Is it not possible to have a small portion of the garden set aside just for the garlic? Not sure how much you intended to plant but you only need a few square feet to grow a reasonable crop. 10-20 sf should do it.

I could. I've got a decent (suburbs size) backyard, but I'm pretty short on sunny patches (trees, which are lovely, but...). Thanks!

Quick to mature spring crops that are gone by mid to late summer are replaced by garlic in the late fall. Fall planted garlic that are harvested in early to mid summer are replaced by quick to mature fall crops. It's a rotation and the soil gets amended between crops.

Things that will be in the ground for an entire growing season (melons, tomatoes, peppers, squash, etc.) are given their own garden space.

Rodney

my bro just shoves them in wherever he has a spot.. all over the garden ... and then stalks me this last month.. to come take some ... i wont visit him for another month .. lol ..

sounds like you are trying to make a chore out it.. instead of looking at the garlic foliage as a unique foliage in the garden.. and decorative in and of itself ...

just stick it wherever you have a spot.. and if you later need that spot.. rip it out and eat it.. or try to give it to your brother ... or some unsuspecting stranger .. lol ..

you dont need to grow giant clumps that look store bought.. but if you do.. go all green acres on it.. and start making a new bed for it ...

ken

Thank-you. That's helpful. I'm having trouble thinking through when stuff needs to be in the ground, what needs rotating, when things need to be fertilized. Too many variables for my brain. I really need my grandmother to move in with me for a few months!

What area of the world is your garden? September seems too early to plant garlic in most zone 8 areas. Here in the heartland zone 6a I plant my garlic in mid October and usually get a couple inches of growth by December. You don't want too much fall/winter growth above the soil, you just want them to get adequate root growth to survive the winter months. Then they should start growing in late winter...late February here usually.

How quickly you have accurately diagnosed me. I'm an academic - overthinking is entirely my stock-in-trade.

I'm in North Texas. I got the Sept planting date from The Old Farmers Almanac. Although I now noticed that gardenate.com disagrees and suggests planting in Feb. Hmmm.

^^^ No, don't plant it now!!!!

I would say mid November would be the time to plant in north Texas. As long as the soil is not frozen solid which it probably rarely does there it should be fine.

You will always find better and more regionally appropriate data from local sources rather than from some generalized, plug-in-the-location website :-)

TAMU suggests garlic is best planted in fall - October - but can really be planted anytime in winter. (Very much the same directions as for my location, which shares a similar zone. Garlic cloves are not even available here for planting until around Labor Day))

And here is a link to planting and growing garlic in north Texas

You are all amazing! I posted the question not really thinking I would get a response. Thanks everyone! Who know that gardeners are so lovely?!?