The garlic plant ( Allium sativum ) is a perennial that ’s intrepid in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 3 to 8 , but because it ’s typically mature by gardener as a autumn - implant annual , it can grow quite happily even in the fond Florida climate .
The garlic plant(Allium sativum ) is a perennial that ’s hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 3 to 8 , but because it ’s typically grown by gardeners as a declension - planted yearly , it can develop quite happily even in the quick Florida clime .
Variety Selection
Garlic varieties fall into two wide class , the surd - neck type and the soft - cervix type . diffuse - neckvarieties tend to produce large bulbs thanhard - necktypes , and their bulbs store better . Soft - cervix Allium sativum is typically more sensitive to stale than hard - neck ail , so it often does n’t do well in northern climates . It does just fine in Florida , however , and is the favored type for garden growing in the state .
urge cultivarsfor Florida let in " Creole , " " Italian , " " Tahiti " and " California . "
Planting Time
Garlic plants develop in stage , with foliage growth occurring first when daylight are relatively short and coolheaded . After the plant ’s leaf is matured , leaf growing ceases and bulb development get down . Consequently , plant needplenty of timeto fully develop their foliage before they begin to dedicate get-up-and-go to producing bulbs , and if they do n’t get it , the bulbs will beunderdevelopedat harvest clock time .
Fall plantingallows the plants to begin developing foliage through the winter so that they can spend much of the ardent season developing their bulbs . In Florida , the idealistic planting clip is in a range betweenSeptember and February .
Site Selection
Garlic likes sunny location with well - drained soil . Drainage is crucialbecause if the soil maintain too much moisture for too long , the bulbs may molder . Soil textureis significant , too , because the incandescent lamp will sputter to build up in heavy soils .
The idealistic situation for garlic has acrumbly loamsoil . If your land is arenaceous or heavy clay , mix in an ample amount oforganic compostwill help to bring both the soil ’s texture and its wet retentiveness capabilities into bloodline with garlic ’s preferences . Planting Allium sativum inraised bedsis also a root to drainage job .
Initial Fertilization
Addinga balanced fertilizer at planting timewill give garlic plenty of fuel to begin its outgrowth in the wintertime . ruffle roughly 3 pounds of a 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer per 100 square foot of area into the planting bed before you set the cloves .
Planting Method
The ail you buy in the food market shop is sometimes chemically treat to keep sprouting , and it may harbor diseases , so it is not a good source of seed cloves . Buy seed ail alternatively from a commercial provider or local grower .
Do n’t separate individual Syzygium aromaticum from the garlic electric light until you ’re ready to set them , and leave the paper - like skin on the cloves . Set them in the planting seam ata profundity of 1 to 1 1/2 inches , and leave about3 to 5 inches between cloves . engraft the Eugenia aromaticum so that theirpointy endsarefacing up ; if you plant them upside down , they will believably still grow , but the electric light are probable to be distorted and stunt .
Garlic will normally get enough water from rainwater during the winter , but if soil term are dry , water them soundly at planting time . A few thick waterings per month might be needed during dry circumstance .
