I forgot to plant garlic in the fall this year, so I tried planting some in the spring. They started off well, but recently I've noticed many of the leaves are turning brown and some garlic plants have disappeared altogether. I thought it was due to lack of water, so I increased the moisture levels, but the garlic isn't thriving like the rest of my garden. Surprisingly, the garlic near my peas looks decent, but those in the shade of my kale seem to have vanished entirely. I'm wondering if I can still save the ones that are still growing and looking for any tips on successfully growing spring garlic. Has anyone had better luck with this?
2 Answers
I’ve heard that planting garlic in the spring can be tricky, especially if it doesn’t get enough chill time. It might be different depending on your climate, but spring-planted garlic usually doesn’t grow as robustly as fall-planted ones. Also, are you planting hard neck or soft neck garlic? Hard neck varieties need that chill period, while soft neck don't and often produce differently.
Garlic is a heavy feeder, so when you see the leaf tips starting to yellow, that's a signal to add some nitrogen. It sounds like the garlic near your peas is doing well because they enjoy that extra nitrogen boost. Definitely time to feed your garlic to help them perk up!
I had no idea! That definitely makes sense. Sounds like I need to get some fertilizer for my garlic too.
I was told the same thing! I think I’m planting soft neck garlic since I bought spring garlic specifically for my zone.