Love the fragrance of a marinara sauce, flavored with garlic and basil, simmering on the stove? What about big bulbs of roasted garlic nestled next to your baked chicken? Or, a thin crust pizza covered with mushrooms, garlic, and fresh basil leaves? If your mouth is watering, you might want to consider planting your own garlic this year.

Ridiculously easy to grow, fall is the best time to plant garlic. You’ll find your bulbs to be plumper and more flavorful if you plant them in autumn. Here are a few tips for planting garlic:

• Choose a sunny location with rich, well-drained soil. You can also plant them in raised beds, or even containers on your porch or deck.
• Add compost or a good fertilizer to the soil.
• Make sure and get your garlic cloves from a nursery or mail order supply. Plant the garlic gloves 4” – 6” apart. Rows can be space about a foot apart. Make sure the pointy end is up and the blunt end is down. Push the clove about an inch into the soild.
• Mulch the garlic bed well after planting. Water if the soil is dry.
• Garlic is resistant to pests. You might keep an eye out for White Rot, though, a fungus that can harm garlic when the weather is cool.
• In the spring your new plants will emerge. Feed them high-nitrogen fertilizer. Add from fresh mulch. And keep the weeds out—garlic doesn’t like to share space.
• In June the plants will stop producing green leaves and put energy into the bulb. Remove the mulch now and cease watering.
• Mid-July or August, your garlic will be ready to harvest. Carefully dig the bulbs up, being careful not to bruise them. Lay them flat in an area with good circulation, free of moisture (like rain—something we get in summer months here in the Pacific Northwest). When the roots get dry and brittle, tie them in bunches and hang them up until you’re ready to use them.
• Enjoy!

Need help making a raised bed to grow your garlic? We can help! Give us a call at (360) 265-5231.