Garlic Mulch sprouting

[gltryon]

We planted our garlic in the fall and mulched it with certified weed free straw. Unfortunately our "straw" contained quite a few seeds and now we are growing a wheat crop around our garlic plants. We are having a fairly mild winter, temps haven't dropped below 20 degrees so the wheat grass is growing quickly.

Should we weed and pull back the mulch now while the wheat grass is fairly short?

Or wait until the spring and weed when temperatures are warm enough to pull the mulch off?

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[alp]

Welcome to the forum, @gltryon !​

Wheat does grow very quickly and might compete with the garlic for nutrients.

 

[marlingardener]

Welcome! Since you planted garlic in the fall, I'm assuming you are in the southern USA.
Garlic, which is a bulb, contains most of the nutrients needed to get it going. Seeds, on the other hand, start "feeding" as soon as they get their primary roots. I'd wait until the garlic starts to grow in the spring, pull the wheat and lay it down between rows of garlic, and when the garlic is harvested, till the wheat remains into the soil.
Wheat isn't considered a weed, and wheat straw will always have a few wheat seeds in it. You will have wheat in your garlic bed for a while, but it is not terribly invasive.

 

[gltryon]

Welcome to the forum, @gltryon !​

Wheat does grow very quickly and might compete with the garlic for nutrients.

Yup it started fast and now it's tapered off.

 

[gltryon]

Thanks for the input! Luckily the wheat pulls out easily. We also have some shoots coming up now because its been such a mild winter. I think we will cut those back now and then wait until spring to pull the wheat.