September is Garlic planting season

Old gardeners have a saying: “It’s time to plant garlic when the children go to school, and it is ready to harvest when they get out of school.”

As we live in Louisiana, garlic is a staple in just about every Cajun dish. Why not produce your own this year?

Garlic is a long-term crop; meaning it takes about 9 months to produce bulbs. September and October are the best times to plant garlic in Louisiana with harvest being in May and June. This means that you should plant garlic in a sunny location that you will not need for your Spring garden. You can build rows on the edges of your garden area for this purpose.

Garlic thrives in rich, well-drained soils. It is a good idea to build high rows rich with organic matter. Garlic requires a good bit of fertilizer. Before planting, 6-7 pounds of 13-13-13 should be applied per 100 foot of row, or 300-400 sq. ft.

Garlic is planted from the cloves, which are separated from the bulb and planted 2-3” deep. All cloves should be planted vertically base down to make bulbs with straight necks. Plant garlic double drilled (zig zag pattern) 12” apart. The most popular variety of garlic in Southern Louisiana is Elephant garlic or Tahiti.

Mulch garlic for weed management.

Side dressing garlic should be done 3 times per season with 1-2lbs of calcium nitrate per 100 ft of row, or 300 sq. ft. The side dressing should be done 1) when the plant come up (about 3-4 weeks after planting, 2) when growth starts in February and 3) 3-4 weeks after second side dressing.

Garlic is ready to harvest when the tops turn yellow. This typically occurs in May to early June. To dry bulbs, hang them upside down in a covered shed for 5-7 days. After dry, cut the roots leaving only ½” to the bulb. The major pest of garlic are bulb rot and thrips.