Garlic Growers Get Ready

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Peter Comart  |  11 comments
Garlic

Commercial Garlic Growers love Garden Mat #9.

Garlic Growers Get Ready.

Growing garlic has never been easier.  When we introduced Garden Mat #9 last year, little did we know how popular it would be.  We found out fast.  There are some serious garlic growers out there.  We were swamped with inquiries and orders from all over the US and Canada.  We learned about garlic associations, commercial growers, and everyone’s preferred varieties.

 

Most of all, we can’t get over the positive response to our product.

Fall is the perfect time of year in the North to plant garlic; any time between September and when the ground is frozen.  But, the sooner the better.  If you wait until next spring, your bulbs will not be as large.

Mat #9  is about the only mat we leave out 365 days a year. Granted, it will not last quite as long as the rest of our Garden Mats, which we pull up at the end of the season, hose off, roll up and store for the winter. But, if left out year round our mats still last about five to eight years (not bad) if you take care of them.

Garden Mat #9 just before the first big snow.

Once a year in the fall, when we are ready to plant, we pull back the mats, till in some good compost or manure, rake the surface smooth and pin the mats back down. Then we plant one garlic clove per hole, about 1 ½” deep, root side down. We grow 300 bulbs of garlic a year.  It generally takes about 30 to 60 minutes to prepare the soil and then another 30 minutes to plant. After that, there is virtually no weeding and nothing left to do but let them grow. Garlic is one of the first things that pops up in the spring. After that, all we do is finger pluck weeds a few minutes each week. We generally weed our 300 plant bed about 30 minutes to 40 minutes an entire year!!  Garden Mats make growing garlic that easy.

If you are a commercial grower, you definitely should use Garden Mats.  We have commercial growers that grow 5,000 — 30,000 bulbs a year.  Garden Mats are much less expensive than straw mulch, which often produces its own weeds.  All of our commercial growers swear by Garden Mats.

Garlic scapes make the best pesto, or as an addition to almost any dish.  But you have to cut them when they are young.

 

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11 comments
  1. Nancijow says:

    A question about the garlic mat.. if I use this does that mean I don’t need to add straw ?will the mat protect them from the cold as the straw does? How many holes are on a 6 foot mat?

    • Peter Comart says:

      You do not need to add straw with Garden Mats. They act as mulch and protect the bulbs from the cold, just like straw. You can go to the order page to see the number of holes for a 6′ mat.

  2. ronmoorby says:

    Peter,

    I know you use a lot of garlic canning but what do you with all that garlic? Which herbs do you bring in before first frost to grow through the cold months?

    • Peter Comart says:

      Ron,

      Yes, we use a lot of garlic. We store our garlic in our root cellar (a cold dark spot in the basement, or even a garage if you do not have a root cellar) and it usually lasts until about the following February or March. As for herbs, we usually bring in our tarragon, thyme and rosemary and grow them indoors in pots through the winter. If they make it, we replant them outside in the spring.

  3. tepbug says:

    I have used black paper and cut my own holes. This is ok. But your mats are the best, hands down. I am using your garlic mat now.

    • Peter Comart says:

      We are thrilled to hear you converted to our mats! Cutting your own holes is a chore. I know. I did it for years. And our material is better than what is commercially available. Enjoy!

  4. Aprilcum says:

    My doctor told me I shouldn’t work out until I’m in better shape. I told him, ‘All right; don’t send me a bill until I pay you.’

  5. Ryan Curber says:

    This is a neat product. Will it be available in stores? Or is it already?

    • Peter Comart says:

      I am sorry. We only sell direct. We do not sell wholesale or retail, in order to keep the prices as low as possible. Retailers and wholesalers only jack up the price and they don’t know how to advise customers.

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