"The harvest heals. It gives a sense of that wealth that only a stack of garlic or a pile of firewood or manure can represent..." --Stanley Crawford, from "A Garlic Testament".

Get Your Fall Planting Garlic While Supplies Last

Garlic is essential to many cuisines and no pantry is complete without a winter's supply harvested fresh from the garden. Plan now so you can harvest your own crop of this nutritious and flavorful wonder next year.

Seeds of Change has once again procured a supply of the highest quality, organically grown seed garlic for fall planting. While a couple varieties are already sold out for the season, we have some great ones left.

When to Plant
In mild climates (growing zones 7 to 10), garlic can be planted from September through March. Fall planting produces slightly larger and earlier yields. In colder climates (growing zones 3 to 6), the optimal planting time is about 6 weeks before the soil freezes (i.e. mid-fall), although planting in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked can produce excellent, albeit smaller, garlic yields.

Where to Plant: Soil and Culture
Garlic prefers a rich, well-drained soil, full sun, and should be weed-free throughout the season. During peak growth, side dress with aged compost or feed with compost tea, Earth Juice or other liquid organic fertilizer.

Planting Guidelines
- Separate the bulbs into individual cloves, placing the flat, scar end down 1 to 2 inches below the soil surface.
- General plant spacing is 4 - 6" apart between cloves and 6" apart between rows.
- Planting bigger cloves results in bigger plants and bulbs.
- Mulch deeply immediately after planting with leaves, straw, or old hay.

Many growers like to snap off the flower stalks when they turn under on themselves. Some say it's a waste of time. The idea is to force energy into the bulb. Regardless, the fresh tops are fabulous in stir-fries!

Harvesting Your Garlic
When approximately 50-60% of the leaves are dry (brown on the stalk), harvest the bulbs. Hang them in a storage shed that has good air circulation. Do not leave them exposed to direct sunlight or they will sunburn. Under low humidity conditions, your bulbs will be fully cured in about 2 to 3 weeks with softneck garlics requiring more curing time than hardneck varieties. When curing is complete, cut the stalks about one-half inch above the bulbs and store in netted bags at room temperature or slightly cooler (60-70F.) Bon appetit and good health!

Hardneck Varieties

Purple Italian Easy Peel Rocambole
An extremely vigorous strain which averages 4 bulbs per pound when grown well. The large cloves peel easily, making it a pleasure to cook with. Has a spicy, yet pleasant, sweet flavor.

Chesnok Red Purple Stripe
This colorful strain has a rich aroma and lingering, medium-hot flavor. The nicely-shaped, maroon-skinned bulbs average 8-10 cloves and retain their flavor when cooked.

Softneck Varieties

Mother of Pearl Silverskin
This distinct strain features a pearl white outer skin with pinkish inner layers. Highly potent and spicy flavor makes this a favorite for adding heat to any cuisine. An exceptionally long storing variety, lasting up to a year from harvest.

Chilean Silver Silverskin
A luminous, pure white garlic which is consistently large and uniform. Has a robust, balanced, but spicy flavor. Keeps up to twelve months.

Tipatilla Silverskin
Thick outer skin is white with a rosy blush. Pinkish skinned cloves have a high oil content. With excellent, well-balanced, medium-hot flavor. This strain can be stored for almost a year.

To learn more about growing this wonderful plant check out Ron Engeland's Growing Great Garlic or Stanley Crawford's A Garlic Testament.