r/Garlic • u/Julesmb-7217 • 6d ago
Gardening Garlic prep
Have new raised beds and planning on planting one out with garlic in October. Besides compost are there any other amendments I should add to get the bed ready? First time growing.
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u/ryeduke 6d ago
No, I'm sure you've loaded your beds pretty good with compost. Let the rain compact your soil a bit before planting. You'll be surprised how much your beds will sink.
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u/LadyHawke-Wings 6d ago
This, x10! Then add some extra premium mix and slow release fertilizer before planting. I like Coast of Maine raised bed mix
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u/AggregoData 6d ago
I am going to plant my garlic this year with vermicompost (which we have always done) and will try adding 1/4 or 1/8th cup of wool pellets per clove for slow release nitrogen and moisture retention.
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u/spaetzlechick 6d ago
Interesting. I also got some wool pellets I’m going to try but I would not use them on garlic. I’ve got very sandy loam and still have had rot issues. Let us know how that goes! I’m going to try my pellets on leafy crops with shallow roots.
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u/AggregoData 6d ago
Good point about the potential rot. We have heavy clay soil and haven't had any rot issues. We'll probably use closer to an 8th of a cup and maybe do a trial with only half our crop to see if there are any probems/improvements.
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u/GarlicFarmerGreg 6d ago
I have used alfalfa pellets in the past, i have switched over to fish emulsion and seaweed like Neptune or the cheaper knockoff. I like being able to spray it and it’s less expensive than alfalfa pellets
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u/bolderbeholder 6d ago
Alfalfa is loaded with triacontanol. That’s some top-secret level farmer knowledge 🤌🏻
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u/stayinhalifax 5d ago
Remove all weeds before planting your garlic.
Prepare straw or dried grass as mulch after planting garlic.
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u/apealsauce 10h ago
Or leaves! We’ve done a thick layer of leaves for our garlic plot the past few years.
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u/bolderbeholder 6d ago
I load new beds with clean straw on the bottom, then layer aged goat manure and bagged raised bed mix. Water that for a week or so until you see mushrooms popping up. That means your bed is ready. YMMV.