by Leslie Cox; Sunday, October 11, 2015

Yeah! Our garlic is planted! Nineteen cloves of Soviet and eighty-nine cloves of Red Russian.

Can you tell which is our favourite?!!

We do not have a lot of extra garden space so when it comes to garlic, which needs roughly ten months of growing time from sowing to harvest…meaning it needs a dedicated area where it will not be disturbed, we stick to the garlic varieties we like.

For those of you who are still trying to make up your minds, however, here is a little bit of help in paring down your selection.

There are literally hundreds to choose from, all of which are divided into two sub-species – soft-neck (Allium sativum var. sativum) and hard-neck (A. sativum var. ophioscorodon).

Soft-neck, or braiding garlic, tolerates a wider range of climates, are more productive, mature faster and have a spicier flavour. Under proper storage conditions, they will keep for a year or more. Some cultivars worth trying are: Sicilian Gold, Wildfire, Thai, Susanville and Early Italian.

Hard-neck refers to the central stalk that must be cut off before it forms a flowering seed cap. They typically have large cloves with a rich, not overly spicy flavour. More suitable for growing in colder climates, their storage time is 3-6 months. A few cultivars you may want to look for are: German Red, Music, Spanish Roja, Red Russian, Georgian Fire and Persian Star.

Now that you have hopefully made your selection, it is time to get them planted!

Fall is the optimum time to plant garlic as it should go through vernalization to develop properly. This means it needs to be exposed to temperatures below 40°F (4.5°C) for 6-8 weeks to induce good bulb formation.

And you should get your cloves in the ground before the first frost…so sometime around late September into early October in our region of the Pacific Northwest.

Choose a sunny location with well-draining fertile soil; if your soil is heavy clay, amend with compost. Do not plant garlic where other alliums have been grown in the last 5 years to reduce the risk of disease. Ideally, garlic prefers a soil pH between 6 and 7, but will grow moderately well within a pH range of 5.5 to 7.5.

Select large, firm, undamaged bulbs for planting. Carefully break the bulbs apart, removing the individual cloves from the basal plate. Leave the wrapper on the cloves. Set aside any small or bruised cloves to use in the kitchen. Plant the large cloves tip up, 2 inches (5cm) deep and approximately 6 inches (15cm) apart.

Cover the cloves with a layer of mulch to protect it over the winter. Straw is a good all-season mulch that allows new shoots to grow up through, retains moisture and keeps weeds in check. Leaf mulch works well but should be pulled away from newly emerging shoots in early spring as it forms a heavier mat.

Come spring, it is important to maintain even moisture during its early growth. Not enough water will inhibit bulb development; too much water will impact on its storage length.

Two or three weeks before harvesting, stop watering the garlic altogether to allow the bulb to form a durable skin. Carefully dig up the garlic when half to two thirds of the green leaves have turned yellow-brown and dry looking.

The bulbs must be properly dried and cleaned before storing. Lay out on racks or screens for 2-4 weeks, then carefully brush off any dirt before storing the bulbs in a mesh or paper bag in a cool dark place. Be sure to label the different varieties!