Today, we’re sharing tips on how to plant garlic seeds and tulip bulbs for the upcoming season. Garlic is one of the easiest crops to grow, and tulips bring beauty and biodiversity to your garden. Let’s get into it!
- Preparing Your Garlic for Planting
One key is selecting the right garlic bulbs. After harvesting, we cure the garlic bulbs, allowing them to dry out, which preps them for either cooking or seed.
- Smaller garlic bulbs: These are perfect for cooking and using in recipes.
- Larger bulbs: Save these for seed! They’ll produce bigger garlic heads next season.
When you’re separating the cloves, remember that the largest ones are your future seed.
- When to Plant Garlic
Garlic is planted in the fall, and timing is key. Here in Maine (zone 5b), we aim to plant garlic between Halloween and Thanksgiving. If planted too early, the garlic will send up shoots that can dry out during the cold winter months. To avoid this, you want the garlic to produce a small shoot, about 2-3 inches, before winter sets in.
- Preparing the Garden Bed
At Coast of Maine, we suggest no-till gardening. Instead of disturbing the soil layers, we build on top of the soil with amendments like fish bone meal, alfalfa meal, and compost. This technique maintains healthy biology in the topsoil, which is crucial for plant growth.
Before planting, we loosen the soil using a broad fork. This helps with root development for both garlic and tulips. You’ll want to top dress your soil with fish bone meal and kelp to encourage strong root growth before winter hits.
- Planting Garlic and Tulip Bulbs Together
Garlic and tulips make a great pair! We love planting garlic around the perimeter of our tulips as it helps to deter deer (though desperate deer might still nibble).
Here’s the layout:
- Garlic goes down the middle of the bed.
- Tulips are planted on either side.
- Garlic Planting Tips
When planting garlic:
- Spacing: Plant cloves 5-6 inches apart to give them enough space to grow big heads.
- Depth: Make sure to cover the garlic with about six inches of compost. This insulates the bulbs over winter, protecting them from the cold.
- Tulip Planting Tips
Tulips can be planted in two different ways:
- Single row: Ideal for companion planting with garlic.
- Mass planting: A dense trench of bulbs. Tulips don’t need as much space as garlic, and you can even plant other crops in the same spot after they bloom.
Whichever method you choose, always ensure the bulbs have a six-inch layer of compost for protection.
- Dealing with Pests
Winter pests like deer can be a problem. To protect your bulbs:
- Lay chicken wire over the beds once the snow melts.
- Sprinkle red pepper flakes around the beds to deter deer (they only need to taste it once to stay away!).
- Final Steps
Once your bulbs are planted and covered with compost, you’re good to go! Make sure to walk your fields regularly to check for frost heaving, deer, and other pests.
We hope this guide helps you get your garlic and tulips planted successfully this fall!
