Organic Garlic for Fall Planting

Description

Fall is for planting Garlic

Mid-October until the soil begins to freeze is the perfect time to plant garlic in Kansas. Select an area that gets a lot of direct sun and has good soil that drains well. Any place that grows good onions or other root crops should work well for your garlic. Cloves should be planted 2 inches deep and 5-6 inches apart, with the pointed end of the clove facing up, leaving the outer skin of the clove intact. Water the bed thoroughly and mulch with 2-3 inches of straw, hay, or other loose mulch to suppress weed growth ( garlic hates sharing its space with weeds ). Water occasionally until soil freezes and remains frozen ( some winters this means you will water throughout the winter months, just enough to maintain some moisture in the soil ).

You may see some green shoots emerge during the winter, but most of the visible growth will happen when the soil warms up next spring. Allow the tops to grow, watering as needed. Hardneck garlics will produce a flower stalk called a scape. This should be removed before the tip opens to bloom. The scapes are edible and may be used raw or cooked.

Sometime in late May or early June you will notice that the lower leaves are starting to turn yellow to brown despite the fact that you are keeping the soil moist. Don’t worry – this is natural and signals that your plants are reaching maturity. At this time it is wise to reduce watering. When 4-5 of the lower leaves are brown, your garlic is ready to harvest. Dig the bulbs, trim the tops and roots, and allow to air dry until the outer skins are papery. Your garlic will keep for 2-9 months, depending on variety and storage conditions.

Varieties for 2021 planting season :

Chesnok Red