i mulched when i planted too. garlic plants seem to be doing very well, grew up through the thick hay and getting dark green now that the weather's warmer.

it is probably fine,,how deep did you mulch it? and with what?,,,,,depending on what you did for soil prep, if you want you can give them a shot of fertilizer once they are 6 inch high or so. have you dug down to see whats happening, you will probably see roots and shoots.

I've grown garlic mulched both ways; Spring & Fall. SSE uses Fall mulching on their garlic, right after planting.

I used straw one year, Fall mulched... it was a disaster. Too much wheat seed was in the straw, it was a major weeding task in Spring.

Now I mostly mulch with green marsh hay in Spring; far fewer weeds, and the hay decomposes faster, releasing nutrients to the garlic. Better still, use alfalfa hay, if you can find it. If you have the space to do so, it's better to buy green hay from the second cutting, and hold it over in a dry place until Spring... fewer weed seeds than the first cutting. I add fresh grass clippings on top of the hay, as it breaks down and/or is eaten by earthworms.

Don't know about leaves; I would be concerned if they formed a soggy wet mat, just as I would for too many fresh grass clippings. In that case, I would pull the mat aside from the stems. Hopefully shredded leaves are OK.

Fall mulching might be necessary for growing some of the less hardy garlics in our Northern neck of the woods; I find that softnecks & elephant garlic (which is not a true garlic) have the most winter-kill. Personally, if a variety can't make it here, I replace it with something hardier.

Last of all, there is the question of frost heave. I've only had that problem when garlic was planted too late to establish a root system... but if it is a problem in your garden, then Fall mulching is probably necessary.

Incidentally, I used no mulch on my garlic over the winter this year, and the emergence so far looks outstanding. I think that Fall mulching is most helpful when a thin/non-existent snow cover offers little protection from the cold... certainly not a problem this year!

Probably more than you asked for, Alicate, guess I got carried away. :-)

I used oak leaf mulch simply for the reason of having it conserve water in the spring/summer and keep it from heaving in the later winter. Mine as well, did great last year without it. It seems though, if something (a crop) is always in there, that I never have an opportunity to add leaf mould, however, so that is why I put it in then.

I do have used :) alfalfa hay, so maybe I'll spread some of that on top. Should I remove the leaves and add it or just put it between the rows. I have three rows inside a 4' x 8' garden bed. Right now the entire bed has the leaf mould spread over top.

Thanks, the more info the better (at least with me!)

Alicate

it's the same, or better, since yes, the ground heaves less. Unless, of course, you used matted leaves. Garlic can push through anything except matted leaves. I prefer wood chips, which give me zero weeds, but chopped leaves is fine too.

I've usually mulched my garlic with hay shortly before we're supposed to get the first serious snow. The winter protection seems adequate, but the seeds in the hay can be a weeding hassle. Last fall I mulched with leaves. They blew away--the ground above the garlic was basically bare when the snow melted off. The first 2 beds of garlic are up and growing anyway.

I tried spring mulching one year, and had more trouble with garlic shoots being squashed by the mulch or trying to twist their way up through it.