Garlic is one of the easiest crops to grow in a menage garden — making it fun for beginners to get started — but the sheer act of cultivar usable ( dozens upon loads ) keeps it exciting for even the most veteran gardener .
And Allium sativum is not just goodinyour garden , it ’s also greatforyour garden .
Because of its pungency , ail helps deter insect blighter that are turned off by its smell . you’re able to keepaphids , weevils , mosquito , soupcon , and Japanese mallet away simply by interplanting ail with other edible plant , and — surprisingly to many — garlic can be grown as a perennial . ( This is a good manipulation for any extra cloves you might have after your even planting . )
It ’s also one of the few vegetable that seem to beresistant to deer , rabbits , moles , and mice , so at least that ’s one matter you do n’t have to worry about during the get season !
Choosing the right type of garlic
The first thing to consider before you start planting is what type of garlic works best for your clime . Garlic is divided into two types : softneck and hardneck .
Generally , southern climates ( lovesome regions ) have better fortune withsoftneck garlic .
Softnecks have a mild flavor and are most conversant to masses because these are the garlics you see in grocery store . Softneck Allium sativum is the easiest Allium sativum to rise and it has the longest shelf biography , average out 10 to 12 month . If you need to make garlic plait , softnecks are the way to go .
Northern climate ( cold regions ) should growhardneck garlic , which are hardy . ( The name itself , however , look up to a difficult central peak stalk — thegarlic flower stalk — that seem in recent outflow to former summer . )
Hardnecks tend to have a more complex , sharper , and arguably better relish than softnecks , though they do n’t store virtually as long ( on average , just four to six months calculate on the variety ) .
Elephant garlicis another choice , though it ’s not a lawful garlic ( it ’s a member of the leek family ) . But since it resembles a jumbo head of garlic with giant cloves , it ’s planted and grown the same style as regular Allium sativum .
For a complete overview of unlike types and strains available , check out my detailed template onchoosing the best garlic varieties for your garden .
How much seed garlic do you need?
The amount of ail to plant depends on how much you require out of your craw .
take more : How many plants you need to produce for a yr ’s worth of food(chart include )
In general , 1 Irish pound of come Allium sativum can implant a 15- to 30 - invertebrate foot row .
This will vary based on the character of garlic used and the amount of outer space between cloves . Most softneck garlic varieties have 65 to 70 cloves per pound sign , while hardneck assortment have 40 to 75 cloves per pound . ( you’re able to see a fullgarlic compare chartin this Charles William Post . )
I favor tospace my plants intensivelyin staggered row to maximise my harvesting , so I aim for 6 to 9 inch between quarrel . In a 4×8 bed , that intend about 100 cloves can be implant .
Do n’t be afraid to order a slight more than you think you demand , since you could always interplant the extra cloves with other plants in your garden ( or simply cook with them ) .
How to grow garlic
1. Determine the right time to plant your garlic.
Garlicplants are very cold hardyand can hold out temperatures well below freeze . you’re able to even grow garlic in zone 0 ! ( Yes , zero ! )
That said , garlic should be plant three to six weeks before the earth freezes firm . Most climates should take for former September to former November . This gives the clove some prison term to establish root before the plants go inactive in wintertime .
In warmer regions , works Allium sativum three to six hebdomad before the coldest sentence of year . Typically you ’ll want cloves in the earth by early December .
take next : Use thiscustomizable planting calendar to find your last and first frost dates
by and large the best time of year to plant ail is in declension ( late September to late October ) because the plant ask a natural dormant point that includes exposure to cold-blooded temperatures ( a physical process called vernalization ) .
Hardneck garlic , in particular , will only form bulbs and scape if it ’s had proper cold-blooded picture . Without vernalization , some garlic works will not divide , leaving you with cycle ( individual - clove bulb ) . While the rounds are still edible , you ’ll get more out of your harvest with a fall planting .
revelation : If you shop from my article or make a purchase through one of my connectedness , I may receive commissions on some of the products I recommend .
2. Prepare the planting site.
Garlic like full sun and rich , well - draining soil ( though it can tolerate many soil case ) . If yours is on the clayey side , add 2 to 3 inches of aged compost on top of the soil to assist tease apart it and improve territory complex body part .
Compost , in worldwide , is always a upright idea for amending your bottom before planting , and you could usehomemade compostor bag compost , or you could also only skim in an constituent all - determination fertilizer or vegetable fertilizer likethis one .
