Introduction to Growing Garlic

Garlic is one of the easiest vegetables to grow. You plant it in the fall and basically leave it alone until early spring. 

Is it worth it to grow your own garlic?

You might be asking, "Why would I want to take up valuable garden space for 180 to 210 days for a vegetable that is available in any local grocery store?" 

The answer is simple: Growing your own garlic opens up a wide variety of flavors that you can’t find in the store. Much of the garlic in your local grocery is shipped from China, and even the ones that are not simply cannot compare to the flavor you get by growing your own. 

How Garlic Grows Best

Sun

Garlic grows best in full sun. Full sun is at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sun daily. 

Soil

Garlic should be planted in well-drained soil that has been amended with compost.  

Fertilizer

Garlic should be fertilized in the early spring with a high nitrogen fertilizer such as blood meal, and again in early May before it is harvested in June. Be sure and follow the directions on the fertilizer package for the amount to use. Always water before applying a dry granular fertilizer. Work it into the soil, and water again. 

Water

Garlic doesn’t require a large amount of water, especially in the winter when the plant is dormant. In the spring, when the temperature warms, water only when the soil becomes dry. (Too much water may result in bulb rot.) The soil may feel dry on the surface, but remain moist below. The best way to check the dryness of the soil is to stick your finger down into the soil about 2 to 3 inches and feel for moisture. 

When to Plant Garlic

Garlic is planted in the fall. Most areas of the country plant their garlic in mid October. In the North, it may need to be planted in September due to an earlier freeze than in the South. 

I planted my garlic last fall in October since our average first frost here in Georgia is mid-October. We had exceptionally warm weather, and I could have waited until November. 

Keep an eye on your weather forecasts. You will need to plant before the ground freezes.

How to Plant Garlic Bulbs in 5 Easy Steps

Instead of growing from a seed, you'll plant your garlic from a clove. Here's how to plant garlic in 5 easy steps:

Step One

When planting your garlic bulbs, you will first want to separate the bulbs into individual cloves but leave the outer skin attached. Choose the largest cloves since the small ones take up just as much space but won’t give you as big a bulb when mature. 

Step Two

Amend the soil with plenty of compost prior to planting. Compost helps with drainage and is a good source for your initial fertilizer.

Step Three

Dig a hole 3 to 4 inches deep in soil that has been loosened to 8 inches. Place the clove flat side down, pointy side up. Plant cloves 6 to 8 inches apart. Using a garden tool called a dibber makes it easier to plant your garlic at the right level since measurements are marked.  

Step Four

Mulch with straw or leaves. 

Step Five

Water gently after planting and then every 5 to 6 days if it does not rain, until they are established.

Garlic Growing Tips:

• Choose the biggest and healthiest garlic bulbs you can find. Feel the bulb and be sure the cloves are not soft.
• Purchase garlic that is sold for planting. I know people who have grown garlic from supermarket garlic, but some may have been treated with a sprout inhibitor to keep it from growing.
• Choose the right type of garlic for your climate (see below).

Hard-neck vs Soft-neck Garlic

Choose the garlic type that is best grown in your area. Since I live in the South, "soft-neck" garlic is what is recommended for my garden. Soft-neck garlic has more bulbs than "hard-neck" varieties, but they are smaller. They store well, and the soft stems can be braided.

Hard-neck garlic is best suited for cooler climates. Their cloves are larger but fewer on the bulb. They do not store as long as the soft-neck.

Each type has many varieties, so when you're deciding which garlic you want to plant, you may want to look at storage, flavor, or bulb size, according to your personal preference.

I chose Early-California, a soft-neck variety that is easy to grow, medium-sized, with a nice mild flavor. It also has excellent storage ability, and is probably the most commonly grown in the U.S.

Common Garlic Growing Problems

Garlic has few pests, and is often used as a companion plant in the garden to deter pests from other vegetables such as lettuce.  

However, pests such as mites or leaf miners that attack other vegetables in the allium family often live for years in the soil and can attack your garlic. Rotating your garlic and onions to different beds or areas in the garden yearly can prevent some of these problems.  

Harvesting Garlic

How long does it take to grow your own garlic?

Garlic needs about nine months underground to turn one clove into a complete bulb.

How to know when garlic is ready for harvest

Garlic is ready to harvest when two or three of its leaves have dried out and turned brown. Don’t worry that you still have a couple of green leaves. Waiting longer won’t result in larger bulbs. 

How to harvest garlic

When harvesting you don’t want to just pull the whole plant out by hand. Use a trowel or garden fork to gently lift the whole plant out of the soil, being careful not to damage the bulb. 

How to cure garlic

Garlic can be used directly from the ground, but if you want to store it, you will need to “cure” it. After you have harvested your garlic, you want to shake the soil off, but don’t wash it or you will remove the protective covering. Do not remove leaves or roots. You can either allow it to cure for two to four weeks spread out on a drying rack or hang it in bundles. Whichever you decide, it needs to be in a cool, dry place with good air circulation. Consider using a fan if you don’t have any air circulation. 

You will know the garlic has cured when the outer skins are dry. When you cut the stem off, you will see the center is hard. After it is cured, you can remove roots and stems for storage. Cured garlic bulbs can be stored for several months if kept in a cool, dry place like your pantry. You can also dehydrate garlic for longer storage.

I encourage you to give garlic a try in your home garden. I guarantee it will be healthier and tastier than anything you can get from your neighborhood market.

(Thanks to Karen for supplying the picture of her garlic that's ready to harvest, above.)

Karen Creel of Garden Chick

Karen has over 30 years of gardening experience under her belt, growing in both raised beds and row gardens. She even grew in a CSA (a community-supported agriculture garden) that provided a basket of fresh harvests to four families each week for several years.

Karen recently retired from nursing after 40 years in the healthcare industry and started her own garden coach business, Growing with Garden Chick, located in Chickamuauga, Georgia, outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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