Episode 2: Fall-Planted Garlic, Fruit Tree Care & Overwintering Grow Bags

Gerald from Zone 6

A: Soaking garlic cloves before planting may be beneficial. While I’ve never seen any studies comparing soaked vs. unsoaked garlic, there’s a lot of anecdotal evidence from home gardeners and commercial gardeners that it is beneficial.

There are several reasons to soak garlic cloves:

• The first is for fertility. You want to soak them in a mild fertilizer solution or liquid kelp. This gives the clove an extra burst of fertility early on.
• The other main reason is to protect the plant from pests and diseases. Usually these solutions consist of a disinfectant or a mycorrhizal inoculant. The disinfectant is meant to kill mold spores and certain insects, and the mycorrhizal inoculant colonizes the garlic roots and protects it from pests and diseases. It also helps the garlic plant absorb more nutrients from the soil.

From Gerald in Zone 6

A: Mid-October to mid-November is a great time to shoot for planting your garlic. Last year in my garden, I planted garlic the first of the month, from September through February. All the garlic that I planted produced usable bulbs—however the earlier plantings in September, October and November did produce a much larger bulb.

A: The best time to prune fruit trees in your area is late winter to early spring. I wouldn’t recommend a fall pruning unless you want to remove a damaged or broken limb. Fall pruning leaves the tree’s pruning scars susceptible to pests, diseases, and winter damage. 

Fall—or after the plant has dropped its leaves and gone dormant—is a good time for a light feeding with fertilizer or a top dressing of compost. The roots will remain active and absorb nutrients, and the plant will be able to use the nutrients in the spring. Remember to not apply excess amounts of fertilizer, as many fruit trees are already aggressive growers, and too much fertilizer can cause excessive growth the following spring. 

Learn more about pruning apple trees with this video: How To Prune An Apple Tree In Late Winter 

From J.R.

A: The first step would be to snug all those grow bags up against the house, preferably in a shady spot under an eve. That’ll make controlling the winter moisture easier.

Next, you want to insulate around the pots. You can use foam board, a bag of leaves, cushions from your outdoor furniture—whatever you can do keep the cold and wind off those pots. You can even throw pine boughs over them.