Types Of Garlic Crops And How To Prepare A Harvest

Now that more and more people realize how simple it is to cultivate this aromatic bulb, garlic is enjoying a meteoric rise in popularity in both the kitchen and the yard..

Growing a lot of healthy garlic crop at home doesn't need a lot of experience, so even novice gardeners may get the benefits. Your cultivated garlic and bountiful harvests are just a few easy steps away. You may find garlic that suits your taste and cooking needs among the various available. There are two primary types of authentic garlic:

The scape - the central seed stalk of stiff neck garlic, gives the variety its name. Although their flavor is often described as fiery, they only stay about three months after harvest. The average number of cloves in a stiff neck head is 12.

Hardneck cloves are large and homogeneous, growing in a thin layer around the sturdy stem. The tops of soft neck garlic remain soft and malleable, unlike those of stiff neck varieties.

Garlic softnecks are ideal if you want to try making garlic bread like the ones you see at farmer's markets. The flavor of soft neck garlic is more subtle than stiff neck garlic, and it may be stored for up to six months.

Buying planting garlic from a nursery close to your home ensures you get types well-suited to your region's weather conditions. Although garlic purchased from a supermarket can be used, it often originates in California or another country and does not thrive in gardens planted outside those regions.

Timing

Plant garlic in the fall or spring. But garlic, like tulips or other spring-blooming bulbs, needs cool temperatures to flourish. Garlic heads that haven't been refrigerated will instead form large, onion-like bulbs. To ensure the garlic gets the necessary cooling throughout the spring planting season, it should be planted at the same time as the first vegetable seeds. Garlic is often planted in the fall alongside other bulbs for flowers.

Giving garlic more time to expand its roots produces bigger, tastier crops in the summer, and proper chilling is a breeze thanks to Mother Nature. It's best to plant garlic in the fall, between two weeks before and after the first frost in your region.

Setting Up Garlic Seedling Beds

The ideal conditions for growing garlic are full sun and healthy and well-drained soil.To have successful harvests, plants need to be fed well. Add a 3- to the 4-inch percentage of organic matter, like compost, to your garden beds to improve their appearance. Add a balanced fertilizer, such and work this layer into the soil. Before planting, it's wise to get the soil tested.

This is another area where the assistance of your local extension agent may be invaluable. When pH values are between 6.0 to 7.0, where it often sits, garlic makes excellent use of its available nutrients. Determining precisely what has to be added to your garden's soil to support garlic growth requires testing the soil.