Any idiot can grow garlic. Seriously. When's the last time you watched a television special on the "Remarkable Garlic Growing Person"? Never. Because you do not have to be remarkable in any way, shape or form to successfully grow garlic. But you do have to plant it - and the time to plant is October.
Skip right to the instructions.
I'll be planting my garlic in the next few weeks. Garlic is a fall planted crop that's harvested in July. October is the time to plant your garlic for next year's harvest. This right here is a step by step tutorial on how to plant, grow, harvest and store one of my favourite crops - garlic
Many, many, many, several, too many to count ... years ago, my father brought home some garlic. And THAT is when my garlic growing obsession began.
I'm obsessed with many things, that's how I've learned to do so much and why I can't sleep at night because I'm always plotting, planning or cleaning up after my latest venture. Occasionally I'm getting rid of evidence.
Same for bean sprouts. You can grow bean sprouts at home in 4 days. These are not difficult skills.
For growing garlic you just need some garlic and some dirt. Ready? Let's plant some garlic.
The first thing you need to know is which type you should be planting: hardneck or softneck garlic?
What's the difference between Hardneck and Softneck garlic?
Softneck garlic
- Softneck garlic is best grown in warmer climates.
- Has no stalk that grows up from the centre and therefore doesn't produce a garlic scape.
- Softneck garlic heads are generally smaller than hardneck and have smaller cloves.
- The head of a softneck garlic can be made up of multiple rows of garlic cloves.
- Softneck garlic will store for 6-8 months if kept in optimal conditions.
Hardneck garlic
- Hardneck garlic is best grown in cooler climates.
- It has a long hard stalk that grows up from the centre of the head, producing a scape in June and a flower head later in the season filled with little garlic bulbils which you can use as garlic seed.
- Hardneck garlic is larger than softneck and has bigger cloves.
- Cloves form the head in a single row.
- Hardneck garlic will store for 4-6 months if kept in optimal conditions.
So generally speaking, if you live in a climate where you get lots of very cold temperatures and snow in the winter, plant hardneck. If you live in a warmer climate with mild winters and hot summers, softneck garlic is for you.
How to Grow Garlic
Separate your garlic head into cloves. Just pull them apart. Pick out the biggest cloves for planting.
The flat end of the garlic is the root end.
The pointy end is the tip of the garlic. It needs to point up.
You want to plant the garlic "root" end down and pointy end up. The tip of the clove should be about 3 inches below the ground. The bigger the clove you plant, the bigger the resulting head of garlic will be.
If you sprinkle a little oregano on top of the garlic and squeeze a tomato over everything, in 9 months you'll have grown a delicious marinara sauce.
No you won't.
Plant the garlic cloves so they're around 4 inches apart and their tips are covered by a few inches of dirt.
Cover them up and wait. Through the fall the clove will start to develop roots and maybe even a shoot depending on how warm your weather is.
By the spring with a little help from sun, water and these little guys to aerate the soil, you'll have garlic plants starting! A single clove, produces an entire head of garlic.
Harvesting takes place in July and is accompanied by the traditional garlic harvesting dance. That's followed by curing the garlic and properly storing it - which do not have official dances associated with them. Curing and storing is treated with reverence. Just kidding. I dance for those things too.
How to Grow Garlic.
How to grow hardneck garlic. From planting to harvesting.
Materials
- Heads of garlic
Tools
- Trowel or shovel
Instructions
- Separate your head of garlic into individual cloves.
- Choose the largest cloves for planting.
- Plant the garlic, flat end down (the root end) in a hole that is 3-4" deep. When covered with soil, the tip of the garlic should be around 2" below the soil line.
- Fall planted garlic will develop roots underground in the fall and then go dormant through the winter. In spring it starts to grow again.
- In June, hardneck garlic will send up "scapes". Scapes are the tip of the growing stalk. Cut these off once they loop into a complete circle.
- DON'T THROW THE SCAPES OUT. You can use them for cooking or making a DELICIOUS garlic scape pesto.
