Opinions, please

[salix]

I am confusing myself (not hard to do, really) by probably over-thinking the planting of my garlic. Normally by now, I would have the beds amended and all ready to go. This year I was unable to locate a good source of manure, but have just now managed to find some sheep manure (not particularly well aged) which I will pick up on Sunday morning. I have not seen the stuff, don't know if it is wet, dry or whatever. My question: should I spread the manure, incorporate it well, then plant the garlic cloves? OR: should I plant the cloves, then spread the manure on top, letting it leach or percolate through over the winter?

What would you do?

[Redbaron]

You probably already know I am completely unconventional if you have read my posts here at Tomatoville. So don't take this as conventional wisdom, just a crazy old man who thinks different than everyone else.

However, if it was my garlic I would scrape off a few inches of the top soil off the garlic bed. Just slightly more than the soil needed to plant in. Then I would spread all that manure right on the bed. Then I would cover the manure with a layer of soil and plant my garlic right in the soil. Then lastly I would throw a thin layer of mulch over everything.

To make that whole process easy I would design the bed for a wide row block type planting and use a garden rake to pull that top layer to the side. 1/2 to each side. lay in the manure and with a rake pull that top layer back over.


Just my 2 cents.

[Father'sDaughter]

Personally, I don't add anything other than well composted material in the fall before planting my garlic. I've always followed the advice that you only fertilize garlic very early in the spring (usually after i pull the mulch off), and once more partway through the growing cycle when it starts to bulb (I typically do this in late May/early June).

[salix]

RB and FD - thank you for taking the time to reply, I appreciate your input.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by salix

RB and FD - thank you for taking the time to reply, I appreciate your input.

You are very welcome, but I don't know how helpful it was to relieve your confusion since we had different opinions!

I will say one thing though. Father'sDaughter is right. You don't want the manure around the garlic in the fall. That's why you shouldn't just spread manure and till it in and then plant. And you don't want to top dress it either.

The way I suggested separates the manure from the soil you are planting it in, letting nature do the work of incorporation in the spring. Father'sDaughter's way is safer since the manure isn't even in the garden at all, but requires extra work and disturbance next spring.

If when you get the manure finally, it turns out to be pretty "raw" and/or "sloppy" and you want to try my method anyway. I suggest that after you lay in the manure, cover it with newspaper. Then cover the newspaper with a few inches of soil and plant the garlic in that, and a light mulch over it all (I like an inch or so of dry grass clippings) The barrier will decompose eventually and allow the nutrients to reach the garlic next spring, but separate them better this fall. That extra sheet or two of newspaper barrier will help, but it is not needed if the manure is "seasoned".

Just a hint from experience. If I hadn't done it wrong before I wouldn't have known how to do it right!

[Father'sDaughter]

That's what makes all this so much fun--it's all trial and error, and you get to try again each year. And once in a while, someone's error turn out to be another's success!

Redbaron's suggestion sounds like it would work if, as was said, the manure isn't too raw and soupy. I have so much going on right now that I'll be lucky to have time get my garlic in the ground before the end of the month, so my fertilizing applications will wait until next year.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

if, as was said, the manure isn't too raw and soupy.

Generally sheep manure isn't soupy at all, unless a lot of water was used cleaning the stalls. It has a tendency to pelletise similar to goats but not as much, especially with lambs. You can tell how old it is by the smell and the color and by how much the pellets have broken down.