6060Plant with the pointy side up.
Firm each clove into the soft, open
soil. Once the cloves are planted,
push the soil into the trench and
step on it gently with your boots.
Walk gingerly up the row, heel to
toe, until you reach the end. This
ensures that the soil is in firm
contact with the bulb and creates
a trench that will catch the water
when you apply it.
Water generously at first. Then
let the soil become dry to about
3 cm (1 1/4 inches) deep between
watering. Depending on rainfall,
you may not have to water the
garlic patch again until late
spring. If garlic is overwatered,
it is prone to rot.
Before the hard frost of
November and early December,
your new garlic will start to poke
through the soil, giving you a hint
next spring of where it is located.
Mark the row with a large sign
that will not blow away, and mulch
each row with 30 cm (12 inches) of
fresh straw before winter.HARVEST
Come spring, the best thing
you can do for your garlic is to
keep the weeds out of the patch.
Garlic does not like competition
any more than your petunias
do. In early July, the plants will
produce remarkable pig tails,
called scapes, which are entirely
edible and quite expensive at
the farmers’ market. Cut off the
scapes and use them (or not). By
removing them, you increase the
size of the garlic bulbs that you
harvest later in August.