Gardening Q&A

November/December 2021 California Bountiful magazine

As a California Bountiful reader, you have the opportunity to get your seasonal gardening questions answered by gardening expert Pat Rubin. Here are a few questions from our readers.

Is it too late to plant garlic?

October and November are the months to plant garlic but you're not far behind. The bulbs will certainly catch up with ones planted earlier, so not to worry. I prefer what's called soft-neck garlic since it is less prone to blooming during the season. Garlic bulbs that produce flower stalks don't put their energy into bulb production.

I had a horseradish plant and it was doing very well but I wanted to move it, which I did. Then I rototilled the garden bed and now I've got horseradish everywhere. How did this happen?

I know someone else who did the same thing. Any bits of root left in the soil, no matter how small, will grow. You basically propagated hundreds of horseradish plants. You can keep digging them out, which is likely your best solution. Quit watering them, too. You can spray them, but it takes a lot to kill a horseradish and it means giving up the growing space until they can be eradicated.
Reprinted with permission: California Farm Bureau Federation