Garlic

Hardneck: Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon and Softneck: Allium sativum var. sativum

Garlic is a great low maintenance plant but it is sensitive to daylength and matures during the longest days of the summer. Fall planting gives it a jumpstart on the growing season. In fact, cloves or young plants must be exposed to at least 30 days with temperatures between 32 to 50oF to initiate bulbing.

Garlic doesn't take up much space and is easy to grow, but good soil preparation is necessary to ensure the best and biggest bulbs. They need deeply cultivated, well-drained, rich soil with a pH of 6.4 to 6.8. Garlic will be ready for harvest in early June, when the lower third to half of the leaves have turned brown and are wilted, but the upper leaves are still green.

The 13 varieties here were planted in November and “slept” through the winter months without the need for shelter or covers. They “woke up” this spring and will be harvested mid -June. Fun fact: all of the garlic grown in Oklahoma is produced by 28 growers on just nine acres of land!

Photo Credit: University of New Hampshire Extension and Stock Photo

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