Garlic

Allium sativum, better known by its common name Garlic is a herbaceous perennial plant that is closely related to onions, leeks, shallots and other members of the Allium genus. Most widely used for its strong aromatic flavour in cooking, garlic also has known health benefits attributed to the many Sulfur compounds that are found within the plant.

Garlic is a fairly easy to grow garden staple and that has a noticeable difference in flavour from the stuff you get from the grocery store.

Garlic can be classified as either “Hardneck” or “Softneck”. Hardneck varieties produce a flowering stalk known as a scape and have a firm and woody stem. Softneck varieties do not produce a scape and have a pliable stem which is useful when making garlic braids. Most people say that hardneck varieties have the best flavour (I would have to agree) which is lucky because hardneck varieties seem to grow the best in our Canadian climate.

There are 10 distinct families of garlic within the garlic “family tree”. At Butler Farm we grow close to 40 varieties of garlic and have at least one variety from each of the 10 garlic “families”. The families are as follows Artichoke, Asiatic, Creole, Glazed Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple Stripe, Porcelain, (Standard) Purple Stripe, Rocambole, Silverskin and Turban. Each variety can have its own unique colours, flavours, and sizes. The length of time that they last in storage also ranges from 4 months to over 1 year! To learn more about the history of garlic and the 10 familial groups click here (will update the link soon). Garlic within the same family groups tend to be most similar in characteristics to each other.

How to Grow Garlic?

Unlike many garden plants, you do not plant the seeds of garlic you plant the cloves. What is a clove? A clove is actually a modified leaf structure that garlic plants use for energy storage when they go into dormancy over the cold winter months. Depending on the variety, a single garlic bulb can contain between 2-20 cloves. Because you plant a single clove from the garlic bulb and not a seed that clove is a genetically identical clone of the parent plant. This is how the different varieties of garlic are maintained and do not change much over time.

When to Plant Garlic in Canada?

In Canada, most people typically plant their garlic in the fall between late September and November depending on the location. At our farm just outside of Woodstock, Ontario (Zone 6a) we typically plant in mid-October but have planted as late as the end of November with success. When to plant depends on when your ground freezes solid for winter. In areas that experience winter and freezing temperatures earlier, plant earlier (Late September to Early October), in areas that don’t experience consistently cold temperatures until say December, plant later (Mid-October to Mid-November).

A general rule of thumb is to try to finish planting at least two to three weeks before the ground freezes. This will give the garlic time to send down roots which anchor it into the soil and help prevent the frost from heaving it out of the ground. If you plant your garlic too early it may start to send up green shoots before winter comes. This will not be the end of the world in your garlic growing journey, but it might reduce bulb size when you harvest the next summer. Any green shoots that sprout will likely be killed off (or at least knocked back) during the cold and snowy part of winter but your garlic is likely to sprout again in the spring.

I have heard of people being delayed in planting their garlic on-time and scrambling to plant after a snowfall (it happens). As long as the soil is not frozen when you plant, it should grow just fine. Even though the soil will be cold, there should be enough heat trapped in it to allow the garlic cloves to send out roots and settle in for their long winters nap.

Can I Spring Plant Garlic?

Some people plant their garlic in the Spring whether by accident (they missed planting in the Fall) or by choice (Their winters are too harsh). In some parts of Canada winters can be too cold and harsh for garlic to survive in the soil over winter or at least certain varieties of garlic (Creole, Artichoke) that are less cold hardy. If you live in one of these locations (The Territories, Northern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba Ontario or Quebec) it may be necessary to spring plant garlic.

When spring planting garlic, be sure to put the bulbs in the fridge for 2 weeks prior to planting. This cold treatment known as “vernalization” will signal the clove to sprout once it is planted out and the temperature begins to warm. If you do not vernalize your garlic, it will likely still grow but may not develop a fully formed bulb. Putting it in the fridge mimics the natural period of dormancy it would experience in the ground over the winter months. Spring planted garlic should be planted as soon as the soil is no longer frozen. This will give the spring planted garlic the most amount of time to grow and hopefully produce a good harvest.

How to Plant Garlic in Canada?

Preparing the Site
Before you plant your garlic, it is best to prepare the planting site to ensure it is ready to go. Garlic likes loose soil with good drainage, but can grow in a range of different soil types. Choose a location that gets at least 6 hours of sun during the day and even more if possible. Prior to planting, incorporate well rotted manure or compost into the soil, the amount you add in depends on your existing soil fertility. If your garden produces vegetables in abundance, you may not need to add too much extra compost or rotted manure. If your soil is poor and has low fertility, more compost or rotted manure will need to be added. A soil test may be necessary to get a sense of where your soil is at and what it needs to improve. If the soil test comes back deficient in any specific macro or micronutrient, nutrients and compost can be added to balance out the fertility. Garlic is a heavy feeder so a good 2-3 inches of compost spread on top of the soil and incorporated in prior to planting is a good bet.

Planting the Garlic

You’ve prepared your planting location, now is time to plant your garlic. It is best practice to select your biggest and best bulbs as planting stock or obtain bulbs from a reputable grower. These should be free of damage and disease, never plant diseased bulbs as there is a very good chance the disease proliferate in your planting stock and next years crop. Just before planting, take your seed garlic bulbs and split them into their individual cloves….. Under Construction, more to come