Planting

Site selection

Full sun is ideal, partial shade is ok
Well drained soil with little to no rocks
12-24 inch deep soil, raised beds are helpful in our region
Soil that is rich in organic matter and high in Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Sulphur
Ph ranging between 6.0 and 6.5
Free from wildlife that may eat/trample the plants or dig up the cloves from below soil level
Minimal weed pressure prefered

Grasses, cover crops and other weeds should be removed or terminated before bed preparation.
Broadforking, deep tiling and double digging all help with loosening lower soil levels, aiding in drainage of the soil the cloves will be planted in.
Raise beds by piling soil up 12 to 24 inches
This is a good time to add aged manure, compost and other dry amendments.

Choose first from your own saved bulbs, then source from local and organic growers
If choosing from your own crop, select healthy plants that are disease free and show no signs of damaged leaves.
Look for the best looking plants in your crop and flag them as the seed you’ll save for planting
Break bulbs into individuals cloves, being careful not to damage cloves and the root zone
Select only the largest and healthy cloves, save smaller and damaged cloves for eating
Soak cloves for 10 minutes in isopropyl alcohol, then rinse. Soak cloves overnight in fish or kelp meal and water.
Clove planting ( to be made into a new section following seed selection)
Make holes 2-4 inches deep where the clove will be planted
Holding the clove with the pointy end up, put the clove into the hole
Make sure the bottom of the clove has good contact with the soil below it and about 1-2 inches of soil above the pointy tip of the clove
cover the hole after the clove has been planted

Once the weather is cool and wet.
October - November are normally when this time begins in the Pacific Northwest
This planting window remains open and viable until late February/early March. Planting can be done into April but the chances of undivided bulbs rises
Guaranteeing cloves get around a month of cold temperatures will help ensure divided bulbs at harvest

Garlic does not like competition in receiving light and when looking for water and nutrients through the roots
Keep garlic weeded its entire growth cycle
when weeding, by hand or wit tools, be careful not to damage any leaves by pulling or breaking them
using mulch helps reduce weed pressure and makes weeds easier to pull
Hay/straw, leaves, wool, plastic and cardboard all work as effective weed suppressors

Scapes are the flowering part of the garlic plant. They emerge from the top two leaves in April.
When removing scapes, snap or cut the scape a few inches above the top leaves, being careful to not damage leaves
If the scape is pulled out by accident, fold the top leaf over the hole created by where the scape was
Scapes are removed to divert the energy the plant puts into producing the scape to producing a bigger bulb
With the understanding of why we remove the scapes clear, the idea should be to pick the scape earlier than later
Different garlic types should have their scapes removed at different growth stages.
- Turbans should have their scapes removed at a half curl
- Asiatics DO NOT have their scapes removed
- Elephant scapes can be removed anytime they emerge up until 12 inches tall
- Glazed Purple Stripe and Rocambole scapes should be removed at 1 full curl or a little further
- Porcelain, Marbled Purple Stripe, Standard Purple Stripe and Creole groups should be removed at 1 curl, no later