Help on Garlic

[kenny_j]

First year growing. SE Michigan. I planted last October and mulched heavily with straw, 6" or so. I had a few poking last NOV when I mulched. Is that too much mulch? Should I remove until it is all up? Growing hard necked Music, in raised bed with pretty good lite soil mix. A friend who has grown said it will be fine, not sure if he realizes how deep the straw is. Thanx for any help.

kj

[jmsieglaff]

I do the same with my garlic and pull back the straw as it thaws. It's amazing how much longer the ground/straw remains frozen than nearby bare ground. I'll add back a couple inches after it starts growing well and the ground has warmed up some. Just leaving it would be fine too--it will just take longer to get growing again as the soil will take longer to warm.

[kenny_j]

Sounds good, will frost hurt the new growth? we are still getting frost almost nightly.

[RayR]

Originally Posted by kenny_j

Sounds good, will frost hurt the new growth? we are still getting frost almost nightly.

Nope, garlic is very hardy. I never got a chance to mulch my garlic in October and after this very cold winter, my garlic is popping out of the ground now.

[Durgan]

I leave the mulch in situ and never have a problem. Sometimes it is three inches thick. Tth garlic leaves come right through. If the weather is warm after planting in the Fall, sometimes the plants are well out of the ground with no damage that I can see.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?HMRNI 30 September 2011 Preparing Garlic Bed
Garlic bed was prepared for planting about the 25 of October 2011. Preparation was in a slightly raised bed for containment and good drainage. Procedure: A layer of city supplied compost, rototilled into the underlying soil, raked smooth, wood chip mulch applied. The mulch will contain moisture, and limit the effects of the freezing and thawing cycles. It will be moved aside when the garlic cloves are planted. In the Spring the garlic will have no difficulty growing through the mulch.


http://www.durgan.org/URL/?MZIVX 9 April 2011 Garlic Bed
The garlic bed was planted on 9 October 2010. All 196 cloves survived the Winter well, and growth has commenced. The mulch will be left in situ to maintain a constant moisture. Garlic takes no care, except maybe add a little water if the
Summer is dry. The scapes will be removed and utilized when they form. Harvest will be in July.

[kenny_j]

And thanx to all the replies. When I put the straw down, I covered it with black plastic netting, to hold it in place on windy days. I was reading that some people use chicken wire and such to keep squirrels from digging bulbs, The mesh squares are right at 7/8" inside dimensions. Is this large enough to allow the plant to grow up thru it, as I read, or does it need to be removed at some point before plants get to big? I have just 1 out of 50 or so that is showing above the mulch.

kj

[tjg911]

Garlic should grow thru your 6" of hay, tom_nj does the same w/o problems.

i use chicken wire to stop the tree rats from digging into the 6" of shredded leaves i mulch with. but i remove that as your plants may have problems with the placement of the patterns but maybe not i'm not willing to find out. windy spring can push the mulch off but i just put it back!

tom

[kath]

Kj, I've piled on the mulch thicker than 6" and found that most leaves will push through with no problem, but some seem to have a hard time, so I start to pull back the mulch and fluff it up a bit at a time as the weather breaks. If some of yours are through the mulch already, it's safe to start taking some off now. Also, f I were you, I'd take off the netting so as to avoid damaging the leaves later on.

kath

[Father'sDaughter]

I actually just pulled the hay off yesterday except for what was still frozen to the ground. The beds were still frozen solid underneath, but two days of sunshine and temps in the 50's have the soil thawing nicely. Lots of little shoots poking up!

[kenny_j]

Thank all of you for your help. I feel like I have a handle on what to do.

[guruofgardens]

Great advice, and good for you growing your own garlic. You'll love the vibrant flavor when it's so very fresh! Don't forget to cut the scapes when they begin to curl in June. Wait about 2-3 weeks, then start checking a few bulbs to know if the garlic is large enough for you.

[kenny_j]

Thanx Guru. Yes an aquaintance whom I don't see often taught me about hardneck garlic. he bought several lbs of Music, and we have it planted at a community garden. I bought some local purple stripe, unknown exact variety and planted here at the house. I ate a bunch of the Music we had left over and it was unbelievable. We had tried roasting store bought garlic many years ago, and it was not good. The Music I dice up and sauté by itself with a pinch of salt and pepper, and my 7 yr old granddaughter and I eat it by the spoonfuls. Very mildly garlicy once cooked with an almost nut like flavor. I love it!!!