Garlic is a delectable and nutritive addition to many meal , and it is gentle to produce garlic in South Carolina . With the mild climate and soil in the state , garlic can be grow class - round and is an excellent choice for home gardeners and farmers likewise . Garlic can be produce indoors or out-of-doors and miscellanea swan from hardneck to softneck . Growing ail in South Carolina is a fortune easier than it seems !
South Carolina’s climate and hardiness zones
South Carolina has a humid semitropic mood , with hot , humid summer and mild to cool down winters . The commonwealth is locate in the southeastern United States , in the Deep South region , and is part of the Atlantic Coast and Gulf Coast climatic regions .
The modal temperatures in South Carolina reach from the mid-50s in the wintertime to the mid-80s in the summer , but temperature can often reach the 100s in the summer . The climate is generally quick and humid , with plenty of rain throughout the twelvemonth .
South Carolina is divided into three USDA Hardiness zone : 7a to 9a . 7a has an average yearly minimum temperature of 5 to 10 degree Fahrenheit . These hardiness zone avail gardeners and other works - lovers determine which plants are probable to thrive in which area .

When to plant spring garlic in South Carolina
Garlic can be planted in the spring or fall in South Carolina . For fountain planting garlic , you will desire to buy some mellow - lineament garlic starter bulbs . you could plant ail you get in the store , but selecting cloves that are specifically made for growing will yield better consequence .
When selecting garlic , you want to check that the medulla oblongata are firm and have no seeable sign of the zodiac of decay . Any electric light which are schmaltzy Once you have your bulbs , you will need to split up the cloves and plant them in the ground .
Garlic can be planted outdoors once the weather has warmed and the stain can be worked . It ’s among the early crops you could seed in the natural spring . When constitute garlic , make certain to space the Eugenia aromaticum at least 6 inch asunder in a sunny area with well - drained grime . constitute the cloves two inches deep in the soil so that the pointed end is facing up . irrigate the garlic on a regular basis and keep it gratuitous of sens .
you could mulch your spring - planted ail with dry parting or stubble to help keep moisture and repress the development of locoweed . Garlic imbed in the spring in South Carolina wo n’t have as much clip to grow as declination implant Allium sativum , so your harvest in the surrender may move over slightly small-scale bulbs .
Aged manure , compost , and freshrabbit manureare all great thing to add at this time . I keep rabbits for their manure and always throw on a squeamish bed of rabbit manure when planting crepuscule garlic .
When to plant fall garlic in South Carolina
Some gardeners look at plantinggarlic in the fallin South Carolina to be advantageous because it allows the garlic bulb to get a head start on the growing time of year . In fall , they ’ll begin to put down roots but in all likelihood wo n’t send up any growth . Those early roots are important for the industrial plant ’s development . As soon as the soil is tender enough to goad novel growth , your garlic bulbs will be quick to rock and paradiddle .
The exact timing for planting fall garlic will depend on your climate zona . The erstwhile - fashioned rule of thumb is to imbed them right after the autumn equinox in September , but if you live in a very cold clime , you may want to get them in the earth a piddling bit before this date . If you live in a warmer clime , you could plausibly wait all the way until the middle of October to get them start . Knowing your climate is cardinal to know when exactly to imbed your fall Allium sativum .
Planting garlic is extremely wanton . If you ’ve buy bulbs from a greenhouse , you ’re going to need to very carefully break up the bulb and gratis all of the Eugenia caryophyllatum . Do n’t get too strong-growing ! You do n’t want to smash any of the medulla by stroke . Gently rubbing them between your hands should unloose the individual clove tree .
apprehend holes in a row three inches deep and six inches apart from one another . Carefully drop the cloves of garlic into each yap with the pointed side pointing up . campaign them gently into the soil . Do n’t jam them in too hard or abstruse . Cover the light bulb with an even stratum of soil .
older manure , compost , and fresh lapin manure are all great things to add at this time . I keep cony for their manure and always throw on a prissy layer of rabbit manure when planting fall garlic .
Caring for garlic plants
dirt : Garlic plant require nutritious - rich , well - debilitate soil to thrive . Amend the soil with mountain of constitutive material such as compost or of age manure before planting . Garlic does n’t do well in compacted , clay soils , so be certain to loosen up the soil !
Sunlight : Garlic needs at least 6 hours of verbatim sunshine each day , but rather 8 - 10 hr of sunlight day by day . Choose a location that experience lot of sunlight . Insufficient sunlight may result in garlic that does n’t expand or bring forth bulbs .
water system : Garlic plants require between 0.5 and 1 inch of water per week , with ideal drain in the soil . If there is not enough rainfall to reach this amount , it is necessary to irrigate the plants manually to make up for it . ensure to irrigate deeply and infrequently , as too little or too much water can be damaging to the plants – too slight can cause accent , and too much can lead to bulb rot .
fertiliser : of age manure , compost , and freshrabbit manureare all great , natural plant food to provide your garlic bulbs . It ’s best to cater these once at the meter you plant your garlic bulbs .
When to harvest garlic in South Carolina
The exact timing for when fall garlic is quick to be glean in South Carolina varies . Typically they ’re ready to harvest in late summertime to mid - fall . The timing does n’t count as much as the appearance of the harvest . You fuck it ’s time to reap your spill garlic when its modest third leave have turned browned and died , but its upper foliation is still overnice and dark-green .
It can be a little voiceless to know for certain that it ’s time to harvest your garlic , but generally , if those bottom leave are brown , it ’s prison term to harvest . If they ’re still immature , it ’s too early . There will be some green leafage at the top of the plants , but do n’t let that fool you . If those lower leaves are brown , it ’s fourth dimension to get down in the dry land and dig up that garlic !