Once your crop is planted it will not do well without monitoring for moisture and weeds.
Garlic does not like competition, so weeds should be removed. Because we are growing according to organic principles it is good to avoid chemicals which are not regarded as compatible with organic growing.
Garlic likes to have moist roots, but not wet -- many areas do not need irrigation for garlic, rainfall can be sufficient, but that still means that you monitor the state of the garlic frequently. If you used liberal amounts of mulch after planting the moisture will hold well in the garlic plot.
You will want to check the nutrition of your plot. Many garlic growers add seaweed fertilisers in spring -- up to every 3 weeks. This can be very good exercise. Some growers add more substantial nutrients at various times in the growing season, depending on the results of their soil tests.
When your garlic sprouts its scapes (flower heads), you should remove them to encourage larger bulb growth.
Scapes can be eaten, cooked or raw (the 10 cm below the flower head will be the softest part of the scape. If scapes are left the flower head may develop bulbils -- these can be harvested and cured for planting next year. They will generally produce a single clove bulb, which, if harvested and cured, will produce a good bulb in the next year's crop. Removing scapes can be as easy as pulling them out, but some scapes are not so easy to pull and need to be broken off or cut off. Scapes can be dried and powdered, or preserved.
Frequent monitoring also means you will know when it is time to harvest your garlic. Look for the time when most of your garlic has one or two withering leaves. How many withered leaves for harvesting depends on the variety of garlic. Turban usually is ready for harvest at 5 or six green leaves.
Garlic does not like competition, so weeds should be removed. Because we are growing according to organic principles it is good to avoid chemicals which are not regarded as compatible with organic growing.
Garlic likes to have moist roots, but not wet -- many areas do not need irrigation for garlic, rainfall can be sufficient, but that still means that you monitor the state of the garlic frequently. If you used liberal amounts of mulch after planting the moisture will hold well in the garlic plot.
You will want to check the nutrition of your plot. Many garlic growers add seaweed fertilisers in spring -- up to every 3 weeks. This can be very good exercise. Some growers add more substantial nutrients at various times in the growing season, depending on the results of their soil tests.
When your garlic sprouts its scapes (flower heads), you should remove them to encourage larger bulb growth.
Scapes can be eaten, cooked or raw (the 10 cm below the flower head will be the softest part of the scape. If scapes are left the flower head may develop bulbils -- these can be harvested and cured for planting next year. They will generally produce a single clove bulb, which, if harvested and cured, will produce a good bulb in the next year's crop. Removing scapes can be as easy as pulling them out, but some scapes are not so easy to pull and need to be broken off or cut off. Scapes can be dried and powdered, or preserved.
Frequent monitoring also means you will know when it is time to harvest your garlic. Look for the time when most of your garlic has one or two withering leaves. How many withered leaves for harvesting depends on the variety of garlic. Turban usually is ready for harvest at 5 or six green leaves.
Your next stage is HARVESTING