Spring Garlic Care for Southeast Alaska

Growing the best garlic amid the challenges of the Northern Rainforest:

Planting garlic in the fall is important, as far as I understand it the nutrients you add in the fall help determine the growth of your garlic.

It is so exciting to see garlic shoots come up in the spring, so hardy and impervious to cold spring weather...it gives one hope for the season ahead! As soon as those shoots are emerging the winter covering of plastic can be removed.

Care of garlic in the spring is relatively easy, you did the most important work in the fall when you planted it!

Foliar sprays and soil drenches can augment the work you have already done.

My routine this spring (2022) is to do a spray of dilute neem oil one week, as a way to mitigate for the overly wet conditions of our soil in Gustavus.

And until my garlic has 3 sets of leaves on alternate weeks I am doing a spray of fish fertilizer (fencing imperative to deter dogs and other critters from being attracted).

Some people take the leaves off their garlic in the spring. I prefer to leave mine on as they help suppress weeds. I live in the nice open part of Gustauvus, if I lived in a spot with less sun I would probably remove the leaves to maximize soil heating.

Last year (2021) I intended to spray my garlic every other week throughout the growing season with neem but in the busyness of summer that did not happen. There were signs of water damage on my roots from the previous winter's flooding but due to incredible diligence and probably plenty of beneficience from nature my garlic overall turned out well for having been under a current of water!