How to Grow Your Own Garlic

Little Lost Creations may earn a commission for purchases made after clicking links on this page. my full disclosure can be read here.

How to grow your own garlic.  We have found that Garlic planted in the fall works a lot better than if it is planted in the spring.  Last year we planted our Garlic in the fall and our August  harvest this year was awesome.  As soon as the snow melted off of the garden this spring, our garlic was already  (read more) 

How to grow your own garlic

poking out of the ground about an inch.  This fall we were a little slow getting the garlic planted due to the wet fall.  When it finally dried up enough my husband planted the garlic.  The date was the 15th of October.

The garlic we have grown in our garden

Here is how we plant garlic.  We don’t claim to be experts, we just enjoy gardening and want to share our experiences.

The first thing my husband did was use the rototiller on the ground.  Just like everything we plant in the garden we put in stakes to run a string so the rows are straight.  This is explained in the post about planting carrots.

Many varieties of garlic to choose from

Since we like to experiment with the things we plant we decided to plant Longneck and Softneck garlic.  We planted 5 different varieties of garlic.  Each variety is recommended to be used for one reason or another, whether it be medicinal or the best to cook with.  This variety is recommended to cook with.

• Softneck garlic is generally what you would find in grocery stores. If you are looking for a garlic that stores the longest, softneck would be the better choice.  If stored under the right conditions, it may store for up to a year.  Softneck garlic tends to have a milder flavor.
• Hardneck garlic is known to store up to 6-10 months if stored under the right conditions. A hardneck garlic has a stronger flavor closer to a wild garlic flavor.  Hardneck garlic is easier to peel as the skin slides off easily.

Storing garlic

When storing garlic it is important to keep loosely in a mesh bag.  A cool, dry, dark space is recommended to keep it from sprouting or going moldy.

Planting garlic

The first thing to do is take the white outer layer off.  This one peels off easily.  It is liked mostly by chefs because the paper like coating peels off easily.  This is what the bulb looks like with the first few layers of the paper like skin taken off.

Peeling off the outer layer of thin paper-like skin.

The next thing you do is break off a clove.  Don’t remove all of the paper on the clove if you are going to plant it.    This particular one the outer layer peels off very easy.

You can see the little cloves on the bulb.

Planting a clove of garlic

After breaking the clove off of the bulb it is time to plant.  Be sure and leave any roots that may be attached to the bottom of the clove.  Dig a small hole in the dirt around 1″ deep and set the clove in it with the point facing up.  Next, cover it up and pat it down.  If it has already started to grow don’t break the green coming out of it off, just plant it in the ground.

The cloves of garlic after they have broken off of the bulb.

Make sure the pointed part is facing up.

We live at 5600 feet so our winters can get pretty cold.  Last year the snow-covered our garlic so we didn’t cover it with any mulch to protect it.  The snow made a nice blanket of insulation.  We are really hoping for that to happen again.  Some people mulch the garlic to keep it a little warmer in the winter and protect it.

Plant the clove of garlic in a hole about 1″ deep.

In most areas it isn’t too late to plant your garlic, that is if your ground isn’t frozen.  Remember garlic likes cold weather.  It will grow better and will give you a better harvest if you plant it in the fall.

I hope you enjoy my blog post.  Share it with someone who might enjoy it.  As always comments are welcome, just write them below.