A cold November at Coteau Valley Farm in Northeast South Dakota brought the garlic seeds to our home in a big box; ready to be planted. The smell coming forth from the box was a strong scent of a really good garlic. I was happy. Unfortunately, we were very unsure if the time frame for planting the garlic in the ground had passed and if we ought to try and plant the garlic or try and store it for the following season. We went back and forth emailing experts and trying to get advice from local farmers, yea it was that important. Anyway, in the end we decided to dig into the ground and start planting. Although the ground was cold it was not frozen, the garlic instructions read clearly: the garlic likes to be planted two weeks prior to a hard freeze. We were advised that a hard freeze was not in the forecast, so in the ground it went! It was really fun. The air nearly froze our faces off as the wind beat against us while our hands turned red and unmovable. We planted four rows, fifty feet long at about two inches deep and six inches apart. The lines were not that straight since it was cold and we wanted to go inside, not because of the weather, really. Either way, they are not marked as well as they could be or will be next season, but they are marked and the garlic is in the ground. We chose a garlic called Russian Red because of its large bulbs and marbled, purple skin. It is a good garlic to grow in cold conditions and slightly damp soil, zone 4b worked well. Russian Red is grown mostly throughout British Columbia and coastal Canada. It has an amazing garlic taste, and the beautiful purple color looks so nice on a countertop for a decoration; if you want other ideas to do with the garlic besides eating it. Russian Red is a gourmet garlic that anyone can grow and have amazing meals with all year long. My hope is that it was not to cold when we planted it and the garlic will grow large cloves. Two weeks have passed and the ground still has not had a deep hard freeze. I have been watching online temperatures of the soil hoping that it will be okay and ready to harvest this summer. One thing I missed and do not know is, if there are any animals that like to eat the leaves or dig up the cloves. I have seen badger, skunk, deer, and lots of birds as far as other various wildlife on the farm. I guess animals finding and eating the garlic for a snack is a possibility. However, if there is not a problem with scavengers or violent weather this year, we plan to grow as much as we can the next year, possibly an acre. Time will tell as the earth unfolds the mystery of new growth and life. Each little bud that grows up from the earth in the spring, will be exciting to see. It will be fun to imagine all the wonderful meals we will eat mixed with garlic, not to mention all the health benefits garlic provides. In the end, we thoroughly enjoyed the cold planting of garlic and hope to have huge garlic cloves on the farm in the Coteau Summer, 2023.
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