Growing Garlic in North Eastern Pennsylvania

Growing garlic in the hard clay soil of NEPA can be a little daunting considering garlic loves warm climates with well-drained fertile soil.  Aside from investing in a really good hand-tiller (I have used the Mantis Tiller for over 8 yrs now and highly recommend it as I believe it has saved me a trip to the chiropractor more than once). I added my composted leaves/ lawn clippings, green sand, pulverized limestone, peatmoss, and composted manure to break up this mess and actually allow some air to get into the soil. Please note that while I do recommend tilling to break up clay soils, once the soil has been conditioned adequately enough so that it becomes easily workable..tilling should be kept to a minimum so as not to disturb the beneficial earthworms and other organisms that are now enriching the soil naturally.

I purchased my garlic from the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival and planted it last October before the first hard frost.

Clockwise from the top: Italian Purple, Spanish Roja, Elephant, and Polish garlic

I used leaves as a natural mulch to protect against the harsh winter temperatures, but the excessive snowfall acted just like a blanket insulating the ground from any harsh winds. I had hoped all the snow wouldn't waterlog the ground and rot the bulbs before they had a chance to start....and today I got my answer:

My garlic, about 3" tall and looking good so far! Once the soil dries out I will side-dress with bone meal and other soil amendments and should be ready to harvest once the stems turn brown and begin to dry in Mid-July. It will then need to be cured for about two weeks before ready to eat.


May 15, 2010: Just an update on my garlic growing progress....they are about 2 feet tall now and looking good!...Should be ready to harvest in Mid-July.

So far, so good!
Happy Gardening 2010