Did you know garlic has a reputation for keeping vampires at bay? While we can’t guarantee it will protect you from the undead, planting garlic in your fall garden comes with plenty of real-life benefits for you and your soil.
Fun Facts About Garlic:
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Ancient Superfood: Garlic has been used for thousands of years for both cooking and medicinal purposes. The Egyptians even buried it with their pharaohs!
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Natural Pest Repellent: Garlic’s strong scent helps deter pesky insects, keeping your garden healthier.
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Immune Booster: Consuming garlic can help support your immune system during the cold months ahead.
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Versatile Crop: Plant garlic in fall and harvest in late spring or early summer for fresh, flavorful bulbs.
Why Plant Garlic in the Fall:
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Garlic needs a cold period to develop large bulbs—planting in fall allows the cloves to establish roots before winter.
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Fall planting gives garlic a head start on spring growth, leading to bigger, tastier bulbs.
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Garlic is low-maintenance, thrives in most soils (especially rich, organic soil), and can be layered with other crops for a productive garden.
How Garlic Benefits Your Organic Soil:
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Garlic’s roots help aerate the soil as they grow, improving structure and drainage.
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Its natural compounds can suppress harmful soil-borne pathogens, keeping your garden healthier.
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Adding mulch around garlic helps retain soil moisture and build organic matter over the winter, enriching the soil for spring planting.
How to Plant Garlic:
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Choose healthy cloves from a trusted variety.
- Amend soil with Coast of Maine Organic Soil. We suggest Quoddy Blend Lobster Compost.
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Plant each clove 2 inches deep, pointed end up, spaced about 4-6 inches apart.
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Mulch with straw or leaves to protect over winter and retain moisture.
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Watch your garlic grow as the soil warms, ready for harvest in late spring or early summer.
Planting garlic this fall isn’t just practical—it’s a magical, protective, and delicious addition to your garden. Who knows? You might just keep a few mythical vampires at bay along the way.
