Ridged Bed for Garlic Planting
I try to plant garlic in late October. This year we were a day late and the garlic went into the ground on the first of November. I had previously prepared the bed so all I had to do was soften the soil a little and with a steel rake make three relatively equal ridges running the length of the beds. The garlic was shoved into the top of the ridges until it was just covered. I also scattered a lot of lettuce seeds, salads greens and cilantro along all the slopes and valleys. These will sprout in the spring and fill the bed with greens. Essentially, I’ll get two crops out of one bed.
Garlic Bed Paths Mulched with Leaves
After I had the bed planted, I raked in a tarp full of leaves and mulched all the paths around the bed.
Straw Protects the Garlic Through the Winter
I finished the job by scattering a small square bale of straw over the ridges. The straw will protect the garlic from hard freezes. When all goes well, the garlic will be poking its leaves up as the snow melts. And as I rake back the straw and leaves, we’ll start getting lettuces and greens for early spring salads.
I’ve been using this method for quite a few years. It works very well. Here are earlier references: Garlic 2010 Interplanting Garlic with Greens