Planting Tips-How To Grow Garlic

Garlic growing requires the right climate and soil. There are three major groupings of garlic but the one discussed here is the most common variety, the white, which is found in your local grocery.

The growth of your garlic depends on where you live. A lot of garlic is grown in Central America to California and all the way up to New York. California garlic is silver, while New York garlic is purple.

Preparing the soil for your garlic:

The pH should be 6.5, unless there is limestone in the soil. The soil should be drained well and fertile. Solid should be limed on a monthly basis. Compost is a must and it needs to be well rotted to provide the most benefits for the plants.

The best time to plant:

Planting garlic is a long term project. If you live in a warm climate, you can plant in early winter. These plants will be dormant for several weeks. The winter months are necessary in order to establish the roots and the shoots that will turn into buds. As the warmth of spring sets in the side budges will then develop into the garlic cloves. Some gardeners prefer to grow in early spring but they do face many problems with their planting like poor root growth and wet soil conditions. If you live in an area of mild temperatures, you can plant in autumn. The plant might can withstand the cold if there is heavy mulching. Mulch should be removed in the spring.

Planting garlic:

Garlic is planted like any other bulb type plant. The larger end is the bottom, and placed in the ground so they stand upright. Space them four inches apart and cover them with an inch of dirt.

Being successful in your growing:

Garlic is a difficult plant to grow in a home garden and have it be successful. Inferior seed cloves, weather conditions, soil conditions, the wrong variety for the area, diseases that can attack the plants all make it difficult to have success. It is severely important to have the best drainage possible. Commercially grown garlic seeds are treated before planting which is something a home gardener cannot do. If the seeds and soil are heavily treated, gardeners in colder regions will have better luck. Moisture is a problem to garlic plants, but during the dry periods, they must remain well watered. You may find that contacting an expert is the best way to make sure you’re using the correct variety of plant for your area. Bulbs should be in dry, ventilated places that are about 50 degrees.