{"id":40594,"date":"2015-10-15T18:16:42","date_gmt":"2015-10-15T22:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/?p=40594"},"modified":"2024-07-05T12:55:28","modified_gmt":"2024-07-05T16:55:28","slug":"how-to-plant-garlic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/2015\/10\/how-to-plant-garlic\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Plant Garlic this Fall for Summer Harvest"},"content":{"rendered":"

I still cultivate softnecks (Allium sativum ssp. sativum<\/i>), in part because the bulbs can be stored for up to 12 months, giving me a marketable crop year-round. But it’s hardneck garlic (A. sativum ssp. ophioscorodon<\/i>) that excites my chef-customers: The cloves have a complex, wild-garlic flavor, and the scapes, or central stems, can be used like supercharged scallions in salads, soups, and stir-fries.<\/p>\n

My business partner and I sell the biggest bulbs – of both subspecies – as planting stock, through our website<\/a> and the garlic-festival circuit, for $18 a pound. The smaller, “culinary grade\u201d bulbs bring $10 per pound at farmers markets and restaurants near our Berks County farm.<\/p>\n

As if a never-ending market season and dual (growing and cooking) consumer bases weren’t enough, there’s another reason to grow garlic for a living. You can plant the cold-hardy crop (Zones 4\u201d\u201c8) this fall, in fields left vacant after the harvest of summer crops.<\/p>\n

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Planting<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

For best results, work two yards of well-composted manure into every 1,000 square feet of soil a week or two before planting (around Columbus Day in eastern Pennsylvania’s Zone 6). Select the largest cloves from the biggest bulbs and space them 6 to 8 inches apart, sinking each clove two lengths deep, root-end down. A week later, to protect the cloves through winter, conserve moisture, and suppress weeds come spring, cover the beds with 4 to 6 inches of straw or 3 inches of chopped leaves.<\/p>\n

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Hardneck garlic (Allium sativum ssp. ophioscorodon<\/i>) boasts a complex flavor and produces scallion-like scapes, but the bulbs store for only 4 to 6 months, while the milder softnecks (A. sativum ssp. sativum<\/i>) can last a year in storage. The following heirloom picks include both subspecies.<\/h5>\n<\/p>\n

Hardnecks<\/b><\/p>\n