Last November, we planted 225 garlic cloves—three rows of 75. This was our first year scaling up our garlic production. The previous year we started with just 8 bulbs of garlic seed stock that came from Elysian Lake Farm, which despite the name, is actually on the shores of Lakelse Lake, BC, just outside of Terrace, BC.
From this seed stock we were able to grow 40 decent-sized bulbs which we cured and kept for our planting last fall.
Before planting we spread 4 inches of compost on top of the bed, then pushed the garlic cloves deep into the compost until the basal plate was firmly against the soil. With so much compost (two thirds of which was made from horse manure feedstock) and no soil tests to guide me, I was somewhat concerned about there being too much nitrogen and I would get all green and no bulb, but as it turned out, I did not need to worry.
By late January the plants had established a strong root system and the green shoots were looking healthy.
By early May the garlic was looking great. At this point we applied a bit more compost mulch and a grass cutting side dressing to keep the weeds down. Again, I was a bit worried about the possibility of too much nitrogen.
When it finally came time to dig up the bulbs we were pleasantly surprised. Concerns about too much nitrogen and no bulb development were quickly put aside as we dug up one large bulb after another. The harvested plants were moved to a curing area next to our barn.
We took 90 of the best bulbs and put them aside for the next year's planting and sold the rest, mostly to people that were pickling the cucumbers we also produced this year.
We are really looking forward to next year's planting and harvest. We are planning to double our planting to 450 bulbs.
— VVF