Here are some step-by-step instructions on growing garlic in Canada (All our garlic is grown in Southern Alberta, other climates may be different). We sell seed garlic for Canadian growing on our website if you are in need. So if you need to know how to plant garlic, enjoy the info below.
- Preparing for planting. Take your hardneck garlic (best type for growing in Canada) and remove outer shell and seperate into individual cloves leaving peels on the cloves. We do this with a mechanical seperator but if you are growing in a garden application, by hand is fine. Hardneck varietes are the best for growing in Canada versus softneck varieties which are grown in Southern regions.
- Spacing. Layout a string or rope in your garden to have straight rows of garlic. Space out each garlic clove 5-6 inches apart and space the rows out 12″.
- Depth of planting. Plant each hardneck garlic clove 4 inches deep for protection against harsh Canadian winter. And cover with some type of mulching, (straw, wood, ect.) to further protectr from freeze/thaw in winter.
- When to plant. Plant garlic in early October (Again for Southern Alberta, it may be best to plant earlier or later in other parts of Canada). Garlic is planted in the fall so it has time to put some roots in the ground before winter and to give it a head start in the spring. When spring comes the first thing you will see is fresh green garlic shoots coming up. When garlic is planted in the fall it will result in a bigger bulb when it comes time to harvest. We also plant in October so we have time to irrigate once before the ground freezes, giving the soil good mositure for a start in the spring.
- Soil conditions. Planting garlic in a well drained well composted soil will give the best results. As garlic doesnt like wet feet, try to plant in a dry area and instead irrigate as needed. Some sort of natural fertilizer will grealty help your garlic produce large bulbs.
We have found that Russian Red Striped hard neck garlic is the best for growing in Southern Alberta; again, this may be different for the rest of Canada. The harsh Canadian climate is optimal for creating great hearty garlic packed with flavour. I hope this guide is helpful for growing garlic in Canada! Remember that we sell seed garlic in the fall for your planting needs.
For growing and harvesting garlic see our post here.