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Gardening: Growing garlic in the garden

Growing garlic in Alberta was once considered a novelty. With research and trial and error on many peoples part it is beginning to become a norm. It is becoming a profitable commercial crop and one that is most cost effective for the home owner to grow.
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Growing garlic in Alberta was once considered a novelty. With research and trial and error on many peoples part it is beginning to become a norm. It is becoming a profitable commercial crop and one that is most cost effective for the home owner to grow.

Garlic will grow in many different soils but for larger bulbs, plant in rich well drained soil. Like all bulbs, garlic does not like to have wet feet. As garlic is a heavy feeder it should be part of a rotation with cover and feeder crops. Amending the soil with compost or well-rotted manure in the fall prior to planting is beneficial.

Commercial growers plant directly into the ground but homeowners who do not use machinery to harvest and plant, have had success with raised beds as long as they are still part of the ground. Bench beds are easier to work on but more susceptible to frigid and changing temperatures.

Before planting purchase garlic bulbs from a reputable source. Not all garlic will grow in Alberta. Mark and Brenda from Deep Roots Farm just east of Red Deer have trialed many different types of garlic. They found that it often takes three seasons of planting cloves before the bulbs acclimatize and consistently produce larger bulbs. For that reason it is recommended that growers harvest and reseed their bulbs as opposed to buying fresh each season. Even when purchasing local planting bulbs, it is nor guaranteed that the first year crop will be as large as the bulb originally purchased. Growing garlic takes time and patience.

A good bulb should be mid-sized and contain five or six cloves that are large enough to plant and a few smaller ones that will be good to eat. Mark separates his garlic bulbs into appropriate food or seed once the tops have died back.

Bulbs should be free of mold and have their outer skins intact at time of purchase regardless of the end use. If stored in a cool, (15-18 C) dry location with good air circulation garlic bulbs last four to eight months.

This year Deep Roots Farm is selling Georgian Fire, Tibetan and a variety of Red Russian for eating. They also have the Red Russian for sale as seed garlic.

The taste of each variety of bulb differs. Georgian Fire is hot when eaten raw and is great in salsa. When roasted it turns creamy like butter with a garlic kick.

When eaten raw Tibetan first appears to be mild but by the time it is swallowed the mouth is filled with a warm or hot sensation.

Russian Red is the the go to garlic for the home gardener and is also popular with the commercial growers. It has a deep, rich flavor with a bit of heat but is rarely considered hot.

Before planting work the soil to a depth of approximately six inches (15 cm). Dig the furrows and prepare the garlic for planting. Hitting the garlic head into a hard surface, root side up, cracks the garlic bulb causing the cloves to separate from the old stem and bottom, basal plate. It is best to separate the cloves on the day of planting. If cracked to early the roots of the cloves start to dry. Do not peal the cloves as the papery skin provides protection.

Remove each clove carefully and place it in the furrow pointy side up. Place cloves between four to six inches (10-15 cm) apart in the furrow with similar distance between the furrows. Be sure to set up the furrows to allow them to be hand weeded as the bulbs do not do well with competition. When the furrow is filled in the top of the garlic clove should be at least two inches (5.5 cm) below the surface.

Mulch can be added to the top just before freeze up. It like snow will provide insulation against the cold and changing temperatures.

In Central Alberta, garlic cloves are planted the last couple of weeks of September, the first part of October depending on the weather. The cloves need a few weeks to put down roots and develop clove buds before the ground freezes.

Fall Markets, Deep Roots Farm, Steel Pony Farm, Olds College’s Friday noon sales and Garlic City held at the Piper Creek Gardens on Sept. 30 are all good places to find locally grown garlic bulbs.

Linda Tomlinson is a horticulturalist that lives near Rocky Mountain House. She can be reached at your_garden@hotmail.com