles in the year, and they go after leeks and onions as well.
BTK can also be used as an organic spray against Leek Moth, as well as other bugs, if you want to go that route.
Physically squishing them is another way, depending on how bad it is.
The bulbs that you harvest from mildly damaged plants are still okay to use for seed as long as you check them carefully. Pinholes in the bulb wrapper show where eggs may have been laid inside the bulb by an adult moth. They over winter as adults, so once they are there it is hard to get rid of them. A few locations in Ontario have been part of a program to release a wasp to control leek moth, so it is hoped that this pest will not be as much of a problem in future years.
I'll refer you to the OMAFRA based website for more info: https://onvegetables.com/?s=leek+moth
Best of luck! Julie