Garlic, good for you and easy to grow.

Grows during the rainy season.

Growing Garlic on the Coast

Other than short bursts of activity during the planting and harvesting times, garlic has to be the lazy person's crop. Here on the coast it doesn't even need watering! Put it in the ground in October and dig it back up in late spring. There are many varieties to choose from, from mild eat-like-an-apple varieties to the kind that'll make your ears water (that's not a typo).

It really is easy. If you don't harvest the bulb it'll sprout again next year. It is not uncommon to find abandoned homesteads in this area where the garlic is still actively growing every winter.

The key to the harvest is the final size of the plant because the size of the bulb is directly related. You want the biggest, healthiest, baddest plants on the block. Remember this as you read the rest of these directions. 

Soil Preparation

Garlic doesn't care much for brand new gardening soil, especially if it has a lot of raw manure in it. Find a patch you've used before, ideally something that didn't just grow a root crop. Garlic has deep roots, so prepare the soil at least six inches deep, preferably a foot, and work in well-aged compost and bone meal if you have it. If it's going to be soggy all winter the plants will rot, so find a drier spot or build a raised bed. A fertile soil will allow the roots to do their best job in feeding the plant.

Planting

Garlic bulbs can be bought at the local nursery or on line. Separate each bulb into cloves and plant the biggest, eat the rest. Put the pointy part up. The plant will grow from that basal plate at the bottom of the clove and use up the contents of the clove for energy. Plant regular garlic six inches apart and three inches deep to that basal plate, and elephant garlic a foot apart and  four inches deep. That's for beds. If you plant in rows they can be a little bit closer. Ideally garlic likes half a square foot and elephant garlic a full square foot of room. You can plant further apart but then you have a weeding problem. 

Why plant in October? The ground is still warm and this really helps the chemical reactions that allow the plant to immediately begin establishing a large root system. Remember, you're going to want the biggest plant you can manage by harvest time next year. When the soil warms up again in the spring lots of big roots will already be in place, giving the plant a huge jump on the last part of the season.

About February someone will asks you, "How did you get your sweet corn to grow that tall this early?"  Gently explain that those knee-high plants are garlic. 

Fertilizing

Little green stems will pop up about a month or so after planting. You can put a little complete fertilizer (12-12-12) around them at this time, just scratch it into the surface. Feed them again in the spring, but quit around the middle of April.

Watering and Weeding

Weed. Garlic does not compete well with weeds, and remember, you want the biggest plant you can get. Mulching the soil will help, but do it in the spring after the soil has warmed up.

Watering is important. At the very beginning, you'll need to have moist soil to start the cloves growing. After the rains stop in late spring you may need to keep the soil moist while the plant is still actively growing. But don't water during the last few weeks of the growing cycle. That will introduce molds and fungi as the bulbs are filling out.

Harvesting

When do you harvest? When almost half of the lower leaves on the plant have turned brown. Most people wait too long and end up with bulbs that have split open and are full of dirt. Dig up a couple of plants and make a decision accordingly. Here on the coast, from the middle to the end of May is a good time. But you can't always go according to the calendar, the weather conditions determine the best time.

Lay the plants in a shady spot to cure for a few days and then dry them; spread them out, hang them up, whatever you can do to provide plenty of ventilation. After a few weeks you can cut off the tops and the roots. The bulbs will keep for up to six months in a normal well-ventilated area. Don't forget to save the biggest cloves for planting next October!