When to plant garlic?

Garlic is a common health vegetable and one of the indispensable condiments in the home kitchen. It has high market demand and good planting prospects. So when should garlic be planted? Let’s learn more about it below.

When to plant garlic?

Garlic planting is mainly divided into two methods: spring sowing and autumn sowing. For the Yangtze River Basin and areas to its south, autumn sowing usually starts in mid to late September each year, so that the seedlings can safely overwinter and germinate quickly in spring. In northern regions, due to lower temperatures in winter, most seeds are sown in spring, usually in April.

How to plant garlic?

1. Garlic seed selection

Choose garlic with well-developed root systems and plump cloves as seeds. The bigger the better. Damaged or wilted garlic cloves should be removed before sowing.

2. Soil selection

Garlic prefers to grow in fertile, well-drained soil. Before planting, you can improve the soil and add an appropriate amount of organic fertilizer to make the soil fertile.

3. Planting method

When planting, the garlic cloves need to be separated so that each clove can be used for planting. Then insert the garlic clove into the soil with the pointed end facing up, making sure the clove has good contact with the soil. Note that there should be a certain distance between the garlic cloves, usually about 15-20 cm between each clove.

4. Field management

(1) Watering: Water immediately after planting to keep the soil moist, but do not overwater.

(2) Fertilization: Garlic needs to be fertilized reasonably during its growth period, including base fertilizer, seedling fertilizer, winter fertilizer, bolting fertilizer and leaf spray fertilizer. Fertilization should be mainly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, combined with organic fertilizer.

(3) Weeding: Check and remove weeds around the plant regularly to prevent them from competing with the garlic for nutrients.

5. Harvest at the right time

Generally speaking, garlic can be harvested when most of the leaves have dried up and the pseudostems have become soft. When harvesting, choose sunny weather to avoid harvesting on rainy days which may cause the garlic to become damp and moldy.

In general, it is very important to choose the right planting time when planting garlic. However, when planting garlic , appropriate adjustments should be made based on local climate conditions and soil characteristics, and correct management is all that is needed afterwards.