- Stop watering your garlic 2 weeks before you harvest. (Around the time the lower leaves on the plant have turned brown.)
- Dig garlic up in July when one half of the leaves are brown. This indicates the garlic is ready to be harvested.
- Cure your garlic by hanging it in a well ventilated, shaded area like a porch. Leave it to dry for 2 weeks. This curing process will help your garlic to store much longer.
- Once cured you can cut the roots off of your garlic and the stem, leaving 1-2" of stem above the bulb.
- Store garlic between 55-65 degrees Fahrenheit. A humidity level of 65% is the best.
Notes
- The bigger the clove you plant the bigger the head of garlic will be.
- If properly stored hardneck garlic will store for around 6 months.
- You can also freeze your garlic cloves. Just separate the cloves and put them in a freezer safe container. Do not remove the skins, they're a protective layer.
- Want garlic powder? Dry extra garlic in a dehydrator and then grind it into homemade garlic powder.
- Softneck garlic is planted and grown the exact same way except it's planted in the spring and there are no scapes to remove.
- If you missed the fall planting for your garlic, don't worry! You can still plant it in the spring and get a good garlic harvest. A gardener at my community garden does this every year. Your garlic heads may just be a little smaller than fall planted garlic.
Can You Use Grocery Store Garlic for Planting?
What's The Best Variety of Garlic to Grow?
Can I Plant My Garlic in the Spring? Because I Forgot/Ran Out of Time/Couldn't Be Bothered To Plant It in the Fall.
How Much Should I Water It?
Water your garlic just like you would any other crop you're growing. The fall is usually a rainy time and once I plant it I don't water it at all. I just let nature run its course. What IS important though is to stop watering your garlic 2 weeks before you harvest. Around the time the lower leaves on the plant have turned brown. This helps speed up curing and the drying of the papers around the head.
When Can I Dig It Up?
How do you dig up garlic? Just rip it out?
Um, no. Don't harvest your garlic by trying to pull and manhandle it out of the ground. Dig it. Otherwise you may break the head apart.
What kind of dehydrator do you use?
I use an Excalibur dehydrator (it's pretty much what most dehydrating enthusiasts use) for all my dehydrating projects. You can take a look at the Excalibur dehydrator here (this one is white, but mine is black.)
Hands down my favourite garlic recipe is actually one that doesn't use any garlic at all. It uses the garlic scapes I harvest in June, which is yet ANOTHER reason to grow garlic. My garlic scape pesto is delicious on pasta or pizza and stores for a year in the freezer.
Now you have all the information you need on how to grow garlic so get out there and get your hands dirty. Or for the more refined among you - soily.
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KayleneP
Very nice article, I can really relate to your situation! I have just planted out my garlic and then when I was weeding the old garlic patch I came across dozens of garlic bulbs sending up shoots!
This was an old neglected patch that was still producing new plants!
Patty Jones
I would love to grow garlic, but have a few questions.. Why do you plant in the fall? I live in Oklahoma and we get snow, is that ok? Why can't you plant in spring when the soil warms up and then harvest in fall? Thank you for helping me. Patty
Karen
Hi Patty - Garlic is the type of bulb that needs exposure to cold in order for it to flourish. The same way other spring flowering bulbs do. Think of garlic like hyacinths, tulips, and other bulbs that need to be planted in the fall in order to bloom the next year. Hope that helps. ~ karen!
Charlene
By this blog...guess Florida is not the ideal place for garlic....mine ended up looking like a small onion...
Karen
Charlene - You should be able to find varieties that are good for your area. Ask around. ~ karen!
Angela
I just saw this for the first time. Thank you! You're funny, I love the Marinara sauce *.
Mary Ann
Hi Karen, Wow, who knew! I just followed what I read since I knew "zero" about growing garlic. She mentioned trimming the green sprout would send the energy back into the bulb...anyways...nothing ventured, nothing gained! I will follow your great advice and thank you so much, really appreciate it!
