How to Plant Garlic Bulb Sets
Garlic bulb sets are garlic heads that have been selected as disease-free for use by gardeners. The garlic bulb or "head" is separated into cloves and each clove is planted and becomes a new bulb. Preparation of the soil and planting the bulbs is the most labor-intensive process of growing garlic, since it is planted approximately four to six weeks before the ground freezes and is harvested in late spring to early summer. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Loosen the soil in the garden bed with a garden fork to the depth of the fork tines.
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Add 2 to 3 inches of compost to the top of the garden bed and rake it smooth with a garden rake.
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Make shallow furrows approximately 1/2 inch deep and 6 inches apart with the handle of the garden rake.
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Break the garlic bulbs into individual cloves. Set any small cloves aside and use them for cooking rather than planting, since larger cloves will yield better results.
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Push each clove into the ground, pointy end up, every 4 inches along the length of the furrows. Each clove should be approximately 2 inches deep into the ground.
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Rake over the fully planted garden bed with a garden rake and smooth over the furrows. Water the bed thoroughly.
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Cover the bed with a layer of hay or leaves. The garlic can be dug up with a garden fork after 90 to 100 days.
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Tips & Warnings
Make a diagram of your planting so you will remember where the bulbs are at harvesting time.
Harvest when there are three to four green leaves and only one or two turning brown.
Garlic plantings complement carrots, lettuce and beets.
Avoid planting garlic in a bed where you have grown garlic in the previous season, or near beans and peas.
Dig carefully to avoid damaging the bulbs.
References
- Photo Credit Blue Jean Images/Digital Vision/Getty Images
