Garlic is a nutrient-dense, flavor-packed, versatile ingredient that may be found in various dishes. In most locations, it’s preferable to plant it in the fall. Planting, producing, and harvesting a superb crop of garlic is easy using Ben’s time-tested methods.
Date of Planting
It is common practice in Canada to plant garlic in the fall so that the garlic can be exposed to the cold temperatures that many species of garlic require over the winter.
When cloves are planted in the spring, they are less likely to produce a bulb than those planted in the fall, and those that do tend to be much smaller (see our Planting Garlic in Spring article for more info).
Garlic can be planted in late winter or early spring in warm places of the world like California, but this is only possible due to their mild weather and long growing season.
The best time to plant garlic is in the autumn (between September and November). Early spring is the time of year when garlic roots begin to sprout and produce foliage. Then, in the summer, you’ll be harvesting. At least 40 degrees Fahrenheit is required for at least four to eight weeks for garlic.
However, if you have a long growing season, you can also plant garlic in the spring. Garlic scapes, which are tender stalks with a faint garlic flavor, will be smaller, but they’ll still be excellent. You may put it on eggs, salads, pizza, and stir-fries, as well as in stir-fries.
From late fall to early spring, you can grow cloves in the South and Southwest (March). Because garlic doesn’t do well in hot weather, it’s best to plant it early.
Choosing and Preparing a Site for Planting
- Choose a location that gets at least six to eight hours of sunlight each day.
- Remove weeds and apply compost to the soil to improve its quality.
- Wait till the soil has defrosted and dried out before you plant in the spring. Planting can begin when the soil is crumbly to the touch.
- Garlic gardener Robin Jarry of Hope, Maine, recommends highly mulched raised beds, especially in heavy soil, for a simple and huge yield. In order to ensure proper drainage, I plant in raised beds and then mulch with about 6 inches of old hay when the ground freezes. ‘I enjoy low-maintenance vegetables!’ I never water my garlic. Raised beds should be at least 10 to 12 inches high and 2 to 3 feet broad.
- Several inches below where the garlic’s base will rest before planting the cloves, mix a couple of teaspoons of 5-10-10 complete fertilizer, bone meal, or fish meal into the soil to help the soil retain nutrients.
What is the Best Way to Grow Garlic?
- Local or mail-order seed companies can supply you with cloves.
- For planting, stay away from store-bought cloves. It’s possible that the types aren’t native to your region, and many have been chemically treated to extend their shelf life, making them more difficult to cultivate.
- Choose big, disease-free cloves. The following summer’s bulb will be larger and healthier if the clove is larger.
- When planting, separate the cloves from the bulb, but keep the papery husk on each clove.
- Spread out the cloves 2 to 4 inches apart, at a depth of 2 inches (the wide root side facing down and pointed end facing up).
- Rows should be 10 to 14 inches apart for best results.
Gardening Tips for Growing Garlic
- To ensure a healthy winter garden, northern gardeners should cover their soil with a thick layer of straw mulch. For additional information, see our mulching guide!
- After the risk of frost has gone in the spring, it is time to remove the mulch. (On their own, young shoots cannot withstand temperatures below 20°F / -6°C.) Keep them out of harm’s way.)
- Shoots develop from the ground as the weather warms up in the spring.
- Remove any spring-emerging flower stalks by snipping them off. Bulb size may be reduced by using these.
- A nitrogen-heavy fertilizer, such as blood meal, chicken dung, or a pelleted fertilizer, can be used to fertilize garlic in the spring.
- Just before the bulbs begin to swell in response to longer daylight, fertilize again (usually early May in most regions).
- Until April, weeds should not be a concern. Maintaining a well-weeded planting area is essential. Garlic is not a fan of competition since it requires all the nutrients it can get!
- In order for garlic to thrive, it must be supplied with proper nitrogen levels. Apply additional fertilizer if you notice yellowing leaves on your plants.
- Bulbing requires 3 to 5 days of watering per week (mid-May through June). Irrigate every eight to ten days if the months of May and June are particularly dry. As the middle of June approaches, reduce the amount of water you’re applying to the lawn.
Pests/Diseases
As a result of its natural pest-repelling properties, garlic has fewer issues with pests and diseases than other vegetables. There is white rot, but you should also be on the lookout for pests that attack onions, such as aphids.