Karen
Ah! She's taking about the "scape", which is a long squiggly thing that shoots up from the centre of the plant. You can recognize it as new growth because it's from the centre and the stalk of it is round, as opposed to the flat garlic leaves. Once it grows you pinch that one portion off. Read this ... https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/before-the-thought-escapes-me-trimming-your-garlic/ ~ karen!
Mary Ann
Hi Karen,
I'm a 'newbie' to Pinterest and loving all the info sharing. About a month or two ago I planted some garlic bulbs in a container from something I saw on Pinterest. I keep trimming the growth, and they have become fairly sturdy in the soil, however, I saw your reply about not trying to grow them indoors, and I wasn't sure when I could transplant or harvest them. So my question is, do you think I could ease them out of the container and transplant them outside in my itty bitty garden, to harvest in July/August?
Karen
Hi Mary Ann - I'm a bit concerned/confused by why you keep trimming the growth. That's definitely something I've never heard of. If I were you I'd stop trimming. In fact, definitely stop trimming. I can tell you unless you have a greenhouse the garlic won't grow to a mature garlic plant unless you get them outside, so you may as well try. The first thing you need to do is "harden them off". Take your pot of garlic outside for a couple of hours today but make sure they're in the shade. Then tomorrow do the same let them get a bit of sun. Not full sun for 3 hours, just a bit. The next day allow full sun for the day and allow them to stay out overnight. Finally, either in the early morning or evening, plant them in the spot you want to grow them. ~ karen!
Amanda
Hey Karen,
Saw you on Pinterest & checked out the garlic...because it's awesome. Anyways...what is the gestation period from planting to harvest?
Karen
Hi Amanda - Thanks for comin' over from Pinterest. Generally speaking you plant in October/November and you harvest in late July. Here's my post on how to know when to harvest ... https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/when-to-dig-up-garlic-how-to-do-it/ ~ karen!
Sue
This is great. Thanks. I just had to say that you are hilarious. I absolutely love your writing style. I'd love to read a book written by you.
Karen
Thanks Sue! For now you'll have to rely on my blog for reading material. But I think I have close to 1,000 posts, so that should keep you busy for a while. ~ karen!
Lindsay
Fantastic tutorial on planting and growing, but garlic is one crop you probably shouldn't plant from the grocery store. Most garlic in US grocery stores is from China, and isn't allowed to be imported into many countries because of the way it's grown and chemically treated. (See: http://www.naturalnews.com/022801.html )
The flavor is better on varieties that weren't developed for industrialized farming, and since it's a bulb you only have to buy one year (you can replant from your harvest) it's totally worth it to get a variety that's ranked well for your zone and grown organically or at least domestically.
I grow "music" from territorial seed and love it!
geoponic
i agree about store bought garlic. ive experimented w/it several growing seasons and got far superior results w/ "seed" garlic., so if you can find a source then buy it. it is more expensive but well worth it.
Tiffany
Hi , im just wondering what time of the year would be better to plant them ?, i live in TX and I'm thinking of waiting the sun to start burning down here to start the planting :)
Karen
Hi Tiffany - Garlic needs some exposure to cold for it to grow so planting in the fall is the best, even if you're in Texas. Take a look at this site that has great information for Southern garlic growers. http://greyduckgarlic.com/Southern_Garlic_Grower_Guide.html ~ karen!
Lindsey Stell
Hi, I am with Sage Magazine and we would love to feature this in our April issue. Just let us know if you are interested. Thank you! sagemagazineonline@gmail.com, sagemagazineonline.com
Heidi
Hi, I live in Picayune, Mississippi (southern MS).
When is the best time for me to plant garlic. I was dying to plant some this spring but saw it's a fall veggie:( I LOVE garlic!!
Lori
Scapes are delicious too! I use them in salsa and other recipes that call for green oinions....
