Get Ready to Plant Garlic

​Garlic is part of the Onion family. It is a herbaceous perennial that we grow as an annual in Wisconsin. Garlic can be grown in Wisconsin’s Zone 3 and warmer to Zones 6-7; however, you need to make sure the cultivar is hardy for your zone.  Garlic is a monocot with basal leave formations. Garlic is comprised of multiple cloves. Cloves arise from an axillary bulb. Leaves are solid, flattened and folded.

Growing Habits
Garlic prefers full sun, and grows best in 20% organic matter. Sandy soils are better than clay soils. Due to the shallow root system they tend to dry out quickly, so regular watering is best. Bulb expansion can be impeded in heavy clay soils, especially if they dry out. Prepare the soil well before planting to provide a loose growing bed for bulb growth. Garlic does not compete well with weeds, keeping weeds down in essential to good yield.  Plant garlic in an area where you have not planted onions, chives, leeks, shallots or garlic for the past four years.
 
Different Kinds of Garlic
Garlic has two cultivars, hardneck and softneck.  Hardneck types are quite similar to wild garlic. They produce a woody flower stalk – called a scape – while softneck types do not. If flowers are produced, they usually abort and form bulbils (small, aerial cloves) instead.  Although these bulbs can be planted, the bulbils they form will be very small, requiring two or three years to reach usable size. Some types may not produce large bulbs unless the flower stalks are removed. Hardneck types typically have four to 12 cloves in a single circle surrounding the stiff stalk (which can’t be braided) and generally do not store well. These types perform best where winters are long and the season of vegetative growth is relatively short. Within this group, there are three further subdivisions:

• Rocamboles (R) are the most commonly grown hardneck garlics, having exceptional flavor. There is some confusion with the term ‘Rocambole’ because it has also been applied to another Allium species, A. scorodoprasum. Rocambole garlics have dark green or blue green leaves, a moderate spreading shape and a tightly coiled flower stalk with one to three loops. The bulbs are off-white with various amounts of purple blush or streaking, and 6-11 plump, dull colored, easy-to-peel cloves. Because they begin root growth in the early fall, they generally have a limited season of 3 to 4 months before quality deteriorates in storage.
• Porcelain (P) garlics are not very common in North America. They are taller than Rocamboles, with pale to deep green leaves and looping or irregularly coiled scapes. The bulbs are a satiny white with only 4-6 large cloves that are more difficult to peel than the Rocamboles (but easier than soft necks). These types store longer than Rocamboles, for 4 to 8 months. Their flavor is often mild at harvest but intensifies during storage.
• Purple Stripe (PS) or purple streaked garlics have bright purple streaks and blotches on both bulb wrappers and clove skins. They are also very flavorful, with most having 8-12 cloves. These types store slightly longer than Rocamboles and peel just as easily. The leaves on the plant grow at wider angles to the stem than Rocambole types do, and the scapes often make perfect 270-degree curls.

 
Some varieties that do well in Wisconsin are:

• Brown Tempest’ (PS) – brown cloves with a hint of pink blush and no stripes. This has 6 cloves. It stores longer than many hardnecks.
• Chesnock Red’ (PS) – a good performer that holds its shape and retains flavor after it is cooked. This has 8-12 cloves.
• Killarney Red’ (R) – is better adapted to wet conditions than most others. Produces 8-10 pink easy-to-peel cloves.
• Polish White’ (P) – Large cloves

 
Softneck types generally don’t form a scape and therefore the soft necks can be braided. These types are better adapted to areas with long seasons and mild winters. They typically produce 10-40 cloves and often can be stored for 6-9 months.
 
Planting Instructions
Garlic is usually planted with cloves.  Purchase bulbs from national or local garlic seed producers.  Separate individual cloves a day or two before planting. This can prevent disease.  Plant about 2 weeks around the first killing frost or when the ground is around 50⁰. Separate the cloves and plant 2-3 inches down about 6 inches apart.  Plant cloves pointed side up.  Cover beds with three to four inches of leaf or straw mulch to prevent fluctuating temperatures during the winter and early spring, and to help control weeds.
 
Remove the mulch in the spring after the threat of hard freezes is over to help the soil warm up. You can also leave it in place to help with weed control and preserve soil moisture. 
 
If the soil is 2% organic matter than apply Nitrogen 60 lb/acre, then apply again in the spring two weeks after the scapes emerge, then a 3rd application one month after the second application.
 
Proper watering will help growth of your garlic plants. Soak the soil thoroughly when watering, to a depth of at least one inch each week during the growing season, start to cut back in mid-July to Mid-August. Sandy soils require more frequent watering.  Stop watering two weeks before harvest to avoid staining bulb wrappers and promoting disease.
 
Insects and Diseases
Garlic has few insects or diseases.
 
To avoid diseases, plant only healthy cloves, manage weeds in the garden and take care not to injure garlic bulbs while working in the garden.
 
Harvesting
Knowing when to harvest is a little tricky, since different varieties mature at different times. Harvest too early and the small bulbs will not store well; harvest too late and the cloves may pop out of their skins, making them susceptible to disease. 
 
In general, garlic is ready to harvest when half of the leaves have turned brown. You can dig a couple of “test” plants to make sure their cloves fill the skins. Loosen the soil around the garlic, do not pull out of the ground. Cure in a well-ventilated room for 3-4 weeks. Hard necked garlic can keep at room temperature for 3-4 months, however at 32 degrees garlic can keep up to seven months.

Article by:  Jill Washkuh, Master Gardener Volunteer Intern