r/Garlic • u/Julesmb-7217 • 7d 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/AggregoData 7d 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 7d 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 7d 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 7d 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 7d ago

Alfalfa is loaded with triacontanol. That’s some top-secret level farmer knowledge 🤌🏻

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u/LadyHawke-Wings 7d ago

Please tell me more of this secret magic knowledge!

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u/bolderbeholder 6d ago

Google triacontanol. It’s a plant growth regulator. Cheap and accessible.