Yes you can plant them now. You want the bottom of the clove roughly 3" deep (8 cm), and the cloves should be spaced 6" (15cm) apart in the rows, and the rows 12" apart (30cm). Sprinkle with a balance fertilizer, such as 10-6-4 or 10-10-10, preferably before you turn the bed.

They will do better if you then cover the bed with a thick mulch (3") of hay, straw, or well shredded leaves. In March they will start sticking their heads above the mulch, at which point give them a high nitrogen fertilizer sprinkled between the rows. Repeat the fertilizer each month, but stop by mid May.

BTW, small cloves from small bulbs will give small bulbs next year. Most people plant the largest cloves from the largest bulbs to get good sized garlic.

TomNJ

sugar maple 30-

I'm in the same predicament, only from a different area. I'm not trying to hijack your post, but I'm hoping that by joining your post, we can get some more advice. I did some research prior to yesterday, and everything suggested that I go ahead and plant my garlic, even this late in the season.

I just planted my cloves yesterday in the same manner wcthomas suggested, only I spaced my rows a bit closer. I mixed in compost when I turned the bed prior to planting, and I mulched with straw. I'm just curious what to do next. Should I water the bed? I live in the Colorado Rockies, so our ground will be frozen within the next couple weeks. Will this be okay for the garlic bulbs I just planted, or should I try to insulate the bed to postpone it's freezing?

What you a have done is fine, and the straw mulch will help insulate the bed. The idea of planting in the Fall is to get the root system started before the ground freezes. You should probably start a bit earlier next year to give about 5-6 weeks of root growth before freezing. If you have the means to further insulate, that will delay freezing and allow more root development, but you should be fine with just the mulch. And yes you should water after planting to get things started.

TomNJ