Its autumn on our little vegetable farm so now its time to plant garlic for market. Garlic is a good crop because it stores and ships well, fetches a good price and can grow in our cold climate (Manitoba, Canada.)
I've been using the Simplicity walk behind tractor system to cultivate my crops this year and I used it to plant the garlic as well.
Plowed up a new area for planting that was previously hay and clover, about 80' x 25'
I've been growing my own garlic from a small amount of heritage seed I bought 2 years ago and now I'm ready for a larger planting and to get selling in 2022. This is my garlic seed that I grew, hung and separated for planting:
I also put together these labelled stakes that are weather treated to help me mark and keep my garlic varieties separated
So once the seed and field was ready, I used the moldboard plow on the walk behind tractor to make my furrows for my garlic rows
Using this method I was able to make the 13 70' rows for my 2400 head of garlic in about 45 minutes.
Then simply lay the seed in the furrows, add fertilizer and some compost and close up
Pretty good time investment for me, 2400 head of garlic with 800 set aside to replant is a $3200 payoff if you sell them at 4 for $8