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Midwest Gardening Garden Clinic Four Season Vegetable Gardening

garlic coming up through mulch

4 months ago

I planted my garlic after two hard freezes, now after many warm days the garlic has come up through my mulch about 2" for now. Should I add more mulch or what? The same thing happened last year and I let it go , garlic got up to about 6". In the spring I cut off tops that had dead materal and garlic was fine, but just wondering if there is a better way?

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Comments (6)

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
4 months ago
You don’t say where you are, but I just ignore it.

tj
HU-318982612
Original Author
4 months ago
I'm in So. Illinois zone 6b
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Should have mulched differently
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Comments (5)
For some of us the mulch is to conserve winter moisture, not because of freezing or thawing. When I put in the garlic, I water, then put on about 4 inches of pine straw. This winter has been unusually wet, with snow cover on the garlic beds from November through part of February. The snow cover has been gone for almost a month now, and the mulched beds are still nicely damp and the garlic coming up through the mulch. Catherine
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Garlic not coming up in spring after sprouting before winter
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What you have are "rounds," which is what a garlic plant will produce if it doesn't have the resources to make a full divided bulb. As mild as the winter was, if you had significant top growth before a cold snap, it may have killed the tops, leaving the cloves with little resources to grow on. Or maybe the soil is extremely poor/sandy. Or they were planted too close. But what you said about them growing tops in the fall and then none in the spring makes me think they were planted too early. I would plant no sooner than mid October. That way they will establish roots but not too much of a top before cold weather hits. Also make sure to mulch them well with straw or leaves, and make sure there is plenty of organic matter in the soil. In the spring they will need adequate fertility and moisture to reach their full potential, but should be allowed to dry down a bit before harvesting. Hope this helps, Jim
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Garlic didn't come up
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Comments (4)
If it was California I'd suggest gophers as the pests, but don't know about the nasty pests you have in MN. Also, I have grown in the same in raised beds for 10 years and do not rotate and have had no trouble with disease. Of course, the mix I use is nearly dirt-less which might make a difference. So sorry for your disappointing loss.
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garlic coming up too early?
Q
Comments (3)
Before settling on a mid-November plant date I had several years with top growth up to 10" above the mulch. While cold winters and snow caused the top growth to get all twisted and gnarly, they all survived and put up new growth in the spring without problems. Don't worry, garlic is hardy stuff and you should be fine. TomNJ
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kitasei2
4 months ago
Im in 6b now 7a NY, and we plant garlic in the fall so it’s well started before now. Mine are 8 inches at least, with leaves piled up around them. I think youre fine.
beesneeds
4 months ago
Is there a better way? No, not really. Can't really do anything about the weather if it gets warm, and one can plant out only oh so late before the ground freezes. I've had pop-up years and they seem to do just fine. Given how warm it's been here this winter so far, I probably have pop-ups happening right now.

I have heard of folks doing spring planting with garlic. But I think that's in warmer places where the spring isn't so cold and wet as more northern climes get.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 months ago
in the north .... you put the garden to bed in november... and you dont start gardening again until april showers ...

you provide the history of last year.. note no real problems about what happened.. note its happening again.. and you still want to fix it... i suspect type A... lol..

THERE IS NOTHING TO FIX.. PUT DOWN THE SHOVEL or RAKE.. AND WALK AWAY ...

odds are.. you will only do more harm than good trying to fix what aint broken ....

december thru mid to late march.. is when you screw up your house plants.. go focus on what to do in the proper season ... don they need to be overwatered.. or overfertd.. or repotted.. or time to build a light stand in the basement???

KEN

4 season garden.. pshaw.. in need my 3 month break in the frozen soil of my MI ....
Dean Albon
3 months ago
Thanks everbody for the info, I'll take your advice and put down shovel and rake.

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