10 September 2020 Garlic Bed Posted on September 10, 2020 by Durgan 10 September 2020 Garlic Bed 10 September 2020 Garlic Bed Garlic is planted in October in my Zone 5.The bed is now being prepared.Planted with be about 100 cloves, some bulbils,some rounds, and some cloves from last years rounds.Th planted garlic overwinters in the ground and comes up through the mulch in early Spring.The new material will be added to the seed stock to sort of refresh the supply.The planting area was rototilled, a layer of compost added and rotilled in, and boards laid out for the rows. The area was then covered with wood chip mulch for moisture retention.The planting will be about the middle of October, and harvest will be August 2021, The wood chip mulch is ten dollars a yard and I transport it in my van in a half yard box. About 7 wheelbarrows. Generally the bed is not touched until harvest.The garlic is usually perfect and nothing attacks.
I use wood chip also around my trees and my friends do at their allotments, a perfect mulch to retain moisture and keep down weeds. Looks like you will have another bumper crop next year @Durgan. Beautifully prepared bed.!!!
Am a firm believer in wood chip mulch. I have unlimited supply for ten dollars a yard, A ten yard supply delivered in the Spring usually covers all bare ground. I also get some in a half yard box in my Van as required. Any left after the garden is finished is simply rototilled into the underlying soil.