When to remove hay from garlic bed?

[gixxerific]

Well it's not hay but... It's actually my ornamental grasses. They are thick and I hope they are hurting my garlic. Like real thick, wheh do you normally remove a covering from garlic? If it's to early, we are definitely not out of winter here yet, I could go take off some of it. I'm worried the cover is choking it out. It is growing undrneath and it has the green to white look, like it's not getting enough light. I would hate to loose any.

Thanks

[soil]

I usually don't mulch until after they sprout in the early fall. and it stays on all the way until harvest. garlic loves mulch.

[gixxerific]

I usually don't mulch until after they sprout in the early fall. and it stays on all the way until harvest. garlic loves mulch.

This is WAY more than mulch. I may have went overboard. I would take pics but it is dark now. There is about 8 inches of THICK covering on it.

[applestar]

If you think the garlic greens are getting choked and light starved by the grass, I would pull the grass away from the greens so the garlic greens are in the well, then drop some grass back, crisscross so there is plenty of wiggle room and light filtering through. Having the grass overhead will help catch any frost and protect the greens from freeze-drying.

I waited at least until I was ready to plant peas -- I.e. The ground had thawed for good -- to start thinning the mulch.

Note too that any mulch touching the greens will serve as bridge for the slugs.

[DoubleDogFarm]

All good information.

I cover mine with a few inches of hay at planting, then more after they really get growing.

Eric

[TWC015]

Garlic is very cold tolerant. I don't think the cold now will harm the plants.

My garlic always begins growing in November and December. They send up a few leaves and sit until February. None of the leaves die from the cold and we have temperatures in the lower 20s and teens several times a year. This year we had single digits one night as well. I don't mulch garlic either. In fact, I don't mulch any of my freeze tolerant plants and they all live through the winter.

[jal_ut]

I think I would remove some of that cover. It should be fine now as far as the cold is concerned. It does need some light.

[gixxerific]

Thanks all I will be removing at least some of it tomorrow. Thing is it is so dang wet out there I will have to be creative on getting it out and not stepping in the garden.

[farmerlon]

Garlic is very cold tolerant. I don't think the cold now will harm the plants.

My garlic always begins growing in November and December. They send up a few leaves and sit until February. None of the leaves die from the cold and we have temperatures in the lower 20s and teens several times a year. This year we had single digits one night as well. I don't mulch garlic either. In fact, I don't mulch any of my freeze tolerant plants and they all live through the winter.

My experience with Garlic is similar to yours.
I do mulch my garlic, usually with 2 to 3 inches of grass clippings. My Garlic is planted in the Fall... I mulch the entire Garlic bed, but leave the green tops of the plants exposed above the mulch.

[garden5]

From what I understand, the reason (well, one of them, at least) to mulch your garlic with hay, straw, etc. is to insulate the ground and protect the bulbs from the freeze-thaw cycle.

However, I think it wouldn't hurt if you removed enough so that some of the tops were sticking out. The nice thing about garlic is that if some of the tops freeze, it won't kill the plant.

Gix, with your mucky garden, I'm sure that garden BEDS are starting to look good about now. I know they do for me in spring after everything thaws out .

[gixxerific]

I pulled the most of it off there was a ton and it was very dense. Yes the covering I believe is to protect the freeze thaw cycle. That cycle can hev the bulb and damage the roots.

The beds are looking nice. I can't wait to get out there and actually start planting some things.