Growing Vegetables - How to grow extra large garlic the easy way (fall planting)

Learn how to plant garlic - Differences between hardneck and softneck - Buying nematode free seed garlic. Watch as I plant my garlic. Become a better gardener, Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/Gardenfundamentals1?sub_confirmation=1 Share with a friend: https://youtu.be/NuCqoGZEcks ----------------------- Free Stuff: Free Garden eBook: 24 1/2 Garden Design Ideas: http://www.gardenfundamentals.com/24-1-2-garden-design-ideas/ ----------------------- My Books: Garden Myths: http://www.gardenmyths.com/garden-myths-book-1/ Building Natural Ponds: http://www.buildingnaturalponds.com/ ------------------------ Free Resources: Garden Fundamentals Blog - lots of gardening information: http://www.gardenfundamentals.com/ Garden Fundamentals Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GardenFundamentals/ My Garden Myths Blog: http://www.gardenmyths.com/ Building Natural Ponds Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/buildingnaturalponds/ ----------------------- Recommended Playlists Seed Germination - Everything you need to know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dirz0WIMQi0&list=PLq7hmpP9i05Ska3k7gaBCvNCT9gN_tYaj Garden Myths: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tH7Q945gKU&list=PLq7hmpP9i05Sly9y2s-Hj7Fn-ArqKsguQ ----------------------- How to grow extra large garlic the easy way (fall planting) Garlic Myths about hardneck and softneck garlic: http://www.gardenmyths.com/growing-garlic-softneck-hardneck/ Growing Garlic: http://www.gardenfundamentals.com/growing-garlic/ Today I’ll explain the difference between hardneck and softneck garlic. I’ll Give you some pointers on where to buy your seed garlic, and talk about the importance of nematodes. Then I’ll then show you how I plant my garlic. Hardneck garlic tends to have a stronger flavor but that depends a lot on the variety you grow. It makes larger cloves and is more cold hardy. Hardneck is grown mostly by gardeners in colder climates. Softneck garlic can be stored longer and makes smaller cloves. The soft neck allows you to braid them together, something that you can’t do with hardneck. Most Softneck do not make flower scapes. This can be a plus or minus. Flower scapes need to be removed in mid summer creating more work. But some people like to eat them and see them as a bonus crop. Softscape is more popular in warm climates. Garlic is mostly pest free, but it does have one pest which can be serious – the bloat nematode. This is a microscopic worm which attacks the garlic bulb and a heavy infestation will destroy your crop. Once in your soil it is difficult to get rid of. I am now going to show you exactly how I plant garlic. I am in zone 5, and I harvest my garlic around mid August. The garlic heads are dried and then ….most of the stem is removed. They will sit in my shed until around mid September when it is planting time. In northern climates you want to plant once you have some cool nights. I don’t think the time is that critical and I probably plant sooner than most people. I like to give the bulbs as much time as possible to set down a good root system before the ground freezes. The first step is to select the biggest cloves from the previous harvest. The theory is that if you plant big cloves you will grow big cloves. There seems to be no scientific evidence that this is true, but there is no harm in following this advice. Any bulb that shows damage should be sent to the kitchen for eating. You only want to plant the best bulbs you have. The next step is to take your selected heads and break them into individual cloves. As I go through this process you can clearly see the hard stem in the center. If you have any smaller cloves – don’t plant them, eat them instead. Leave the paper coating on the cloves because it might provide some protection once it is planted. If some of the coating comes off it doesn’t really matter – the clove will still grow. The next step is to prepare the planting bed. I don’t believe in digging up the vegetable garden before planting. You will have healthier soil if you disturb it as little as possible. I plant my garlic in the same row every year. Crop rotation makes sense in a large garden but in most small home gardens,…. like mine – …..there is no benefit in doing it. I also don’t fertilize. The crop last year was good and bulbs were large, so the soil clearly has enough nutrients. Why add more if it is not needed. Besides…. some of the straw I use will decompose and add nutrients. Most gardeners fertilize far too much. I simply rake the surface of the soil a bit to make it level, and then using the edge of the rake, I make a small furrow 4- 5” deep. Then take the cloves and set them about 6” apart. Cover with soil. List of Credits: Images: All slides and videos belong to GardenFundamentals.com or are public domain images, except for the following: Music: Kevin Macleod: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/