Fall is the best time to plant garlic. I typically plant garlic cloves between mid October through early November. I am looking for the temperatures to be round 50℉ or cooler during the day which is usually later in October or early November in Pittsburgh, PA.
Outdoor Sowing Tips:
Keep the garlic in a cool and dark spot until you are ready to sow.
Sow the garlic cloves as soon as the soil can be worked in early spring or April or in fall in October or November. Garlic bulbs tend to be more plump if they are planted in the fall.
If needed, loosen the soil. I do this for any root or bulb veggie.
Take the garlic bulb and separate it into individual cloves.
Plant each clove with the pointy side up and the roots down at 3 inches deep. In case you were wondering, 3 inches deep means that the bottom of the clove should be about 3 inches down from the soil line.Â
Depending on the variety, I plant them between 4 and 6 inches apart. This means 4 cloves for the bigger garlic and 9 cloves of the smaller garlic per square foot.
I typically sprinkle some bone meal or used coffee grounds. These items will breakdown over the winter. Bone meal or used coffee grounds will add phosphorus and calcium which is good for bulbs and root vegetables. You definitely do not want to give them excess nitrogen. Check out my post on soil additives for bulbs.
Water the planting area and cover with a couple of inches of leaves – you know me and leaf mold!
Protect the area with a hoop and some netting. While the squirrels have never eaten my garlic, they have been known to dig up the bulbs.
Don’t forget to label what you planted. I like to use popsicle / wood craft sticks.
Growing Tips:
In the spring, I would remove the leaves so the bulbs don’t get overly wet and rot.
In the summer, provide consistent moisture with a drip system.
If the garlic produces a scape, I cut it at an angle because it will inhibit the growth of the garlic bulb. You can eat the garlic scape or put it in the composter! My favorite is to have grilled garlic scapes.
