Pink garlic: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How do you plant pink garlic?
Choose when to plant your pink garlic from the variety's requirements, not just its coloured skins. Some pink garlic is planted in late winter or spring; other varieties allow autumn planting in suitable conditions. Check the planting stock's instructions and your climate. September to November is not a rule for every pink garlic.
Plant cloves in sunshine and well-drained soil without fresh manure. Carefully separate a healthy bulb just before planting and retain each clove's thin skin. Reject damaged or mouldy cloves. Set them pointed end up, about ten to fifteen centimetres apart, with enough space between rows for weeding.
Cover lightly, keeping the tip just below the surface rather than automatically burying every clove eight centimetres deep. Adapt soil preparation if water drains poorly. Water only if soil moisture is lacking, then monitor establishment. Weed by hand to protect developing bulbs. Nutrition depends on soil fertility: pink colouring does not imply that feeding is universally unnecessary. Keep the label so you can follow this variety's cycle. Choose suitable planting conditions rather than relying on the colour alone.
How to care for this plant
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Weed
Remove weeds around young bulbs, especially if they shade them. Close to the plants, weed by hand to protect the roots and avoid damaging the bulbs.
When and how do you harvest and dry pink garlic?
