Warding off the Vampires

This past weekend I planted the garlic I had ordered back in the summer from www.territorialseed.com (and almost forgot about). 

Two years ago, when I planted garlic I thought I had learned all the things you weren’t supposed to do when planting this member of the allium family.  It seems I was wrong.  While I did learn a few things, evidently I have much more to learn.

When I planted before, I waited way too late to plant.  I planted in a low-lying area of my garden that became and stayed too wet when it rained.  My soil was also evidently riddled with clay.  How do I know this you may ask?

Well, when visiting Margaret Roach’s blog www.awaytogarden.com, a commentor mentioned a web site www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com.  It was a wealth of information and specifically for me gardening in Texas.  It also brought to light why my garlic, while delicious, was very small.  If the soil is too compacted, your garlic will be small. Aha!

So, this year I did improve on my garlic planting.  First, I picked a variety for warmer climates called Chet’s Italian Red.  Second, I planted in October while the cloves were at their peak.  Next, and this was totally by accident and after I did it I wondered if it was correct, I took off the paper skins after separating the bulbs into individual cloves.  I then planted them about two inches deep and about four to six inches apart.  So far, so good.  

But what I didn’t do and will change next year is I will plant in raised beds.  My soil is better this year, but I don’t know if it will be good enough for those big garlic heads I am dreaming of.  We shall see.

I do know one thing, if all the garlic I planted actually turns out, there won’t be a vampire for a hundred miles.