According to the principles of biodynamics, the best time to plant garlic is on Root Days in November/Early December. Stella Natura has a great planting calendar that I use as inspiration and guidance for all the herbs, vegetables, flowers, fruits and trees that grow on our small plot of land in Old Greenwich, Ct.
I just wanted to share this vision with you of how easy it is to plant garlic this fall for harvest in July of 2017.
Not only will you receive the most amazing health benefits of garlic (I'll talk about this in a forthcoming blog post!), but the plant itself can take you through a process that I liken to a tai chi movement of the leaf, stem, flower and tiny seed pods that are waiting to burst through next spring!
Here's the plan:
Remaining Root Days in 2016 are November 14, 15 or 23, December 3, 10, 11, 12, 13. Plant your garlic on a Root Day!
1. Find a mostly sunny part of the garden and prepare the soil to receive a clove of garlic (take one head of organic garlic and break it into individual cloves leaving the paper on).
2. Dig a hole about twice the height of the garlic clove (about 1 1/2 inches deep).
3. Place the clove in the hole, pointy side up. You can do a row of garlic, spaced about 4-6 inches apart.
4. Cover the cloves with the soil, a little water, and then top with about 3 inches of salt hay or leaves to keep them warm for the winter. I like to offer a prayer of intention, welcoming them to the garden and thanking them for sending their roots into the soil, may they find their way effortlessly and freely into another dimension of themselves in the coming year.
