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The best time to plant Swallowtail Farm seed garlic is in the fall, after October 8-15, depending on your location. It can be planted until the ground is frozen.

Separate garlic bulbs into cloves and plant them pointed end up, spacing them 6-8 inches apart. Ensure the cloves are buried about three times deeper than their height. Mulch well with weed-free straw, hay, or cut grasses, layering 3-6 inches to suppress weeds and retain moisture.

Although 6 inch spacing is usually enough for seed garlic, 8″ will ensure the very largest bulbs. So, a 4′ x 4′ bed will hold up to 64 plants. Since these are averages, make sure you order a bit extra. You can always eat it!

For 6” spacing: Width (feet) times 2 X Length (feet) times 2 = Cloves Needed to Plant.

For 8” spacing: Width (feet) times 1.5 X Length (feet) times 1.5 = Cloves Needed to Plant.

The number of cloves will depend on the type of garlic. As a general guide…

Porcelain………..4-6

Rocambole……..6-10 with an average of 7 good size cloves

Purple Stripe…..8

Artichoke…………12

Turban……………….5-7

Garlic struggles against weed competition. Regular weeding sessions throughout the growing season are essential for optimal bulb size. Mulching helps reduce weed pressure while retaining soil moisture, promoting garlic health.

Garlic prefers well-drained, fertile soil. Like onions, garlic is a heavy feeder and benefits from lots of compost and other soil amendments to improve its growing conditions.

Hardneck garlic varieties produce scapes, the flower stalks of the plant. These should be removed when they curl around 1-2 times, before they become woody. Scapes can be enjoyed cooked, pickled, or dried. Removing them redirects the plant’s energy towards bulb growth, resulting in larger garlic bulbs.

Ensure garlic is dry for a few weeks before harvest. Cease watering approximately three weeks before harvesting to prevent moisture-related storage issues. Wet ground at harvest can compromise the garlic’s ability to store effectively.

Prepare your seed bed by making holes about 3-4 inches deep. Ensure that the garlic clove is placed with the pointed end up and the root plate down.

Plant enough cloves to supply you with garlic through the next winter. The number of cloves per bulb varies by variety, ranging from 4 to 11.

Mulching with straw helps reduce weed pressure, protects against the winter freeze/thaw cycle, and retains moisture during the growing season.