# planting garlic how late, how wet



## duckidaho (Dec 31, 2008)

It is late in the season and the ground is wet (but not frozen). How late can we plant garlic? Usually we plant it well before now, but we've just moved and haven't gotten a garden area tilled until now.

We live in Northern Idaho, so the ground could freeze in the next few weeks. Thanks.


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## FarmersDaughter (Jul 8, 2008)

Martin will be better able to answer your question, but from what I've learned from him on this board, you are not too late. I believe (but could be wrong) that Martin has even planted some garlic in late December when the ground was frozen and it did fine. To make the job easier, though, I'd plant it before the ground is frozen.

Hollie


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## seymojo536 (Sep 14, 2004)

To quote Martin: "December 31st is the latest you can plant garlic"


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## didaho (Jan 22, 2008)

duckidaho said:


> It is late in the season and the ground is wet (but not frozen). How late can we plant garlic? Usually we plant it well before now, but we've just moved and haven't gotten a garden area tilled until now.
> 
> We live in Northern Idaho, so the ground could freeze in the next few weeks. Thanks.


I live in Nampa, southwestern Idaho and planted some just yesterday.
You have up till ground freezing. You still have time.


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## duckidaho (Dec 31, 2008)

the ground is pretty wet, will it rot?


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

Hey from Washington State! We have alot of rain here, my garlic surprisingly never seems to have any issues with wet soil in the beginning. Does the soil have good drainage and good compost, high in nitrogen, ph level if you measure around 7? My garlic is all in upraised beds and does very well here. We have had torrential rains here and I don't foresee any issues due to good drainage. Is the area where you are planting located where there is run off water or by downspouts???? That would not be a good area if it is. You can plant now but don't wait if you think it drains well enough. Some folks plant the first week of Dec even the end but again.....you want a little time to "cold set" your bulbs prior to a bad freeze and THE IDAHO EXTENSION OFFICE FOR GARDENING instructs at least TWO INCHES below soil surface, if your soil is sandy loamy type and worked up lightweighted, it can be planted deeper, mine is. Of course you must remember I live on an island....yes we have sand.....plus excellent soil once ammended. The garlic that accidently seeded itself on the soil surface in my upraised beds in prior years was always smaller and less desirable then the garlic that was planted proper depths. You can gauge it by the size of the garlic minimum three times the length of the clove you are planting should suffice. On how much mulch....that depends on how much protection you feel your garden needs. I use about 3 or 4 inches of a light mulch over the top of the soil afterward, we have wind here, you lose some, rain beats it down etc....you can use less, it depends on what you are putting on the soil too(be sure to rake that mulch back off in spring to allow for the shoots, covering it back up to leave shoots exposed). The shoots don't have to push through the mulch as long as you have raked it away. You could check your Farmer's Almanac for the winter weather predictions. Our indications are that we are in for a cold one here! The recommended time is a couple of weeks after your first 34 degree on a low temp day. I am sure you are in that time frame right now. You have some pretty cold winters out there right, alot of snow? This would be planting depths for that.... Mine is well protected against sudden cold snaps! We had drought conditions this past summer, my garlic thrived! My biggest garlic was the deeper ones...every time. Of course the IDAHO EXTENSION OFFICE also recommends hardy garlic in your planning. There are so many kinds but the hardnecked you would be happier with. It is a cute site with information all just for you in your state! It even has garden plans...tells you how to prepare your soil... Go there..... http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/resources/PDFs/BUL0775.pdf My soil is very light and well worked. It explains what to do with soil so hard you can't work it in the freeze except with an ax..... Their recommendation is to work your soil up to a lighter consistency and plant prior to freezing as Pasquebot recommends below. This guy has done that very thing.....planted in the cold cold weather..... He knows!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Get it in the ground now while it's only wet and you only need to push the cloves into the soil. If you wait too long, you'll have to use a hatchet. Then it's a lot of extra work and you'll have a hard time locating all of the chips to refill the hole! Don't worry about the present wet conditions. We've had to mud them in a few times and even planted in the rain one day this year. 

Plant the cloves no deeper than 2" above the tip unless you've got almost pure sand. They will grow even if you simply leave a clove laying atop the soil.  

With a late planting, you won't have to worry much about spring frost damage since there won't be any roots to be damaged. Thus mulching now is more for weed control than protection. That's the main reason that we use it for. I'm using a mix of shredded leaves and shredded straw about an inch thick after rain matted it down. The fields are being covered with straw right now, a month after planting.

Martin


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Got mine in today! One task accomplished.


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## duckidaho (Dec 31, 2008)

Well, it snowed. I've got half the garlic in. The ground is not frozen yet. It looks like I have a couple of dry days before it turns slushy again. I should be able to get it all in. :bouncy::bouncy:


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

For what it's worth, I have wintered large quantities of garlic in my cellar, right next to the potatoes, and planted the greening and lightly rooting cloves in rows next to my fall garlic plantings as late as mid-April.... and had many of them quickly catch up with and a surprising number surpass the winter growth. 
Martin said once, and I wholly agree; the fall planting is as much a simple way to store garlic "seed" as it is a jump-start on the next year's planting.


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