Last year I tried planting garlic in the spring for the first time. It was overtaken by the broccoli and many of the tops died off, so I never dug it up in the fall because I thought it was dead.
In the fall, my boyfriend added some of his mulch pile to the garden and tilled it all up. Then in the spring he adds plant food and tills it up again.
Apparently, the garlic was still "alive" because now there is a bunch all scattered about growing in the garden, BUT my boyfriend needs to till up the garden.
Before he tills, I plan on digging up that garlic because it's just all scattered about and will not work where it is.
So my question is - once I dig up that garlic, how should I store it while waiting for the garden to be ready to replant it? Not only does he need to till it up, but then I cover it with weed fabric and mark where everything goes, etc. and that could be a few days before I am ready to get that garlic back in the ground.
Should I temporarily repot it in containers for now or is it OK to just leave out as is? Should I leave the dirt around the roots or wash it off, etc.??? Should I store them in a bucket of water? I don't know what to do with it while waiting, and it could be a few days before I can replant them into their proper location in the garden.
Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you!
-
applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30545
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
That's going to be tough.
In the past I've transplanted garlic like I was transplanting a shrub -- prep a hole for it to go into, insert garden/spading fork vertically about 4 inches away from it ALL THE WAY DOWN, stepping and standing and loosen all around it -- 3x in a triangle or 4x in a square. Then carefully lift out with a shovel and transport it directly to the prepared hole and slide it in at same depth.
Garlic can be in the ground surprisingly deep, and the roots are like all alliums -- thick and brittle.
So...how would I do it if I were in your situation .... Hmmm.
IF you can't prep a garlic bed somewhere else first so you could plant as you dig them up?
I"m guessing best you could do might be to lay them down evenly on trays or in 5 gallons buckets placed sideways on the ground, then stsnd them up (I would sandwich the tray with another one or something and tap or bungee it. I think the tray would be easier to gently take them out later, compared to the bucket.
If too much roots are cut off in the process, they might not form divided cloves but turn into rounds, which can be eaten like that or planted again I the fall.
In the past I've transplanted garlic like I was transplanting a shrub -- prep a hole for it to go into, insert garden/spading fork vertically about 4 inches away from it ALL THE WAY DOWN, stepping and standing and loosen all around it -- 3x in a triangle or 4x in a square. Then carefully lift out with a shovel and transport it directly to the prepared hole and slide it in at same depth.
Garlic can be in the ground surprisingly deep, and the roots are like all alliums -- thick and brittle.
So...how would I do it if I were in your situation .... Hmmm.
IF you can't prep a garlic bed somewhere else first so you could plant as you dig them up?
I"m guessing best you could do might be to lay them down evenly on trays or in 5 gallons buckets placed sideways on the ground, then stsnd them up (I would sandwich the tray with another one or something and tap or bungee it. I think the tray would be easier to gently take them out later, compared to the bucket.
If too much roots are cut off in the process, they might not form divided cloves but turn into rounds, which can be eaten like that or planted again I the fall.
-
jal_ut
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7447
- Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
- Location: Northern Utah Zone 5
Hmmm, been a few days since this was brought up. You likely have that garlic planted by now?
I wanted to comment any way.
I would just take that garlic and with a 5 gallon bucket lying on its side lay the garlic in the bucket, soil and all, then when the bucket is full, tip it upright and cover it with a gunnysack and go set it in the shade. It will be fine in 3 or 4 days.
I wanted to comment any way.
I would just take that garlic and with a 5 gallon bucket lying on its side lay the garlic in the bucket, soil and all, then when the bucket is full, tip it upright and cover it with a gunnysack and go set it in the shade. It will be fine in 3 or 4 days.