Tips and Tricks for Planting Garlic

Planting garlic is no more difficult than planting other bulb plants, such as hyacinths or tulips. Garlic seed is really the clove of the garlic, but planting cloves straight from the bulb you bought at the grocery won’t guarantee a good crop. There are different varieties of garlic, which have their own preferences for temperature and light. One recommendation is to purchase local grown “seed cloves” to ensure you have the plant variety that will thrive in your area.

In many parts on the country, garlic can be planted in late autumn or early winter, but some areas will be too cold and you will have to wait until early spring for planting. Garlic does like cooler temperatures and won’t grow well if planted in warm conditions. Plant the clove with the root end down (pointy side up). Recommendations for how deeply to plant vary from one to four inches. The cloves should be spaced approximately four inches apart. Garlic also works well as a companion plant for other vegetables, including lettuce, cabbage, and beets (but not legumes, peas, or potatoes).

After planting the garlic

Garlic likes damp soil, but not so damp that it will rot. Good drainage and straw mulch will keep the soil ideally moist. Once the garlic begins to push up the green shoots, watch out for flowers and pinch them off so that the growing energy will go into the plant’s bulb.

You will know it’s harvest time when the top of the plant has begun to turn brown. The garlic might be ready to harvest before the foliage is completely brown if the weather has been wet, and leaving the plants in the ground too long will cause rot, so check early rather than late.

Once harvested, garlic can be dried, stored, and eaten. Garlic will sunburn if left in the heat, and if the air is too moist drying it under cover may be necessary. Store in dry cool conditions and enjoy.

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