Mulch on top of Garlic and Onions?

scbusf 11/10/2010, 2:40 pm

Hi everyone! I'm in Virginia Beach, for reference.

I just planted lots of garlic, potato onions, and onion sets. I think I'm a bit late for the garlic, but oh well.

Should I cover my plants with some type of mulch? Straw?

Thanks!

Sherry

**camprn** 11/10/2010, 5:15 pm

You are not late for garlic. I will be putting mulch down after the top layer of soil begins to freeze. If you choose to go with straw, be sure you have a bale of straw and not hay. I myself am going to use shredded leaves.
CLICK HERE for a series of brief videos on how to plant and mulch garlic.

ander217 11/11/2010, 7:00 am

I would mulch if you get extremely low temps - in the teens or lower.

I mulched my potato onions with rice hulls this year, but I have used straw in the past. I don't completely cover the onions but mulch around them.

I have never mulched my garlic and haven't had a problem so far, but it grows in a bed with soil. I don't know if growing in MM makes a difference.

martha 11/11/2010, 8:10 pm

You may be early for the garlic - it is supposed to be planted after a hard frost. (I haven't planted mine yet.) And then mulch heavily. I grew it last year for the first time and it worked great. Plant it, mulch it, forget it, and voila! A mere 9 or so months later - garlic!

quiltbea 11/11/2010, 11:38 pm

All my istructions on planting garlic was to plant them at least 4 weeks before first frost so the roots can begin to grow before the ground freezes.
I have mine in here in Maine and just covered them for the winter with last year's dried leaves.

middlemamma 11/11/2010, 11:45 pm

Quiltbea? I wonder if those were instructions for Maine specifically? A lot of what I read said it was ok to brush away snow and plant into January if need be? Interesting the different instructions...

www.wegrowgarlic.com has good info also one camprn posted yesterday or so in the growing garlic thread http://www.hoodrivergarlic.com/garlic-calendar.htm#october

I think differences like this in growing information is quite interesting. Smile

quiltbea 11/11/2010, 11:54 pm

From my Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening:
"Plant garlic in fall, on or around Columbus Day in most of the country, and a little later in the Deep South. The bulbs should have a little root growth before winter, so that they won't be heaved out of the ground by frost."

I hope this helps.

middlemamma 11/12/2010, 12:07 am

How funny/sad is it that I had to look up when the heck columbus day is??..ROFL.

**camprn** 11/12/2010, 8:04 am

middlemamma wrote:A lot of what I read said it was ok to brush away snow and plant into January if need be? Interesting the different instructions...

www.wegrowgarlic.com has good info also one camprn posted yesterday or so in the growing garlic thread http://www.hoodrivergarlic.com/garlic-calendar.htm#october

I think differences like this in growing information is quite interesting.

I planted mine in early October. Next year I will plant, at the earliest, in late October. Here in the colder zones the idea is to get the roots growing before the ground freezes, but not so early that there is a lot of foliage growth. There is no way I could plant garlic in January, the ground is frozen and usually under quite a bit of snow. Zone 5a What a Face

quiltbea 11/12/2010, 2:41 pm

I didn't plant my garlic til Oct 27th because I never thought to plant any until members were 'talking' about it.

The ground hasn't frozen here yet so I'm thinking the roots had a chance to grow a bit since then and I'll have garlic next year.

Next year I'll plant it around Columbus Day, Oct 12th.
Mulch on top of Garlic and Onions? 10-27-10

Mulch on top of Garlic and Onions? 10-27-10

I planted 4 per square, in 4 different squares, two of which are in my A-frame. I've since covered them with last year's dried leaves.

auntij 2/12/2011, 11:54 pm

I came looking for an answer to a question and you kind of answered it before I asked it LOL I was going to ask if I needed to remove any of the 4 feet of snow that is sitting on my garlic....but from the sounds of it garlic just needs a decent amount of mulch (I have about 8 inches on it) and time.....If I am wrong please yell at me before I screw up about 40 bulbs

**camprn** 2/13/2011, 7:07 am

It would be safe to let the snow melt naturally. I will probably remove the mulch near the end of March.

FarmerValerie 2/13/2011, 7:52 pm

middlemamma wrote:How funny/sad is it that I had to look up when the heck columbus day is??..ROFL.

To make it easier on you, it's also my birthday!!! My dad had me convinced until I was in the third grade that everyone got out of school for my birthday. I was special!!! Back then we got out on the 12th, not the Monday before or after, so I believed him.

**camprn** 10/20/2011, 10:07 pm

quiltbea 10/21/2011, 10:29 am

Its a year later from my last post. During the early winter I mulched my garlic with several inches of dried grass. They wintered well under all the snow we got right into April. I removed the mulch when it warmed up and harvested in the summer. I got some nice garlic and have replanted again this year on Oct 10th.

Mulch on top of Garlic and Onions? 09-28-13

Mulch on top of Garlic and Onions? 09-28-13

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