You planted at exactly the right time. Garlic should be ready in June or July. You will know when the tops begin to die. At that time "lodge" them by putting your foot on top and bend the top down and then pull them up. Let them dry on the top of the ground for a sunny day. Don't let dew form on them over night.

Meanwhile garlic and all alliums are heavy feeders so you need to sidedress with a complete fertilizer like 10-10-10 or organic equivalent. A little extra Nitrogen won't hurt in addition. Use about one rounded teaspoon or organic eq. around each plant each month and work in into the soil taking care not to hurt the roots.

If you planted them deeply in a heavy soil you might need to pull some dirt away from them so the bulb can form.

Good luck!!
Joe

Joe thanks for your advice. The soil is a little heavy but I did not plant to deeply. I tried to pull one up the other day and it seemed to be in there pretty tight. Should I panic? I would hate for my garlic to be puny. I will give them a dose of fertilizer tomorrow. Also if I may pick your brain a little more what would be good to plant in its place when I do harvest that would be good for the soil for when I plant garlic again in the fall? The bed is about 10x6. Thanks Betsy

I plant in November and usually start harvest in late May or early June thru early July although most varieties are ready mid June. We have 15 varieties planted. Some mature earlier than others. If you planted hardnecks or elephant expect scapes in May. If you email me I will send you a planting /harvest guide I give my customers here in NC (zone 7)
The Garlic Lady

Please send me a copy of the guide you mentioned in your posting in the Gardenweb Allium Forum.

I live in piedmant Georgia about 25 miles west of Augusta about 15 miles above the fall line.

Do you know the name of the garlic/onion that grows freely around old house sites in the south? It has a wide leaf and very large cloves but not as many as store bought garlic. Flowers white on a stalk. The stalk goes all the way throuh the cloves.

Thank you.

Joe Tankersley
Appling, GA

You could plant buck wheat. It will not produce anything edible but it will produce biomass and it will "trap" some of the excess nutrients so that when you turn it under green it will slowly release those nutrients to the next crop. I suppose you could also compost the buckwheat.

Other crops that come to mind are pink eye zipper peas, spinach, turnip greens and bottoms, radishes. Plant all at their right times because all but the peas like it a bit cooler than it will be in July. You can take up or turn under any of these three weeks before time for the next garlic crop.

Good to see y'all having fun!!! By the way, what is the plural of "y'all"?

Joe

Ya'llses not to be confused with ya'lls! I fertilized my garlic bed today and got 5 new planting beds ready to go! It was a fun fun day.

I have thought that all y'all might be the plural but who knows.

I thought of more crops to follow garlic: yellow summer squash or zuchinni or cucumbers. All of those will make easily by fall from seed in July.

Joe

i really appriciate your input, advice and ya'll is basically plural in itself!

Actually, my best friend in NC says that it is "all y'all." :-)