Fungus White Rot attacks garlic when the temperature is cool and wet. Crop rotation and post-harvest cleanup are your only options for preventing or controlling this issue. It’s possible for the spores to remain in the soil for many decades. Leaves and roots are infected by a fungus.
Types of Plants to Consider
So you want to plant some garlic, but what kind of garlic? Softneck and Hardneck garlic are the two most common varieties.
If you live somewhere with particularly harsh winters, consider planting hard-neck types. It is necessary to remove the “scapes” or flower stalks that the bulbs develop in order to enable them to grow to their maximum potential. Cucumber scapes, which are in season throughout the spring and early summer, are a great addition to salads and stir-fries. Hardnecks have a single ring of cloves around the stem, as opposed to the several rings found on soft-neck. Hardnecks can withstand frigid temperatures, but they don’t keep as well or as long as other varieties. Softnecks have a more subdued taste. Korean Red, Duganski, Siberian, Music, Chesnok Red, German Red, and Spanish Roja are some of the most common hard-neck varieties. In addition to a large subterranean clove bulb, some cultivars generate tiny bulblets at the end of a long flowering stalk.
After harvest, soft-neck cultivars have necks that remain soft, which is why you’ll often see them braided. Those living in milder climates may choose to consider a Softneck, as it is less winter-resistant than other varieties. Like hard-necks, they have an intense flavor and larger bulbs because their energy is not diverted to the top-set bulblets. California Early and California Late are examples of soft-neck varietals.
The Great-headed (Elephant) garlic, which is not real garlic, behaves like a hard-neck kind. In spite of its diminutive stature, it packs a powerful punch. Once growth begins, most varieties can be harvested in around 90 days.
If you want a strong garlic flavor, stay away from great-headed (Elephant) garlic. It’s more closely linked to leeks than any other kind, and it’s less hardy than the others. Rather than garlic, the flavor is more akin to the onion. About four cloves are found in each bulb.
Garlic Harvesting Techniques
Late June through early August is when fall crops can be harvested. Your planting date will be an important factor if you live in a southern environment.
If you notice yellowing leaves, you’ve found the answer. After they begin to turn yellow and tumble over, but before they have entirely dried out.
It’s time to take a sample before you dig up your entire crop! The bulb should be lifted to see if the crop is ripening. Many types of garlic can be harvested sooner than the tops turn yellow (in late June or early July). The bulb’s skin will be thick, dry, and papery on the exterior, and the cloves will be large and juicy.
As a result of premature removal, the bulb wrapping will weaken and dissolve.
Bulb splitting can occur if they are left in the ground for an extended period of time. This can lead to infection and shortens the bulbs’ shelf life in storage.
To harvest, carefully dig up the bulbs with a garden fork (don’t pull or yank by hand!). Protect the roots, especially the root plate, from harm (where they attach to the bulb). Before putting the plants out to dry, carefully remove any excess dirt but do not remove any foliage or roots.
Allow them to cure for two weeks in a well-ventilated, shaded location. Hang them upside down on a string in groups of 4 to 6 or use a homemade rack constructed from chicken wire wrapped over poles to give them a try. Make sure there is good airflow on all sides.
Garlic should be completely dry and suitable for storage after a few weeks.
Garlic Storage
In order for the bulbs to be ready for storage, their wrappers should be papery and dry, as well as the roots should be dry and crisp. The head of the root should be firm, and the cloves should be easy to break away.
You may keep the dried garlic bulbs once they’ve dried out. Remove any and all roots and leaves. Wrappers can be left on, but only the most soiled ones should be taken off. Remove the stems and leaves.
It is best to keep bulbs in a cool, dark, and dry place (40°F / 4°C) for several months. If your basement is damp, don’t store anything there! Garlic should also not be kept in the refrigerator.
As the bulbs dry, the flavor will improve. Garlic, if stored properly, should last until the following summer’s harvest.
Make sure to keep some of your largest, best-formed garlic bulbs for planting in the fall if you plan to grow garlic again next year.
Wisdom and Humor
The sting or itch of an insect bite can be eased by applying raw garlic to the area. Find out more about the medicinal properties of raw garlic and how it has been used for thousands of years.
