Garlic Growing Tips

Garlic really is one of the most simple vegetables to grow - what can I tell you apart from it loves sheep pellets, needs full sun and plenty of moisture once in leaf to be successful.

Planting Depth:  

 I find my cool little Japanese tool the Niwashi is brilliant for planting all bulbs including garlic.   Some books tell you to plant garlic so the tip is showing, others tell you to plant it deep.  I’ve done both with similar results.  However I always plant the Giant Garlic really deep - at least twice the depth of the height of the bulb - the tip of the garlic bulb being around 10cm deep.  Giant Garlic is especially vigorous and produces a lot of roots.  I think the further apart you can plant the bulbs the better.  I plant mine around a hand span apart.  Garlic also doesn't have to be planted in the vege patch.  When pushed for room in previous years I have planted my garlic in the shrubbery, around the roses.  Roses are supposed to love garlic - the garlic helps keep the bugs away from them.  If you're short of room in your vege patch this winter - make use of your shrubbery and plant groups of garlic in the sunny patches, just like you would daffodils.

Growing:  

All winter planted garlic should be ready for harvesting by Christmas.  However if you've planted a lot like me you can start digging and using your garlic much earlier than that.  Freshly dug garlic is wonderful and the leaves are very garlicky also and during the winter, if I need a hit of garlic I simply sneak a few leaves off the bulbs and add them to the dish.  Garlic does a lot of its growing in the last month so make sure you keep them growing strongly through November and December.  Feed them every six weeks or so with a general purpose fertiliser i.e. Tui General Fertiliser and keep them well watered.  For the fattest garlic possible give the a liquid feed fortnightly with ican Fast Food.

Pest and Disease Issues: 

I've grown garlic for many years and until recently I’ve had fabulous crops.  But the last two years, come October the garlic starts getting rust, which is near impossible to stop.   If your Garlic gets rust it's pretty much done for, which is a dreadful thing considering all the work you've put into it and how marvellous it is to have your own.  So preventing rust is a MUST DO.  Spray it once a month (once it's up) with organic copper.  I use Grosafe Free Flo Copper.  If you see some black Aphids in the summer - add into the copper spray Grosafe Enspray 99 which is an organic, very fine Oil.  These two sprays will eliminate about 80% of any pest or disease issues you might get in the vege patch or main garden - they can also be used to spray your roses with.

Storing garlic - plaiting   

When you dig your garlic simply place it on a tray to dry or if you’re clever plait it or tie it together in bunches of half a dozen or so and hang it up in a dry, shaded and preferably airy spot so that it dries quickly.