Create Blog post “fall-garlic-planting/index”

content/posts/fall-garlic-planting/index.md

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+draft = true
+title = "Plant Garlic Now(ish) for Next Year!"
+slug = "fall-garlic-planting"
+date = 2023-10-09T14:37:11.529Z
+author = "Erin Thomson"
+plants = ["garlic"]
+
+[cover]
+relative = false
+image = "garlic-cloves.jpg"
+caption = ""
+alt = "A hand arranging garlic cloves on the soil surface"
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+Garlic is a crop that can be a bit daunting if you’re a new gardener. It’s not too tricky to grow, but it can be easy to miss the optimal time to plant. In general, if you’re growing in a cool climate you’ll want to get your garlic in the ground in fall. The exact timing can be tricky as you’ll want to keep an eye on the weather forecast- both for the best garlic growth and to avoid having to plant it in miserable weather! On the plus side, garlic is typically the first crop we plant for the upcoming growing season, so while many plants are petering out or just riding out the cold, planting garlic means you’ll already have something to look forward to in the upcoming season!
+
+### Choosing a garlic variety
+
+When it comes to choosing garlic varieties it's important to look for varieties that are adapted to your region. ‘Softneck’ garlic varieties tend to be grown in warmer climates where ‘hardneck’ varieties tend to be grown in colder climates, as they require a prolonged period of cold temperatures (although you can mimic this by placing them in the fridge in a ziploc bag). You might also come across ‘elephant garlic’ which is technically a leek even though it forms bulbs and can be used like garlic.
+
+Aside from deciding whether to grow softneck or hardneck varieties, you’ll want to consider other factors- there are ‘purple’ garlic, ‘white’ garlic varieties; there are varieties that are hardier in extreme cold, and of course different flavor profiles. Ask gardeners in your area which garlic varieties they prefer to grow, or otherwise you’ll have to do some experimentation to find your favorites!
+
+While you can technically plant garlic from grocery store gloves, this is usually not recommended as you can’t select an appropriate variety for your region, the cloves tend to be old and dry from sitting around, and if it's not organic it might be sprayed with an anti-sprouting agent. For good results you’ll want to source ‘seed garlic’ either from your local garden center, big box store, or online. Also be sure to plan your garlic planting in [Planter](https://planter.garden/gardens) so you’ll know roughly how much seed garlic to buy.
+
+### When to plant garlic
+
+There’s plenty of different advice for the best time to plant garlic. Essentially you’re trying to balance two factors: you want to get the garlic in the ground before the soil freezes and with enough time that the garlic can start to set roots to survive winter, however you don’t want to get garlic in the ground so early that it gets confused and starts to grow in the current growing season. While a bit of green poking out isn’t the end of the world, if your garlic starts putting a lot of energy into new growth only to be killed back in winter, it has less energy reserves to start growing again from spring. As a general guideline, garlic should be planted at least two weeks before your first frost date in fall. However, don’t take this as a hard-and-fast rule- if the weather is unseasonably warm for an extended period of time you may want to hold off until cooler temps are in the forecast. On the other hand if the cold is setting in sooner, you might want to hustle to get your garlic in before hard freezes come.
+
+In a pinch garlic can also be planted once the soil is workable in spring, just be aware that the bulbs will be smaller than they would be, and it may take longer for your garlic to be ready to harvest. You’ll also want to help the process along by putting your garlic in your fridge so that it feels like it has gone through a winter.
+
+### How to plant garlic
+
+To plant garlic you’ll want to separate the bulbs into individual cloves, leaving the papery skins on each clove. Plant with the pointed end up/flat end down.
+
+How deep to plant your garlic is also the topic of much debate- it depends on where you live, your soil type, and whether you plan to add a layer of mulch on top. In colder climates it can be beneficial to plant your garlic up to 4” deep to protect it from winter chill, but in less extreme climates 2-3” is sufficient. If you’re planting into clay soil that holds a lot of moisture you may not need to plant as deep, whereas if you’re planting into loamier or sandier soils you may want to plant deeper. Garlic can also be mulched to help protect it from extreme cold in winter- if using mulch you may not need to plant quite as deep.
+
+![A gloved hand covering a garlic clove with soil](planting-garlic.jpg)
+
+A final note- while you can grow garlic in containers you’ll need to take special steps to prevent it from completely freezing and drying out. You’ll want to consider mulching, and bringing the container into a cold garage where it won’t be exposed to extreme freezing temperatures.
+
+Once you have your garlic planted, you’ll want to avoid watering it or fertilizing it until the coming year. Extra water can cause the garlic cloves to rot, and fertilizer can stimulate your garlic to start putting on new growth that you really don’t want until the following spring.
+
+If you haven’t grown garlic before, it might seem like a pain in the *neck* 🙂. But growing garlic is totally worthwhile even if it means you have to go out on a cool, windy day and dig around in cold wet soil! You’ll be amply rewarded with the garlic harvest next year– you might even be able to grow enough garlic to stop buying from the store completely!
+
+![Several newly-harvested garlic plants laid out on the grass](garlic-harvest.jpg)