RADIO TRANSCRIPT
August 26, 2024
Matt Rodriguez

This is Matt Rodriguez, horticulture agent with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Burke Center.

We are at the tail end of August. At this point there is not much in terms of what you can plant for Western North Carolina. There is one plant that people either hate or love. That's Garlic. Garlic has a number of nutritional benefits to you, but I’ll leave the nutrition facts to our FCS Agent. I’m here to talk about how to grow it. Garlic is fairly hardy and can withstand colder temperatures that other plants can’t. They are low maintenance and easy to care for. Plant your garlic in the early fall. For us that's sometime around September/October. Source some good quality bulbs either from your local hardware store or online. Pull apart your bulb for its clove, then plant it pointy side up/blunt side down. In about 4 to 6 weeks you’ll see green sprouts come up. Once Frost hits those green shoots they will go dormant. This doesn't mean your garlic stops growing. Though. As Spring comes, you'll see some new growth come up and will need to remove these after they get about 10 inches or so. These stems will produce flowers and you need the plant to focus on bulb production. In June is when you can harvest. The leaves will dieback and that is a good indicator that your Garlic is mature and ready to harvest. Using a Fork or Trowel, loosen the soil around the bulb and pull using the stems.

This has been Matt Rodriguez, horticulture agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Burke Center. For more information, call us at 828-764-9480.