When to plant garlic and shallots in the fall, and other winter questions

moswell Mon Sep 05, 2011 2:41 pm

I've read a few things on the board about overwintering, but if any of you in the mid-Atlantic have experience overwintering bulbs, could you provide some guidance?

1. It looks like garlic should go in around Columbus Day, or should I do it earlier in NJ?

2. Should shallots go in the same time? They're basically doing the same thing as the garlic, right?

3. Mulching: I saw a couple videos about it, so it looks like it's necessary for garlic - should I do it for the shallots too? What kind of mulch do people use, and how the heck do you get it off the ground in the spring without affecting the Mel's Mix?

Very Happy

Thanks in advance folks!

**Kelejan** Mon Sep 05, 2011 3:41 pm

moswell, with regard to mulching, I should imagine that one just lifts the layer of mulch in the spring, making sure it is not dug into the MM.
I am going to use a layer of leaves spread over the bed. In the spring a little of it will have composted and can remain on the surface and the remainder of the leaves will be taken up and put in the compost heap to finish. Very Happy

My squares are ready for my garlic and shallots, just waiting for the OK to plant ( I am in the Southern Interior of B.C.) as I know they should not be planted too soon as they need to make roots not leaves before winter sets in.

Also, does one need to cover them with a hoop house or is that only for stuff with leaves like lettuce etc?

moswell Wed Sep 07, 2011 10:24 am

Kelejan,

Good questions! I'm guessing that if the garlic and shallots are covered by a layer of mulch of some kind, then they don't need a hoop house.

It would be nice if someone else who's planted them in the fall before could provide a little guidance! Smile

quiltbea Wed Sep 07, 2011 11:54 am

I'm in southwestern Maine in zone 5a and planted garlic the first time last year around Columbus Day (Oct 10-15th is good). I covered them only with a pile of brown leaves. Harvested them this summer on July 14th.

When to plant garlic and shallots in the fall, and other winter questions 07-14-11

Here they are drying after harvesting.

**camprn** Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:57 pm

I am in zone 5a and I plan on putting my garlic in around Halloween. I will plant my shallots in the spring. In the mid Atlantic, you could wait another week or so. I Allowed the garlic to grow without the mulch until it got really cold. I used about8-10 inches of leaves and then once the snow came I piled snow on and around that bed for added insulation.
Kele, Here is a link for Canadian Hardiness zones, this my offer some good information to help you plan your planting.

Dunkinjean Tue Oct 11, 2011 9:19 pm

After searching on the internet and such about planting garlic in our area, I ordered some and received them the other day. Therefore, I just planted one square of garlic in one of my 3 beds. I also plan on planting a square of garlic in another bed in a few weeks when the bed is clear to plant. I also read to cover the garlic with leaves, mulch or hay. I am going to cover them with mowed leaves.

Once all the crops are done producing, then I clean out the beds, add the compost and cover with weed barrier with bricks on the corners to hold it down. I did this last year and worked great.

This is my first time planting garlic so we shall see! sunny

westie42 Tue Oct 11, 2011 10:31 pm

The folks just up the road 30 miles at SSE said they will plant garlic around Oct 15 we are in zone 4b, they do mulch too. At www.wegrowgarlic.com is one of the better tutorials on growing garlic including their method of pre soaking to control potential fungal issues. I plan to soak mine next week when I plant and straw mulch about 6-8 inches. This is the first year I have not just simply thrown some grocery store garlic in the ground. With $ 100 in seed stock I feel a little research and pampering is in order. You want roots to start so the bulbs don’t heave in the frost but hopefully not top development because that will just freeze off causing a minor delay next spring. Unfortunately timing your planting is educated guesswork. Commercial producers tend to leave the mulch there for summer weed , shade and moisture control. Fertalizing and watering timing is key in big bulb growth and the we grow garlic web site covers that quite well.

**RoOsTeR** Wed Oct 12, 2011 7:51 am

I just planted 7 squares on Sunday. I decided to try 9 in each square. After I see them sprouting up, I will mulch with straw.
When to plant garlic and shallots in the fall, and other winter questions IMG_20111009_183141

When to plant garlic and shallots in the fall, and other winter questions IMG_20111009_183141

This is my first time planting garlic. I watched a few youtube vids on it and decided to give it a try. Very Happy

westie42 Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:04 am

The professional growers recommend planting rows 18” apart and 6-8” clove spacing in the rows. They say 8” will give a noticeably bigger bulb at harvest. I considered 5 to a square but decided on 4 per square. It is root interference for one that causes smaller bulb harvest according to those that sell seed garlic. Roots can go down 20” which is twice as deep as the mesh at the bottom of my 10” beds. Some of what garlic prefers needs to be provided if we expect a good harvest in SFG we are not row croppers but who has told that to the garlic

moswell Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:57 am

Dunkinjean wrote:After searching on the internet and such about planting garlic in our area, I ordered some and received them the other day. Therefore, I just planted one square of garlic in one of my 3 beds. I also plan on planting a square of garlic in another bed in a few weeks when the bed is clear to plant. I also read to cover the garlic with leaves, mulch or hay. I am going to cover them with mowed leaves.

