time to get the garlic out!

no, not against the Halloween vampires-it's time to get ready to plant.I';m just waiting for some cooler weather-should come as early as Friday.

My bed has been broadforked twice; compost greensand , lime and organic fertilizer mixed  in.They are going to live in that bed until next July so we want them happy.I might add; the shallots and multiplier onions get moved/planted in front of the garlic; they are smaller and need the sun.( Multipliers give us spring green onions mostly)

I plant the first row six inches apart; then stagger a row 3 inches down, and each clove in the middle of the row before not directly in front of them.. this planting makes the most of space.Push each clove in and then cover the bed with loose straw ( leave off the shallots until after the first freeze. they can rot if covered.)

I don't soak, add a bit of clorox, or baking soda, anything; buying organic garlic means the cloves are as clean as you could want. but if you got to the store of have some excess garlic to try, I would put them in a baking soda bath for a few minutes; tear off any blackened wrappers as well. Commercial fields are a bit more prone to disease.

Garlic is easy, and fun. remove the straw in the spring; put on more compost; keep them weeded. Remember you can eat the garlic scapes ( flowers) and if any garlic got left behind when you harvested this year, the garlic shoots that come up -should be up now, are excellent fro many uses. Stir fry, salads....