Garlic Goes in the Ground Now: Maryland Extension Says Plant Cloves in Mid- to Late October

EASTON, MARYLAND — If there is garlic in next summer's kitchen plans, the cloves go in the ground now. University of Maryland Extension's Home and Garden Information Center tells Maryland gardeners to plant individual cloves in mid- to late October, so they have time to grow roots and a few leaves before cold weather sets in.

The guide calls for a 5-inch-deep furrow, with each clove set bottom-side down and pointed tip up, then covered with 1 to 2 inches of soil. Space cloves 3 to 6 inches apart in the row. Large cloves produce larger bulbs than small ones.

Fall planting matters. Spring-planted garlic makes smaller bulbs, the guide says, because cloves must be exposed to temperatures of 32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit for two months before the bulbs enlarge.

Garlic wants deep, well-drained soil high in organic matter and does poorly in clay or compacted ground. It needs at least six hours of direct sun a day and prefers eight to 10. Extension recommends fertilizing before planting in the fall, again in April and, if needed, in late May.

Buy certified, disease-free bulbs from reputable seed sources. The guide warns against planting garlic from a grocery store, which it says may carry disease without showing symptoms.

Soft-neck garlic, the kind usually found in grocery stores, has small cloves and a long storage life. Hard-neck types send up a flower stem, called a scape, that gardeners pinch off to increase bulb size; the scapes can be used in place of scallions. A mulch of shredded leaves or straw along each side of the row helps keep weed seeds from germinating.

Fall-planted garlic takes 250 to 270 days to mature. In Central Maryland, tops begin to die back in late June to early July, and a 10-foot row can yield 5 to 9 pounds. Stored in a cool, dry basement, bulbs typically keep six to nine months after harvest.

Questions go to University of Maryland Extension's Talbot County office, 28577 Marys Court, Suite 1, in Easton, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 410-822-1244.