Planting Organic Garlic

by Farmer Dave
(Northern CA)

Planting organic garlic on the 10th of February at the Hyampom school in Northern CA was lots of fun.


The kids were enthusiastic, and love garlic!
I grew the garlic last year on my homestead farm upriver from the school. Some people like to plant garlic in the fall but my favorite time to plant is in a sunny and dry spell in February it does just as well, you can avoid one weeding, my least favorite garden chore and it does just as well, as our years of growing great garlic proves.
We dug and fertilized the beds and then planted.


The teacher and some of the kids will harvest during the summer and we will store the garlic to be used next year for school lunches.
<
You never know what you'll find in the garden


Next week we will be thinning our flats and if its not too cold starting our worm box which Farmer Dave and James built.

Check back often to see the latest at our school garden.


Here is some extra info on garlic planting from my Victory Garden e-book chapter 15 in case you want to plant your own.
Garlic is native to Central Asia, and has been used as a spice and as a medicine. Garlic is an antiviral; people have long used garlic for colds and flu. Historically, when supplies were low on manufactured antibiotic, garlic was used. Recent studies show garlic may contain chemicals that destroy cancer cells. It also helps expel parasites, and keeps away vampires; in fact I haven?t seen one vampire since I started growing and eating garlic.

Soil & Amendments- Garlic likes a rich, well-drained soil. Most people plant garlic in mid fall, about 6 weeks before the soil freezes. We like to plant in February in one of the warm dry spells that are characteristic of our region. We have well drained soil so can work the soil and plant right after a wet spell. This way we save ourselves a weeding and dont have to worry about it during the fall rush. If you have clay soil or a real wet place I would stick with the fall planting.

Culture- Save your biggest, nicest bulbs for seed, split them into cloves and plant the biggest ones facing up.
Hoe a furrow about 3 feet deep and then lightly press the garlic in at 6 feet intervals. Make rows 8-10 inches apart in 3 feet wide beds. Water a couple times a week and top dress with compost or manure in the spring.

Varieties -There are two main types of garlic and many varieties within each type.
Hard neck Varieties: Large, easy-peeling cloves form around a stiff woody stem. Rich aromatic flavor is not too spicy. Once the garlic begins to grow, the curling tops can be removed for a culinary treat and to increase production. These are the preferred garlic for more northern climates. Typically hard necks can be stored 3 to 6 months.
Soft neck varieties: Otherwise known as braiding garlic, do not produce a flower spike. They are more productive and adaptable to warmer climates than the hard neck type and generally have a spicier flavor. Soft necks can be stored for a year or more under proper conditions. I like this type.


Harvest- When the bulbs seem fully developed and the outer leaves begin to dry quit watering for a couple weeks and let the bulbs dry out in the ground. Then pull up the garlic and dry them in the shade until the tops
are almost dry. If you are planting the soft neck varieties, which I would suggest, then you can braid them together.
This makes a very pretty wall hanging and is a good way to store the garlic. You can just break a bulb off the bottom of the braid as you need it.


Dig It!