Tom, Tom, Tom. The _only_ dumb question is the one you don't ask. Never forget that everybody has to be a beginner sometime.

Ok, as to your questions. Garlic is a heavy feeder of all the major nutrients. There are numerous ways of providing their needs. Here's how I do it.

Before planting (at least two weeks before) I heavily amend the bed with compost. This is topped with bonemeal, dried blood, and wood ashes, applied at the rate of 1 cup each per 10/row feet. All of this is worked into the soil. If you prefer chemical fertilizers, a good 10-10-10 will do, applied as per the instructions.

Long about May, I side-dress with the same amendments, gently scratching them in.

Garlic is even worse than onions when it comes to intolerance of compeition. So keep the bed well weeded for best results.

Garlic is said to be a great companion plant for tomatoes and peppers because it repels pests. The problem is one of planning: If you fall plant your garlic, how do you then plant the tomatoes/peppers without disturbing the garlic roots?

Garlic loves full sun. But it's very forgiving, and will grow under just about any conditions.

This is the type of reply I wanted to hear. How close can I plant Tomato/Pepper plants to garlic without disturbing any roots?. Seems my garlic should be almost ready for harvesting when I put in the other plants in late May. With my newly made compost bins (3) I should have enough compost to avoid using any chemical fertilizers. "bonemeal, dried blood, and wood ashes, applied at the rate of 1 cup each per 10/row feet". Is this one cup of each? In the fall I also layer each bed with at least 6 inches of mulched leaves. These are usually tilled into the soil in the spring when I amend the beds. Since the garlic will be growing then I will have to work this out somehow differently.

Thanks. Keep posting. The help is really great.

edgman
Tom R

I have no idea how close you can put the tomatoes and peppers when working with mature garlic plants. I'd err on the side of caution, though.

Might be a better idea to divide the beds, and transplant next to the garlic, instead of interplanting. Put the garlic in in blocks, on 6" centers, using as much of the bed as you wish.

Yes, 1 cup of each amendment per ten row feet. What I do is mix equal quantities of them together in a pail, then apply 3 cups of the mix per ten row feet.

Why not just use the leaves as a mulch. Then, after you harvest the garlic, work them into the bed before planting your follow-up crops?

One reason I tll the leaves into the soil in the early spring is because around about mid-Feb, early March I plant six to eight different types of lettuce, radacchio, arugula, etc along with starting my broccoli and brussel sprouts. Also 3-4 types of spinach (no e-coli in my spinach). Think I will have to sit down and re-design my raised beds this year. Another question. I just received my shipment of three bulbs of different types of garlic which I bought on ebay (Spanish roja, Italian purple, Inchillium). Since I probably wont be planting for at least 1-1 1/2 months, whats the best way to store these bulbs till then. I read on this forum that you can freeze garlic to keep it fresh but I did that and when I left some cloves thaw out to be used they were all soft and mushy. Could not be chopped up and seem to have lost most of there taste. I'll never freeze garlic again.

Thanks again for your help. Going Striper fishin now!

edgman

Just put them in mesh bags, old stockings, or even paper bags in a cool, dry location. Definately do not freeze them.