Farming 101: Cultivating Garlic for a Spicy Harvest
Chill Out and Grow Garlic at Home
Wanna impress taste buds with aromatic, homegrown garlic? Done deal! You'll need some elbow grease and a bit of patience, but no need to stress, it's pretty straightforward. Here's the scoop on how to achieve an epic garlic yield in your very own backyard.
First things first, might as well start with some trivia: Sowing these little dynamos will yield roughly 17 bulbs per 3 meters of row, with cloves spaced out 15 cm apart in the ground and 30 cm between the rows. Garlic fans rave about this easy-peasy plant, but what really gets them is the flexibility to choose between softneck and hardneck varieties, each bringing its own unique perks to the table.
The Softneck ShowdownSoftneck varieties—most commonly stocked in supermarkets—promise a bountiful harvest with up to 18 cloves per bulb. They feature papery white skin and rarely bolt (sprout a flower stalk). However, softneck garlic is a bit pickier when it comes to cool temperatures, making it best for the UK's milder southern counties. If you're in colder regions, fear not! Your garlic dreams aren't doomed… yet.
The Hardy HardneckUnfazed by the chill, hardneck garlic will happily flourish across the good old UK. You know you're dealing with a hardneck variety when they've got a smaller number of cloves per bulb, usually 10 or less. They're more hardy than their softneck counterparts and even produce curling flower stalks, which straighten out as they mature, forming a head of tiny bulbils. For energy conservation, it's wise to nip these in the bud, so to speak, and remove them when they first bud.
Average Yield:17 bulbs per 3m row
Elephant Garlic and BeyondFeeling a bit adventurous? Opt for elephant garlic, and your garlic game will be on another level—literally. With massive bulbs and a mild flavor, it provides a lighter alternative to regular garlic.
Spacing:15 apart30 between rows
Planting CluesGarlic duty calls: Get your hands on some certified, disease-free garlic bulbs from a gardening center or online retailer. Sowing these babies in warm, sunny spots with fertile, well-draining soil is the deal. When it's time to plant, just break apart those tasty little bulbs, and pop in the large cloves, pointy end up and about 3 cm below the surface. If you've got sandy soil or raised beds, consider planting that much deeper. Harvest time comes once the top growth starts to die back around July, leaving the bulbs to dry in the sun somewhere away from rain for a few weeks before you stash 'em away.
Timing and TipsTypically, garlic is planted in late autumn or early winter, but if your soil keeps things wet, you'd be wise to plant early spring instead. Have heavy soil? Start your garlic cloves in small pots or modules before transitioning them to the great outdoors in the spring. If you're down south, you can even grow it in large containers!
Depth:3
Red flags and RemediesWatch for birdies nipping at your young garlic bulbs. Some protective netting or horticultural fleece will do the trick in keeping those little discourteous creatures at bay until the plants have rooted themselves properly.
Keeping on the lookout for onion white rot is also crucial, as contaminated soil can affect the entire allium family, including onions and leeks. Pull out and bin or burn infected plants, and avoid the compost heap like the plague!
[1] https://www.montydonsorganicgarden.co.uk/advice/garlic-plant-info[2] https://www.thaigarlic.co.uk/blogs/news/choosing-the-right-garlic-varieties[3] https://www.knightsgarden.com/Kings-Seeds-UK-Hardneck-Garlic-ank.htm[4] https://www.farmersguardian.com/crops/growing-garlic-in-the-uk-a-how-to-guide-13-35941/[5] https://alliums.org/content/choosing-right-garlic-type-you
- To enrich your home-and-garden lifestyle and food-and-drink choices, consider growing garlic in raised beds or your backyard using the methods outlined here.
- Cooking with garlic from your own garden can be a rewarding addition to your culinary lifestyle, especially when you’ve successfully raised softneck or hardneck varieties in your home-and-garden.
- For an even greater adventure in gardening and food-and-drink, try growing elephant garlic in raised beds or pots to add a delicious, aromatic twist to your favorite recipes.
