Time to plant garlic, shallots, and multiplier onions

   Cooler weather means planting time - for garlic, shallots and multiplier onions that is.  We're about to put ours out and if you'd like to set some out yourselves we have plenty of 'seed' to get you started.  All three of these alliums are planted in the fall here in NC and then overwinter and are ready to harvest sometime in May and June.  They are all planted similarly about 6-8 inches apart.  We grow ours on beds containing four rows.  After the first shoots emerge, we mulch them with hay or straw.  This helps keep the weeds down and also gives a little winter protection.  All will put on a little fall growth, then go dormant a bit through the worst of winter and start growing strong in late winter.  All of them can be eaten as soon as you have a craving in late winter as green onions or green garlic.  To plant garlic, break the head apart into cloves and plant pointy side up about an inch and half deep.  Each clove will produce a head of garlic.  For the shallots and onions, break apart what is easily broken apart.  Small shallots and onions will produce fewer but larger shallots and onions the next year, while planting larger shallots and onions will produce more but smaller sized shallots and garlic.  There are some pictures of our allium patch in some older posts on our blog.