Once all the crops are done producing, then I clean out the beds, add the compost and cover with weed barrier with bricks on the corners to hold it down. I did this last year and worked great.

This is my first time planting garlic so we shall see!

Hi Dunkinjean, how many did you plant in one square, just out of curiosity? I should have plenty of leaves, so I can certainly use that for the mulch, although I don't see how I'm going to get 6 inches of mulch overtop the box. I'm going to plant this weekend, I think.

Luci Dawson Wed Oct 12, 2011 1:03 pm

Last weekend was a "fire drill" dealing with life's little surprises, so I'll be planting my garlic this weekend without fail. This is my first time trying over-wintered garlic and I understand the need for mulching them, but how much do I water them until it's time to cover them up and how much to water them once they're mulched.

Would a cup a week per plant be too much...too little...just right? :?:

**Kelejan** Wed Oct 12, 2011 6:39 pm

camprn wrote:I am in zone 5a and I plan on putting my garlic in around Halloween. I will plant my shallots in the spring. In the mid Atlantic, you could wait another week or so. I Allowed the garlic to grow without the mulch until it got really cold. I used about8-10 inches of leaves and then once the snow came I piled snow on and around that bed for added insulation.
Kele, Here is a link for Canadian Hardiness zones, this my offer some good information to help you plan your planting.

Thanks, camprn. I expanded the map unles I reached its limit, and I figure my zone to be between 4a to 5b. Rather hard to tell in our part of the world as we seem to have so many little eco-climates due to the mountain ranges. Still, I watch what and when some of our Doubhobour neighbours and try to take note of that.

Dunkinjean Mon Oct 17, 2011 12:24 am

Moswell,

I planted 9 in a square. I guess I will try to cover with as many inches of mulched leaves that I have room for. I will then cover the beds with weedblocker and hold it down with bricks on the corners and sides. Again, since this is my 1st time we shall see what happens. Best of luck to you.

flower

moswell Mon Oct 17, 2011 11:41 am

Dunkinjean wrote:Moswell,

I planted 9 in a square. I guess I will try to cover with as many inches of mulched leaves that I have room for. I will then cover the beds with weedblocker and hold it down with bricks on the corners and sides. Again, since this is my 1st time we shall see what happens. Best of luck to you.

So they don't need water during the winter? Or do you figure that enough water/snow will get through the weedblocker? I'm going to plant tomorrow - I forgot to soak the garlic cloves this weekend! Good luck to you too - hopefully we'll both have beautiful garlic next summer!

**Kelejan** Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:21 pm

moswell wrote:
Dunkinjean wrote:Moswell,

I planted 9 in a square. I guess I will try to cover with as many inches of mulched leaves that I have room for. I will then cover the beds with weedblocker and hold it down with bricks on the corners and sides. Again, since this is my 1st time we shall see what happens. Best of luck to you.

So they don't need water during the winter? Or do you figure that enough water/snow will get through the weedblocker? I'm going to plant tomorrow - I forgot to soak the garlic cloves this weekend! Good luck to you too - hopefully we'll both have beautiful garlic next summer!

I should imagine that plants like garlic, shallots and onions do not need much water during the winter as they grow so slowly and only need to put down roots and survive, ready to spring into action in the .... spring.

MoneyMan94 Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:03 pm

OK, I got my garlic in today. I was too late to order from a catalog but I was able to get it locally. The cloves are a little smaller than I hoped for but they should be ok. Here is a shot of the space I cleared for it.

When to plant garlic and shallots in the fall, and other winter questions Img_5722

When to plant garlic and shallots in the fall, and other winter questions Img_5723

This is a bed that was built (by my landscaper) prior to learning about SFG. The box is 29" wide so I just split it into 2 equal sections.

You can see I went with 4 per square(ish). On the far right I left a space for my cukes this spring.

After planting I covered garlic up and watered the soil. Then I placed a few inches of grass clippings over the top.

When to plant garlic and shallots in the fall, and other winter questions Img_5724

The next picture is a tribue to my Italian Mother-In-Law. She has harped on me to make a tool like this for quite a while. It is a dibbler of sorts bade out of a scrap of electrical conduit. I put permanent marker at every inch to see the depth I am going. It works fairly well and didn't coat a thing, it was scrap from a home project we did.

When to plant garlic and shallots in the fall, and other winter questions Img_5725

Happy Growing

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