Ask Flora - Autumn 2025
by Sage & Snow Garden Club
October 3, 2025
Dear Flora,
I have always wanted to plant garlic in my raised beds, but my timing has always been off. Can you give me some advice on growing garlic in Sublette County?
Thanks—Autumn Grower
Dear Autumn,
Local gardeners have been very successful in growing garlic here. Listed below are a few tips gathered from garden club members:
- Always plant hardneck varieties of garlic—local favorites include German Extra Hardy, Montana Giant, and Music. Members have had success ordering bulbs from companies like Keene Organics and Northern Garlic.
- Plant garlic bulbs in the fall. 4 weeks prior to freeze--usually late September to mid-October. Plant in raised or in-ground beds (no local success in containers or lick tubs).
- Since garlic is a heavy feeder, fertilize your soil with a good all-purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer or compost before planting.
- Separate the cloves from each bulb. Choose the largest cloves for planting.
- You may choose to do a garlic seed treatment or fertilizer soak to give them a boost which reduce diseases, increases plant health, and increases bulb size. Go to
https://keeneorganics.com/ for complete instructions on this step.
- Plant garlic into prepared soil about 3 inches deep & 4 inches apart with the tip of the clove up and the root side down. Cover the tip of the clove with approximately 3 inches of soil.
- Put 3-6" of mulch (straw or shredded leaves) over your garlic after the ground freezes and wait until spring!
- In the spring, when the garlic scapes emerge from the hardneck garlic bulb and start to curl--pick the scapes off of the garlic plants to promote bulb development. Eat them!
They are delicious.
- Water plants enough to keep soil moist and apply liquid fertilizer every few weeks throughout the summer.
- Harvest bulbs when you have 5 full green leaves remaining or 50% of the leaves have died from the bottom, usually mid-August.
- Cure garlic in a dry, warm, well-ventilated place out of the sun for several days. Cut the stalks 1 inch above the bulb and trim the roots close to the base of the bulb.
- Store your garlic in mesh bags or paper sacks in a cool, dry environment. Garlic can be dried or frozen for longer storage.
- After the late summer harvest, local gardeners save some of their largest bulbs to replant in the fall for the next year’s crop.
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Dear Flora,
My kids had so much fun planting flower bulbs at the library a few weeks ago with the gardening club! We can’t wait to see how beautiful the 350+ bulbs look when they come up in the library courtyard next spring.
I was hoping that you might have some fun ideas for planting bulbs on a smaller scale at home with my kids?
Appreciated,
Daffy Star
Dear Daffy,
Have you ever heard of lasagna gardening? A fun project for kids (and adults too) is layering a planter with spring bulbs that will provide some colorful blooms next spring when temperatures start to warm up. Here is the "recipe":
- Pick a nice size pot that has good drainage holes. Place a few inches of gravel or rocks in the bottom to assist with drainage.
- Layer potting soil and/or compost to 8 inches below the rim of the pot.
- In general, the largest and latest flowering of your bulbs should be at the bottom of your container, moving to the smallest and earliest flowering in the top layer. So place your last flowering and largest bulbs on the soil/compost as your bottom layer.
- Set a layer of larger bulbs, spacing at least the width of the bulb apart. Make sure the tips point up.
- Add 2 inches of soil; add another layer of bulbs.
- Add 3 more inches of soil; add a third layer of smaller bulbs.
- Top with soil and light layer of mulch.
- Spring-flowering bulbs require chilling for at least three or four months.
- Set the pot in your garage or cold frame where the temperature remains between 35-40 degrees Fahrenheit (or an old fridge).
- Water when the top inch of soil feels dry throughout the winter.
- In the spring, as soon as the bulbs begin to sprout outside in our area (usually in April-May), move the potted bulbs to a sunny area outdoors.
- Watch bulbs grow and bloom. You can add some small pansies around the edges of the pot to bring even more color to your spring bulb display.
- Experiment with a variety of bulbs for this lasagna recipe
—Snowdrops, Crocuses, Dwarf Iris, Hyacinths, Anemones, Daffodils (narcissus), Tulips, Grape Hyacinths (muscari), Winter Aconites, Spring Starflower.
-Enjoy your pot of early spring flowering bulbs!
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Dear Flora,
I would love to learn more about gardening in Sublette County. Does the garden club have any upcoming activities?
Ever Grateful,
Sage Snow
Dear Sage,
The Sage and Snow Garden Club welcomes gardeners, from novice to expert, to join our club to learn more about successful techniques and plants that grow in Sublette County. We are all wrapping up our gardens for the season right now. Please use the contact information listed below - we will be posting meeting dates soon to start planning for next year’s schedule.
For more information or to ask questions for our next Ask Flora column, go to our website at https://www.sageandsnowgardenclub.org/ or contact Arlinda McLaughlin, Master Gardener at 307-231-9402.
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