Garlic

Garlic at Autumn Ridge Farm: Scale, Stewardship, and Long‑Term Thinking

Garlic has become one of the quiet anchors of our farm, not because it is flashy or fast, but because it rewards patience, planning, and long‑term thinking. On our diversified farm, crops that fit the land, the labor, and the calendar matter far more than crops that simply look good on paper. Garlic is one of those rare crops that aligns with all three.

This post is not an announcement or a sales pitch. It is a record of how and why we grow garlic at Autumn Ridge Farm, and how it fits into the larger system we are building here in Southern Illinois.

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## Why Garlic Matters on This Farm

We think about farming in terms of systems rather than seasons. While garlic is technically an annual crop, it behaves more like a long‑term investment. Decisions made in October echo all the way through the following summer and into winter storage, seed selection, and value‑added processing.

Garlic rewards those that are willing to slow down, pay attention, and improve incrementally. It is planted when most people are winding down, harvested when summer is in full swing, and sold well into the colder months. That alone makes it valuable, but more importantly, garlic fits the kind of farm we are trying to build: owner‑operated, diversified, resilient, and grounded in stewardship.

We are not interested in chasing the maximum yield at the expense of soil, labor, or long‑term viability. Garlic allows us to grow something meaningful at a human scale, while still producing a crop that supports the farm financially.

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## What We Planted for the 2025 Season

This fall we planted over **13,000 garlic cloves**, with additional beds planned that may push that number higher. All of our garlic is hardneck or elephant garlic, selected intentionally for flavor, storage qualities, and adaptation to our soils and climate.

The varieties we grow include:

* **Elephant Garlic** – large, mild, and approachable, often an entry point for customers new to garlic

* **Music** – a reliable, cold‑hardy variety with excellent storage and strong flavor

* **Ukrainian Red** – rich, complex flavor and a long history in hardneck production

* **Chesnok Red** – especially valued for cooking and roasting

* **German White** – robust, dependable, and well suited to long storage

* **Persian Star** – a newer variety on our farm, now entering its second year

* **Spanish Roja** – another newer addition, prized for flavor and adaptability

Five of these varieties have been grown on our farm for several years. Two are still being evaluated. Maintaining genetic diversity is not an accident; it is a form of risk management. Different varieties respond differently to weather, disease pressure, and soil conditions. Diversity also allows us to serve different culinary uses and customer preferences without relying on a single cultivar.

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## How the Beds Were Built

Our garlic beds are approximately **36 inches wide**. They are formed by first plowing with a BCS walk‑behind tractor and then shaping and refining with our Kubota. This approach allows us to balance precision with efficiency.

Bed design matters more than it might appear. Garlic does not tolerate standing water, and our land is rolling enough that erosion and drainage must be considered every time we disturb the soil. The beds are shaped to shed water while still holding enough moisture to carry the crop through dry stretches.

We are continually refining our workflow. One clear improvement going forward is using the Kubota to place compost and woodchips along the entire bed before moving on to the next one. That small change dramatically reduces wheelbarrow labor. On paper it sounds minor; in reality, it preserves time, energy, and bodies. Small efficiencies compound just like small soil improvements do.

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## Timing, Weather, and Reality

Garlic wants to be planted on a schedule. Farming rarely allows that schedule to be followed perfectly.

This year, planting happened later than we would have preferred. Weather was the primary driver. When soil conditions are wrong, forcing a crop into the ground rarely pays off. We chose to wait, even though it meant compressing other tasks and accepting less‑than‑ideal timing.

That tradeoff is part of farming. Calendars are useful, but they are not in charge. Soil moisture, temperature, and field conditions ultimately make the call. Experience has taught us that respecting those constraints usually leads to better outcomes than fighting them.

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## Fertility, Mulch, and Soil Health

Garlic is a heavy feeder early in the season and then largely coasts. Our fertility strategy reflects that reality.

Beds receive compost to support soil structure, microbial life, and baseline fertility. Garlic is mulched heavily, primarily with woodchips, to moderate soil temperature, suppress weeds, and retain moisture. Surface mulches do not harm garlic when fertility is managed correctly, and they pay dividends in soil health over time. Kelp meal for the potassium to keep the plant healthy and strong.

We focus nitrogen availability early in the spring by applying blood meal, when garlic is building leaf mass that ultimately determines bulb size. Once scapes appear, nitrogen inputs stop. This approach supports both yield and storage quality.

All of this fits into a broader philosophy: soil is not a medium to be mined, but a living system to be improved incrementally, year after year.

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## What Happens After Harvest

Not all garlic serves the same purpose once it comes out of the ground.

For the coming season, our intended split is roughly:

* **60% fresh garlic** for direct sales

* **30% retained as seed** for future plantings

* **10% reserved for black garlic production**

Fresh garlic forms the backbone of the crop. Seed retention is non‑negotiable; maintaining our own planting stock increases resilience and independence. Black garlic, for now, will be produced at a small scale under Illinois cottage food rules.

Black garlic is not rushed. It takes time, controlled conditions, and patience. We will be building that market intentionally rather than flooding it. Customers will encounter it gradually, with context and education rather than hype.

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## Garlic as Part of a Bigger System

Garlic does not exist in isolation on this farm. It fits into the labor calendar, complements other enterprises, and helps smooth cash flow across seasons. It occupies ground when little else does, and it frees up time when other crops demand attention.

This is how we think about farming: stacking enterprises that support one another rather than compete for the same narrow windows of labor and attention. Garlic earns its place not just because it can be profitable, but because it strengthens the whole system.

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## Looking Ahead

We will continue refining our garlic program the same way we approach everything else here: deliberately and incrementally.

That means:

* Continuing to evaluate varieties

* Improving bed preparation and fertility management

* Expanding black garlic production only as the market develops

* Letting customers grow with the farm rather than chasing rapid expansion

Garlic is a long game. That suits us just fine.

This post is simply a snapshot of where we are now. Like the farm itself, it will evolve over time.