When to plant garlic?

The timing of garlic planting is crucial, especially in northern regions where low temperatures in winter are a severe test for crop growth. If sown too early, the garlic seedlings may grow too tall, resulting in excessive consumption of nutrients stored in the mother garlic. On the other hand, if the garlic seedlings are sown too late, they will not grow enough before winter, their root system will not be fully developed, and their ability to resist cold will also be reduced. In the low temperature environment in winter, it is difficult for such seedlings to safely overwinter. So when to plant garlic?

When to plant garlic?

The time to sow garlic depends mainly on the final harvest purpose. If the purpose is to harvest garlic or garlic scapes, most growers will choose to sow in September to October. This period is conducive to the full growth and development of garlic and garlic scapes. For those who plant for the purpose of producing green garlic, the sowing time will be a little earlier, usually in August, so as to obtain tender green garlic in a shorter time.

Garlic Planting Tips

Land preparation and application of base fertilizer: Since the roots of garlic are mainly concentrated in the surface soil and have limited absorption capacity, the land needs to be properly plowed before planting. The depth of the soil should be about 20 cm to ensure that the soil is fine, flat, and compact without large lumps of soil, achieving a "even, loose, broken, and clean" state. The base fertilizer is mainly fully decomposed farmyard manure, and garbage fertilizer and wood ash can be added in appropriate amounts. The application amount per mu is about 1,500 to 2,000 kilograms. Planting is usually done in open beds, with beds 110 to 140 cm wide and 15 to 20 cm high, and good drainage is ensured.

Selection and processing of garlic cloves: Garlic cloves should be selected and graded before sowing, and garlic that matures early and has variety characteristics should be selected as seed garlic. According to size, they are divided into three levels: large, medium and small, to facilitate field management. To promote germination, soak the petals in water for 1 to 2 days.

Sowing: When sowing, start digging a trench from one end of the bed, place garlic cloves according to the plant spacing, then dig a second trench according to the row spacing, cover the first trench with the soil from the second trench, and so on. After sowing, a layer of corn stalks can be covered to prevent the soil from becoming compacted. If you want to harvest garlic and garlic scapes, the row spacing should be 13 to 20 cm and 10 to 13 cm respectively, and the seed rate should be 100 to 500 kg per mu. If growing green garlic, the row spacing should be 10 to 13 cm.

Fertilizer and water management and intertillage: Apply human and animal manure 2 to 3 times during the seedling stage, and apply heavy fertilizer once after winter to promote the elongation of garlic stalks and the expansion of garlic heads. Top dressing should avoid being too concentrated to prevent rot. Before wintering, combine watering with top dressing. Pay attention to drainage during the bulb expansion period and control the amount of nitrogen fertilizer. Intertillage should be done frequently, with deep intertillage done when the seedlings are young and shallow intertillage done when the seedlings are 35 cm tall.

Garlic stalk harvesting: Garlic stalks grow rapidly, and the best harvesting period is when the inflorescence bracts extend 7 to 10 cm out of the leaf sheath. The harvesting method is to cut the pseudostem and pull out the garlic stalks between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. every day.

Garlic harvesting: The garlic harvest period is generally in mid-to-late May. About 20 days after the garlic stalks are harvested, when one-half to one-third of the garlic leaves turn yellow, it is the appropriate period for harvesting. After harvesting, the garlic should be dried in time, first dried in the field for 10 days. After peeling the garlic whiskers, continue to ventilate and dry. When the garlic stalks are 80% to 90% dry, cut off the garlic stalks, bag them and store them in a ventilated place to avoid direct exposure to the sun.

In summary, in order to ensure that garlic can survive the cold winter smoothly, growers need to reasonably arrange the garlic planting time according to local climatic conditions and seasonal changes.