Garlic is a member of the allium family. It is an ancient bulbous vegetable. Garlic is easy to grow and requires very little space in the garden. Garlic grows from individual cloves broken off from a whole bulb. Each clove will multiply in the ground, forming a new bulb that consists of 5-10 cloves. Garlic tastes greatly roasted or used as a flavoring in many recipes.
Harvest when the tops just begin to yellow and fall over!
Rather than risk getting subpar garlic from the grocery store, try growing your own! It’s an easy and rewarding crop to grow at home.
Beyond its intense flavor and culinary uses, “the stinking rose” is also good in the garden as an insect repellent and has been used for centuries as a home remedy.
Types of Garlic
There are two types of garlic: ‘hardneck’ or ‘softneck’. Hardneck varieties produce flower stems, or ‘scapes’, which must be removed to encourage the bulbs to reach their full potential. The scapes themselves are an early summer treat, delicious chopped into salads or stir-fried for a taste of the bulbs to come. Hardneck varieties are more tolerant of cold weather than softneck ones, so opt for these if your winters are harsh.
While not a true garlic, the enormous ‘Elephant’ garlic behaves like a hardneck type. Despite its size, it has a mild flavor.
Garlic from the grocery store may carry disease and could be unsuitable for your climate.
How to Grow Garlic
Garlic should be planted in a spot not recently used for garlic or other plants from the onion family. Do not plant garlic in areas where water can collect around the roots, causing them to rot or become diseased.
Garlic should be planted in a fertile, well-drained soil. A raised bed works very well. Remove stones from the top 6 inches of soil. Work several inches of compost or well-rotted manure into the bed, along with 10-10-10 fertilizer.
How to plant?
Plant your garlic into prepared soil raked to a fine tilth. Begin planting by carefully breaking apart the bulb to separate the individual cloves. Plant them pointy end up, about six inches (15cm) apart, leaving a foot (30cm) between rows. You can make a trench, or dig a hole for each clove. Cover them back over with soil so that the tips of the cloves are only just below the surface. If birds pull up the cloves, replant them and pop a row cover or netting over the top to prevent further problems.
In very cold regions garlic cloves can be planted into module trays for planting out in spring. Fill the trays with general purpose potting soil and plant one clove per module in exactly the same way.
You can also grow garlic in containers. Choose pots that are at least eight inches (20cm) wide, with adequate drainage holes in the base. Plant the cloves so they are four to six inches, or 10 to 15cm apart in each direction. Cover them with more potting soil then move to a sunny spot.
How to Harvest & Storage Garlic
Garlic varieties are divided into early, midseason, and late, depending on your climate zone and the weather during the growing year. Heat speeds them up, cold slows them down. Although the harvest window is wide if you plan to eat the garlic fresh, it’s narrow if you want to ensure maximum storage life.
The bulbs are ready when most of the lower leaves have browned. The upper ones will still look green. “Lift the bulbs” usually describes moving things like daffodils, but it’s also a good way to think about harvesting garlic. Those heads are more delicate than they seem.
Choose an overcast day when the soil is dry. Loosen the soil with a digging fork, inserting it well away from the heads, then lift them out of the row and place them in a flat carrier.