Garlic is a garden specialty that can
be successfully grown in Kentucky. It does take some advance planning. It is a
long season, over-wintered crop, with planting best done in the fall months for
a bountiful harvest next summer.
Like flower bulbs, garlic and its close
relative, elephant garlic are perennial bulbs. When fall-planted, garlic cloves
will root and make limited growth before the first hard freeze. In the early
spring, growth resumes, bulbs and eventually seed stalks form, then the tops
die down in early summer.
Garlic may be spring planted, but an
internal chill requirement must be met for the cloves to properly grow. Thus
spring planted garlic should be stored in the refrigerator for at least 8 weeks
prior to planting to ensure proper chilling. Fall-planted garlic will obtain
its chilling in the soil and has the advantage of gaining fall root growth and
earlier maturity. If properly planted, cold temperatures will not hurt garlic.
Fall-planted garlic should be done by
mid-October. Depending on local conditions, too early may lead to too much
tender top growth by winter; too late and not enough root development occurs.
Soil requirements for garlic include
high organic matter levels and good drainage. A waterlogged soil will cause
cloves to rot. Form raised beds if your soil is heavy or poorly drained. Lay
out planting rows 15 to 18 inches apart. Separate individual cloves from the
main bulb and plant them about 4 to 6 inches apart in the row. The larger
cloves of elephant garlic should be set 6 to 9 inches apart. As a general rule,
the larger the clove, the larger the bulb will be at harvest. Cloves should be
set with tip up, and 1 to 2 inches below the soil surface.
Because garlic is a poor competitor,
good weed control is important. Though fall and winter weed problems are minor,
spring and early summer weeds can be invasive and should be controlled. Mulch
helps provide winter protection and conserves moisture during the summer.
Only during drought-like conditions should
garlic be watered. As bulbs approach maturity avoid any supplemental watering.
One or two soluble fertilizer applications in early and mid-spring will help
promote vigorous and uniform growth.
As flower shoots (scapes) form in late
spring, be sure to cut them off (hardneck types produce scapes). This helps to increase the bulb size. As an added bonus, garlic scapes are considered a delicacy and can be chopped fresh into salads.
 |
| Cloves from 'Music', these should be planted tips up |
 |
| Garlic scapes on hardneck types |
Harvest garlic before the tops
completely die down, preferably with 4 to 6 green leaves still attached. Remove
excess soil, but do not wash, and lay whole plants on screens or hang in small
bunches to dry. Allow it to cure completely in a warm, well-ventilated room,
but not in direct sunlight. Watch for rotting bulbs, remove these and increase
air circulation if needed using a box fan. Curing will take about 4 to 6 weeks.
After that, roots and tops can be trimmed, and outer dirty skins can be
removed. Store cured garlic in a cool dry place. Remember all garlic varieties
taste the same at harvest time, but after curing and a few weeks of storage
time, individual variety flavors will come out.
A few good varieties include 'Music' and 'Bogatyr' (hardneck types).
Others include 'Polish' (softneck type). There are many varieties of garlic, and
the best sources of planting stock are mail-order and internet specialty seed
companies and diverse garden centers.
 |
| Harvest time, leaves are beginning to yellow and die |
For more information on vegetable crop
growing, take a look at University of Kentucky publication Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky
Info gleaned from Illinois Cooperative Extension
Pictures by Beth Wilson, Pulaski County Horticulture Agent