Crystal
read your article. Loved your humour. And love garlic too....thanks for sharing! :)
Karen
Thanks Crystal! ~ karen
Charlie
Hello my name is Charlie Anne and i am looking to grow some garlic for the first time. I live in WA state and am wondering if i can plan garlic now or if i have waited to long? Currently its been in the 30's and 40's at night here, does that mean its too late to plant? Thank you so much for your time, and i am looking forward to hearing back..
Karen
Hi Charlie - If you can work the ground, you can plant the garlic. No problem. ~ karen!
Britt
Hi
Thanks so much for your post! I wanted to ask you a question. I ordered my garlic a little late and now we are into some very cold weather. I live in utah zone 6. Can you suggest what I should do with my garlic or do i just toss it because it is too late to do anything with it? I have never grown garlic before so I don't know much about it. Thanks!
Karen
Hi Britt - If you can dig ... you can plant. I planted a few bulbs in January last year because it never ended up getting cold in Southern Ontario. (it was a very weird winter). Zone 6 is great hardneck garlic conditions. So like I say, if the ground is still workable plant the garlic. If not, just wait until you have a bit of a thaw and run out and plant it. Otherwise, get it into the ground as SOON as you can in the spring. The second the ground thaws out plant it. It'll be fine! Just keep your garlic stored in a cool, dry place. It may start to sprout on you, but that's O.K. The cool room should help to keep it from sprouting though. ~ karen
Cathy
Gosh, this is so timely. We got our first snow this week and it has been cold the last few days but I think I can still plant garlic; gonna try anyway.Is this when you plant onions in Zone 4B or do they plant in the spring? Thanks so much, Karen! I just love your blog and your chicken advice has been invaluable. I love the chickens!! One more question - Can you freeze eggs? We have many more than we can eat and give away and I don't want to waste them.
Karen
Hi Cathy - You can plant your garlic as long as you can work the ground. If it isn't frozen ... you can plant it. Now is not the time to plant onions. Wait til the spring. I've heard you can freeze eggs, but I've never done it myself so I have no idea how they are afterwards. My guess is they'd be watery. Give it a shot! ~ karen
Debbie D'Alfonso
Am going to plant some in a flower bed that contains ornamental grass plants as it gets the most sun. My other choice is under a deck that gets sun until mid day. Both are close to my neighbor's black walnut tree. I have had tomatoes that will not grow because of the tree. Will the garlic thrive? Thanks
Karen
Hi Debbie - Plant your garlic in either location. I don't have any personal experience with this, but from what I know, garlic, onions, beans and corn are some of the vegetables that aren't harmed by the toxins released by the Black Walnut. So plant away! ~ karen
Kels
So.. these scapes... they're useless???? My kids "accidentally" threw some garlic out that was laying in the garage (waiting to be taken into the house). The next year, I had these long plants growing and then what I thought was seeds. I never harvested it because I didn't know when.. because I thought they were seeds etc.. Anyways.. what are the scapes for? They are pretty for decorations but when they open and seed, they're not so pretty.
Melissa
Scapes are definitely NOT useless!!! :D They are very Yummy (especially if you love garlic! -I sautee or steam them (by themselves of with other veggies) add butter, and add them to stir frys! I did an experiment and noticed no difference in yield between those I "pinched off" and those I didn't. Also the top sets (the mini bulblets can be used to grow scallion-like baby garlic)
This website says basically the same things: (they even did the same experiment)
-http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/blogs/organic-gardening/growing-garlic-460709
Donna T
Hi from Oregon! I grew garlic for years starting with a few cloves I bought at the local grocery store (luckily they had apparently not been sprayed with growth inhibitor!). I noticed the elephant garlic had little hard "corms" attached to the roots of the huge heads when I dug them up. I left those behind in the soil, and Wa Laa! They grew garlic even when I didn't get around to replanting. The "corms" look like tiny hard cloves of garlic, about the size of a large marble. Oh yes, and I also had a few garlic that grew a head kind of like an onion... one large head, no cloves. Weird, but interesting addition to my garlic "collection".
Karen
Hello Oregon! :) You just reminded me, it's almost time to start thinking about planting mine! ~ karen