Fall Is Garlic and Potato Planting Time!
As the crisp air of autumn rolls in, gardeners know it’s time to prepare for one of the most rewarding planting seasons of the year: garlic and potato planting time. Both crops thrive when planted in the cooler months, setting the stage for a robust harvest in the following year. While seed garlic and seed potatoes might look similar to their grocery store counterparts, there are key differences that make them essential for a healthy, productive garden.
In this guide, we’ll explore why certified seed garlic and certified seed potatoes are the best choice for your garden and how they can lead to a successful planting season.
What Are Seed Garlic and Seed Potatoes?
Despite their names, seed garlic and seed potatoes are not seeds in the traditional sense. Garlic and potatoes are propagated as genetic clones of their parent plants, ensuring that their characteristics remain true to type. In other words, instead of growing from seeds, these crops grow from sections of the parent plant:
- Seed Garlic: Consists of individual garlic cloves, each capable of growing into a full bulb when planted.
- Seed Potatoes: Small whole potatoes or sections of larger potatoes that contain "eyes" (sprouting points).
This method of propagation ensures uniformity, disease resistance, and reliable yields—key factors for both home gardeners and commercial growers.
Why Not Use Grocery Store Garlic and Potatoes?
At first glance, grocery store garlic and potatoes might seem like a convenient alternative to purchasing seed stock. However, there are several reasons why these are not ideal for planting:
1. Treated to Prevent Sprouting
Most store-bought potatoes and garlic have been treated with sprout inhibitors to extend their shelf life. While this is great for cooking, it’s a major hurdle for planting. These treatments can delay or prevent sprouting altogether, often leading to rot in the soil rather than growth.
2. Risk of Disease
Even if a potato or garlic bulb looks healthy enough to eat, it can still harbor viruses, fungi, or bacteria that can harm your garden. Planting untreated grocery store produce risks introducing diseases that can devastate your crops. In contrast, certified seed potatoes and certified seed garlic are specifically grown to be disease-free, ensuring your garden’s health.
3. Limited Variety
Grocery stores typically offer a limited selection of garlic and potatoes, often favoring varieties that store well over those with unique flavors or colors. By choosing seed stock, you can access an incredible range of varieties, including hardneck garlic, softneck garlic, and potatoes in a rainbow of hues—red, purple, yellow, and more.
Why Choose Certified Seed Stock?
Purchasing certified seed stock ensures that your garlic and potatoes are specifically bred for planting. Here’s what makes it the superior choice for gardeners:
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Disease-Free Guarantee: Certified seed garlic and seed potatoes are rigorously tested to ensure they are free of harmful pathogens. This protects not only your current crop but also your soil and future plantings.
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Untreated and Ready to Grow: Seed stock is untreated, allowing it to sprout naturally and thrive in the garden.
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Greater Selection: With certified seed stock, you can choose from a wide variety of garlic and potatoes, each with its own unique flavor, texture, and growing requirements.
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Optimal Yields: Seed stock is specifically cultivated to produce high yields, giving you the best return for your gardening efforts.
Fall Planting Tips for Garlic and Potatoes
To ensure a successful harvest, follow these tips when planting garlic and potatoes this fall:
1. Choose the Right Varieties
- Garlic: Decide between hardneck and softneck varieties based on your climate and storage needs. Hardneck garlic is ideal for colder regions and offers rich, complex flavors. Softneck garlic thrives in milder climates and has excellent storage capabilities.
- Potatoes: Experiment with colorful varieties, such as Purple Majesty or Yukon Gold, to add visual appeal and flavor diversity to your harvest.
2. Prepare Your Soil
Garlic and potatoes both thrive in well-drained, nutrient-rich soil. Amend your garden beds with compost or organic matter to improve fertility and drainage.
3. Plant at the Right Time
In most regions, garlic and potatoes should be planted in late fall, about 2–4 weeks before the first hard frost. This allows the plants to establish roots before winter.
4. Space and Depth
- Garlic: Plant cloves 2 inches deep and 4–6 inches apart, with the pointed end facing up.
- Potatoes: Plant seed pieces 3–4 inches deep and 10–12 inches apart, ensuring that each piece has at least one "eye."
The Peaceful Valley Difference
At Peaceful Valley, we’re proud to offer an extensive selection of certified seed garlic and certified seed potatoes to help you achieve a productive and disease-free garden. Our catalog includes:
- Over 15 varieties of hardneck garlic and 3 kinds of softneck garlic, as well as specialty options like elephant garlic and shallots.
- More than 20 varieties of seed potatoes in a stunning array of colors and textures.
By choosing certified seed stock, you’re investing in the health and success of your garden while exploring varieties you won’t find at the grocery store.
Conclusion
Fall is the perfect time to plant garlic and potatoes, setting the stage for a bountiful harvest next year. By choosing certified seed garlic and certified seed potatoes, you ensure healthy growth, greater variety, and protection against disease.
Why settle for ordinary when you can grow something extraordinary? Explore our wide selection of garlic and potato seed stock and enjoy the rewards of a garden filled with flavor, color, and abundance.
2 comments
Nancy, you can keep your potatoes in a cool, dry dark place until you are ready to plant. If the potatoes make sprouts, that is ok, you are just ahead of the game. Before planting, cut up the potatoes into pieces with about 2 eyes or sprouts on them. Potatoes can be planted when the soil is around 45F and nighttime temps stay about that. You may be able to plant them now since you live on the coast.
I just received my seed potatoes. I live on the central coast of CA, just south of San Luis Obispo. When can I put my seed potatoes in the pots I plan to plant in? How do I store them until then?
Thanks much.