When the soil temperatures start dipping below 50 degrees and the days are short, it's time . Planting them now will avail these bulbs at least three to four weeks in the soil before the ground freezes.
Planting garlic in our region means you've got three different options: hardneck garlic, which forms scapes; softneck garlic, which has very supple leaves that are great for braiding; and elephant garlic, which is the largest variety and is a cross between garlic and leeks. Elephant garlic has the mildest flavor, and softneck garlic lasts longest in storage.
Grocery store garlic bulb varieties generally come from California, so those would not fare as well in our New England soils. Instead, choose varieties that are hardy to our zones, like Romanian red and German extra hardy for hardneck, and New York white and Inchelium red for softneck.
Garlic bulbs grow best in the right conditions, in a garden bed with amended and composted soil that is well-drained. Once your spot is set, you can start planting!
First, take the garlic bulbs and break them up into cloves the night before you're going to plant. Leave the cloves out on the counter or on a table indoors. This will help the basal plate callous over, which will encourage each bulb to root better.
The next day, head out to your desired bed and plant the cloves 6 inches apart and 2 inches deep. Keep in mind that each clove turns into a bulb and each bulb can have six to eight cloves in it!
Once they're all planted, cover the bulbs with grass clippings from an untreated lawn, or use chopped-up leaves, hay or straw. This will be their home all winter long.
Come spring, once you start seeing shoots poking through the soil, remove all the grass clippings and other organic material. Add some fertilizer to the soil, weed and water, and by early summer, you鈥檒l be harvesting garlic!
Do note that if the weather turns warm again this fall or stays warmer than usual into November, you might see your garlic cloves begin to germinate and grow. No need to panic, though. Just cover them with more organic material and the bulbs will be OK over the winter and ready to sprout in spring.
A question about pruning begonias for winter
Q: Can my potted porch begonias, which have grown huge, be cut back when brought inside, to grow again next year? I had good luck last year repotting them, but didn鈥檛 cut anything back. They just all eventually died back and regrew in the spring. - Bette, via email
A: Assuming it's a wax leaf, angel wing or rex begonia, any of those should be treated the same way: If it's really big and doing well, cut it back.
When you do prune it back, save those cuttings and root them to grow new plants, if you wish. Those cuttings can be set on a windowsill or any sunny area to root all winter long. Then, in spring, bring them back outside to grow.
Controlling the vines that are eating New England
Q: What is the invasive ivy that is strangling plants in my yard and trees throughout New England and New York State? And why is no one talking about it? Is there a more efficient way to get rid of it other than just pulling it up? - Marc, in Chester
A: It could be one of many climbing vines that grow quickly this time of year.
One that is cropping up this time of year is . It鈥檚 a fast-growing annual that can grow up to 20 feet and cover houses, trees and telephone wires.
Another is , which grows very slowly until this time of year when it suddenly grows like gangbusters and can be aggressive in the landscape.
And there are some native plants like Virginia creeper and poison ivy that are also prevalent. These can actually look quite beautiful in the landscape, because of their red fall foliage color.
Obviously, don鈥檛 try to pull out poison ivy without covering your hands, arms, face and legs, or even consider hiring a landscape company to remove it. But if it鈥檚 the mile-a-minute or other vine, pull it down and try to make sure it's not going to set seed. Then, continue to cut it and pull it down as it's growing next year so it doesn't have a chance to grow unchecked.
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