Weed control is one of the most overlooked areas of gardening, yet it is extremely important — and can quickly become a problem if you let the weeds get away from you, which can happen very quickly.
Mulching Helps — But Watch for Rot
Gardeners who mulched after planting will have an added layer of protection from weeds, as the sun won’t be able to germinate as many weed seeds. However, if you did mulch, you may want to pull thick areas of mulch away from plants as bulbs continue to grow — mulch can hold moisture and cause rot.
Why Weed Control Is Critical for Garlic
Weed control in garlic is especially important since garlic is in the ground for 9 months. Some weeds germinate in cool weather, others in hot weather — so garlic gets to enjoy the company of all weeds throughout the season. Adding grass clippings or wood chips to walking paths or between rows is a great way to continually suppress weeds while also adding organic matter that will break down over time.
The Garlic Gods Weeding Process
Your Garlic Gods farmers continue to spend many hours and weeks out in the field with hoe in hand. Weed control remains the most time-consuming activity of our growing season. While garlic is a hardy plant and will grow alongside weeds, bulb size can be significantly reduced when it has to compete with weed roots. Garlic also enjoys full sun — tall weeds can create a canopy that shades the plant and limits growth.
In 2024, we upgraded to a full tractor setup — a pull-behind finger weeder and tine implement made in America by Tilmor. While we continue hand weeding, this implement helps us cultivate and conquer tiny weeds that are constantly sprouting throughout the growing season.
Follow us on Instagram to see how we keep our fields weed-free with the help of our new Tilmor pull-behind tractor implement.
Ready to Grow Your Own?
Need to order garlic for fall planting? All varieties are now in stock. Shipping begins in September.