It’s time to plant garlic and shallot of autumn

It’s time to plant garlic and shallot of autumn. Use this quiet time in gardening to heal your cultivations of autumn and prepare next year’s harvest.

Autumn is here, frosts coming closer announce the end of a beautiful summer garden. Whereas the majority of gardening works is to clean up and harvest the last vegetables of the year, we already have to think to the next season.

Like cabbages, peas and cereals, some varieties of garlic and shallot are planted in autumn. The growth is weak during winter but when spring comes, it’s a major step which allows an early and more important harvest than spring varieties.

© SEMAE / Paul Dutronc

For garlic, the types which should be planted in autumn are : purple garlic and white garlic. For more information and to have the list of varieties, you can visit the page : : choose properly garlic varieties.

For shallot, it’s varieties with grey type. For more information and to have the list of varieties, you can visit the page : choose properly shallot varieties.

Be careful these « autumn » varieties have shorter shelf lives than spring varieties. It should be consume first.

To get plants, don’t fall into the trap to buy garlic at supermarket. Surely it’s cheaper than certified plant, it’s not intended for planting, you can bring diseases (fungus, virus, nematodes) in your vegetable garden. Only certified plants with a blue label ensure the good quality of plants. For more information, you can visit the page : the advantages of certified plant.

© Rustica

It’s important to choose wisely the planting zone. A ground where there will be no excess of water is needed and which hasn’t had allium (garlic, onion, leek) during at least the three previous years.

Small hint, if you have a climate too wet and which has a tendency to rot garlic, plant your bulbs on small mounds of 10 cm height. Thus, garlic will be preserved of excess humidity.

For planting nothing easier, press the cloves at 3 cm deep, with a point in top, spaced approximately about 10 cm apart, on distant rows of 30 cm for garlic. For shallot which takes more place, we could space bulbs of 12 to 20 cm on distant rows of 25 to 40 cm.

Don’t worry you have time, plantations are ideally done from october to november and could be done even in december. After this period, spring varieties must be choosen.

© Rustica

Garlic and shallot don’t need a lot of maintenance. It’s mainly with weeding that you must take care not to get overwhelmed. Don’t hesitate to plough regularly as soon as you see seedlings too abundant.

Expecting that you will enjoy to see plant growing as much as eating them.