Time to Plant the Garlic!

It's that time of year when I love being outside! That crisp Fall weather, the rustle of the leaves, the hustle of the yard creatures gathering for their Winter stockpiles. 

When to Plant Garlic

With the second harvest festival of Mabon upon us, I like to get out and start planting my garlic now in late September. Garlic is so super easy to grow and takes just a few minutes to get in the ground. While planting garlic now, won't get you new garlic until around mid-late July, it's well worth the time and garden space to never have to purchase "mass produced" garlic again. 

How to Plant Garlic

Garlic is so easy to plant! If you have raised beds, simply dig a trough and place them about 6 inches apart with the pointed side of each clove facing up. Then simply cover them up! If you don't have a specific raised bed for them, I've even had luck with planting garlic in my regular flower beds where I have open space that won't be needed in the Spring and Summer. Instead of digging a trough, I simply use my garden trowel to dig holes where I want them. 

When to Harvest Garlic

I typically pick my garlic around Mid-July. The easiest way to tell when they're ready is to look at their leaves. The rule of thumb I was taught was to look for two dead leaves with a third on the way. Those are the plants that are ready to be gently dug up.

I've Harvested My Garlic, Now What?

Do you know how to braid? For me, the easiest way to cure garlic is to braid them and hang them up to dry. Just braid all of the leaves together to make long strings of garlic and hang them up in a place where they can get a bit of air. Super easy! Can't braid? No problem, drying them by placing them on old screens to create airflow underneath and propping them up on blocks works too.

Not into reading? Here's a walk through on how to get garlic growing in your garden that will become a routine enabling you to never buy garlic again.