The one crop worth planting this week (and the chore you can skip)
What if the best planting decision of your year involves a trowel, a few cloves, and months of neglect? Welcome to garlic season.
Plant garlic, then walk away
The window is friendlier than you think. UMass Extension suggests planting October 1 to November 15, pointed end up, 2 to 4 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches apart. UMN says one to two weeks after your first killing frost, and warns against grocery store garlic.
Mulch comes later: UMass recommends 6 to 12 inches of straw in mid to late November as the ground begins to freeze; UMN suggests 3 to 4 inches of leaves or straw. A shoot may peek from the clove, but UMN says it usually stays underground until spring.
Here is the fun part: softneck is not a fixed personality. UMN notes a softneck variety can grow a flowering stalk, hardneck style, in a different climate.
Skip the big cut, mind the mulch
Resist the urge to clear-cut the perennial garden. Iowa State Extension advises leaving stems and seed heads standing to protect crowns and pollinators, then spreading about 4 inches of mulch after the ground freezes, around late November in Iowa, to prevent frost heaving, and cautions against mulching too early.
In the vegetable garden, ISU recommends clearing debris after the first frost, since most edible crop pests and diseases overwinter on it. Compost it only if your pile reaches about 140°F; otherwise, municipal compost.
Bottom line
- Plant cloves pointed end up, then mulch as the ground begins to freeze.
- Leave perennial stems standing; mulch after the ground freezes, not before.
Your zone
- Zones 3 to 4: In Minnesota, UMN says plant one to two weeks after the first killing frost and mulch 3 to 4 inches deep.
- Zones 5 to 6: UMass Extension's New England guidance gives an October 1 to November 15 planting window and mid to late November straw mulch.
- Zones 9 to 10: UC ANR's San Francisco Bay Area checklist (zones 9a to 10a) runs fall chores October through December, garlic included.
This week: plant a few cloves, pointed end up, before your soil freezes.
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