Step 1: Compost

Because of garlic's long growing period, it makes them heavy feeders of nutrients. Along this growing journey will be many steps to giving them fresh nutrients, but step one is making sure they get a small but steady supply as they grow. Wherever you plan to plant the garlic, top it off with a small compost lasagna. Since this is an established bed (my oldest bed, actually) I kept my compost lasagna ratio a little on the lighter weight side-of-things. Very thin layer of tree mulch on top of the old soil, kind of mixed in even. Then a layer of green (I took the sweet potato vines as I harvested the potatoes in the bed next to this one) and waited about 2 weeks to let them de-moisturize. On top of that, I added a mix of green and brown grass cuttings, some fallen leaves thrown in there too. this was the thickest layer at about 3 inches. The penultimate layer is about 2ish inches of a mix of old soil and peat moss. After planting the bulbs, I added the thinnest layer of leaf mulch, but this is not necessary. The only reason I added this last layer is because we have been going through a prolonged drought, so I wanted a layer that will keep that soil moist as long as possible.

Recipe: Compost Lasagna

  • Key to a great compost lasagna is layers of green and brown compost. Sweet potato vines cut whilst harvest the sweet potatoes themselves act as the green layer to my compost lasagna.

  • Mulched grass, fallen leaves, or even shredded letter or newspaper act as the brown layers of the compost lasagna. Once you have sufficient layers, add the final layer of soil.

  • Optional: adding a very thin layer of very fine mulched leaves and grass can help with water retention and avoid the soil bleaching - or quickly losing nutrients - in the sun.

Step 2: Fertilizer Soup

Now for me, fertilizer soup is a diluted fish emulsion solution. That's it, mostly because i am lazy and also because it's the most common method. My friend Oli over at @gardening-guy is trying out a banana peel fertilizer soup when they started their garlic (Oli got the bulbs from my shop, so to be honest only difference so far is the fertilizer soup recipe. And Oli started a month ago. Not a competition.) Oli's garlic has already started to pop up, so that means the fertilizer soup did it's job - penetrate the tough outer skin the garlic bulbs got when curing and gave them a burst of energy to get things growing. Let me know if you use a different fertilizer soup recipe. As long as it's high in potassium, you'll be good to go. Oh, and make sure it soaks for 24 hours. That cured skin is pretty thick.

Step 3: Companion Planting

While garlic is a heavy feeder, that doesn't mean they're introverts. A lot of websites will tell you garlic deters pests from other plants, but legit for real right now go out to your garden and tell me if you smell garlic once it's planted. You don't, and the bugs sure don't. So ignore that part and plant winter vegetables alongside your garlic that wants nitrogen and grows above the soil line. Garlic wants all the potassium, and you don't want to disturb the garlic bulbs under the soil line. Winter vegetables you can harvest by cutting at the base and not pull up the roots are the best. I have pink celery that I am both harvesting and letting go to seed in one bed, so no disturbance there. This bed I seeded with all the viola seeds I have hoarded over the years alongside beets I am letting go to seed. Beets are NOT the best companions if you are going to harvest, but since I am using them as seeders then it is fine. I haven't figured out what the companion plant will be in the third garlic bed, but other choices are lettuce, cabbages, collards, broccoli, kale... anything leafy, really.

OK, remember when I said make sure the companions are ones where you can harvest above the soil line? It's because once you do so, those roots left behind will decompose and give the garlic another slow feeding of potassium! The plant gobbled up all the nitrogen, and because their roots are relatively thin they are quick to compost and add potassium back into the soil. Crazy, eh?!

Final Step: Waiting

And honestly... this is the hardest step. Especially for me, the world's most impatient farmer. But the good news is that while you wait there are two more key points of when to refeed your garlic:

Between bits of heavy frost - typically around end of January or February if you are in zones 7 through 9. Water the garlic with a ton of that fertilizer soup recipe you used before. The bulbing hasn't started yet, but this will keep those roots growing despite the soil temperature. If you are more up north than me, add a thick layer of mulch or straw to help keep that soil temperature from going too far past freezing.

The last time you'll want to feed your garlic will be the end of winter. This is when the garlic bulbs really begin to bulbate... bulbge? bulb out?? To get the biggest bulbs possible, you want to give them the highest dosage of potassium possible - and that's in the form of ✨️potash✨️ which... turns out to be just a fancy word for wood ash. Burn some wood in a fireplace or firepit, burn your unpaid medical bills, burn your student loan reminders, burn anything that is paper or wood. Don't mix with anything else, and REALLY DO NOT use the leftover charcoal from a grill. This potash needs to be as pure to potassium as possible.

And before you know it... those 3/4lb of garlic bulbs you started with turn into 5lbs of garlic. We shall meet again next year around April or May to discuss the curing of garlic for long-term storage. Until then, happy winter!

Garlic + Companion Plants

If you're feeling just as excited as me about garlic, then check out the seed varieties of garlic and their companion plants we have available:

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