Our Gourmet Garlic Field
At Snickers Run Farm our gourmet garlic is grown following natural and sustainable farming practices. We specialize in growing hard-neck garlic varieties such as our special “Bluemont Music,” German Extra Hardy, Chesnok Red, and Asian Tempest. We take great pride in providing healthy and delicious garlic for eating or planting. While we are not "certified organic," we use organic and sustainable farming practices with the understanding that healthy soil results in healthy plants. We utilize probiotics and composted cow manure from our farm to build our soil. If necessary, we only use OMRI Listed® products that assures the suitability of products for certified organic production, handling, and processing. We rely on crop rotation and companion planting to address pest and weed issues. We like to plant Mustard seed and til into the soil while the flowers are at peak. Mustard seed while delicious, is also natures bio-fumigant to correct soil born pathogens and nematodes that can affect soil and plant health.
To keep weeds under control, we use raised beds with plastic mulch and a water drip line for irrigation. We have a rich supply of organic nutrients and pure mountain water from the Blue Ridge Mountains above our farm to feed our garlic for a bountiful harvest. Our garlic is carefully selected, planted, weeded, and harvested by hand to grow delicious scapes, green garlic and gourmet bulbs.
Tips on How to Plant Garlic:
Garlic is fun to grow and you can do it too!
Garlic is best planted in the Fall (4-6 weeks) before freeze. Usually Mid October.
Garlic loves to grow and develops strong roots over the winter.
Garlic needs nutrients so fertilize your soil with a good all-purpose fertilizer or compost combination.
Separate the cloves from each bulb.
You can choose to do a clove treatment or fertilizer soak with a fish fertilizer to give them a head start to increases plant health,& bulb size.
Plant garlic in well prepared soil about 2-3" deep and space 6-9". Place the clove tip up and root side down. Use a dibbler to make the holes.
Cover with approximately 1-2” of soil and 3-6” of mulch over the garlic and wait until spring.
Garlic does not like weeds so weed, weed, weed!
Green garlic can be harvested in the Spring.
Garlic Scapes should be cut in the AM and when the scape has made one full curl.
Garlic is harvested when a plant has 5 full green leaves remaining or 50% of the leaves have died off from the bottom of the plant.
Never pull your garlic out of the ground. Always dig!
Cure your Garlic bulbs out of the sun in an area with good air circulation until dry - about 3 weeks. You can hang or use racks. Enjoy!