( Want to pressurise your soil even more ? Try adding a spoonful of worm castings(like this option)under each Syzygium aromaticum for an supernumerary guess of organic matter . )
3. Break up the bulbs.
Break your bulb apart and nibble out all the Eugenia caryophyllatum that are unshakable and embonpoint , leaving the papery wrapping on each Eugenia caryophyllatum as inviolate as potential .
If you have any small cloves , save those to use in the kitchen . ( found small cloves will yield small plants , so I do n’t recommend it . )
4. Plant cloves at the appropriate depth.
poke a trench about 2 to 4 inches bass . ( Warm climate can go as shallow as 2 inches , and moth-eaten climates should go up to 4 inches deep the farther north you are . )
Plant each clove , root cease down ( and pointy end up ) , 4 to 6 column inch apart with 6 to 9 inches between rows . Fill the trench with soil .
Quick Tip
Do you inhabit in a particularly rainy or humid climate ? Then give your garlic 6 inches of space with 9 to 12 inch between row . This helps increase melodic phrase circulation between works and scale down the chances of develop a commonfungal disease called rust .
And if you ’ve been growing garlic for age , this little titbit might blow your mind — softneck garlic cloves can be implant in any direction .
That ’s correct : up , down , or sideways , it actually does n’t matter which direction the pointy end faces when you institute softneck Allium sativum . It will turn any which way . ( This is part of the reason softneck garlic is prefer for commercial growing . It can be embed mechanically without worrying which end is plop in the soil . )
Hardneck garlic , on the other hand , needsto be planted with the pointy end up .
If you rise both softneck and hardneck varieties in your garden , it just keeps things easier to plant every clove with the pointy oddment up , which is why I advocate it . But if youonlygrow softneck garlic , then know the planting management is n’t that crucial .
5. Water and mulch the bed.
Water your new planted garlic bed to conciliate the ground , then shroud with 3 to 6 inches oforganic mulch ( like stubble , pine needles , wood chips , dope clippings , or shredded leafage ) . The cold your mood is , the more mulch you should tote up to keep the soil warm — remember that you desire the Allium sativum to develop as many roots as possible before freeze !
( Because I live in Central Oregon — zone 6b with a cold microclimate — I care to mulch my garlic bed even more after the vacation byreusing the old bough from my Christmas Judy Garland . This helps the soil stay strong and comfy all winter . )
Depending on your climate , you may or may not see any green shoots in the dip ; do n’t be alarmed if it seems like your garlic is n’t growing , as it ’ll mail out young development once the aviation warm up up again in outpouring .
6. Continue watering in spring and summer.
Thesoil just involve to stay thinly moist through downslope and winter , and some clime may get enough moisture from rain or C. P. Snow alone .
A general pattern of thumb is to keep the top 2 inches of soil moist ( you may check this easy with your finger ) . Be careful not to overwater , as Allium sativum is susceptible to moulder in the cooler months when the soil keep a mess more moisture .
train for the root zona to keep water off the leaves as much as possible . ( Drip irrigationis the best way to water Allium sativum . )
In spring , begin watering again and keep an eye out for potential problem likegarlic rust . Garlic should be given deep , less frequent waterings on a consistent basis , and a boost of nitrogen in former give when vegetative growth really gets going . ( I care to usealfalfa repast , agranular veggie fertilizer , or a short side - wearing apparel of compost for this . )
Hardneck garlic will send up a blossom stalk ( ring a flower stalk ) in late spring to early summertime . Once the scape has form one curl , get rid of it so the plant can guide energy into developing a big bulb . ( But do n’t just toss them — garlic flower stalk are a delicious bonus harvest ! )
What to do next summer
While garlic is unbelievably easy to plant and grow , know exactly when to glean can be a tricksy affair .
Generally , hardneck ail is ready to pluck about four to six weeks after the scapes form .
But the best way to determine when your harvest ( whether hardneck or softneck ) is mature is to look at the parting : When 50 per centum of the leaves is green and 50 percentage is brown , you ’re in the geographical zone .
Garlic leaves start croak from the bottom up ( which is wholly normal , and a augury they ’re well-nigh ready to harvest ) , and each light-green leaf above equates to one theme neglige around the electric-light bulb . So , you do n’t want to hold off forallthe leaves to drop dead , which would depart you with garlic that has no paper wrapper ( leading to inadequate storage clock time ) .
Once your leaves start signaling that it may be go time , keep up these in - depth guides to learn how to harvest , cure , and store them properly :
What if it’s too late to plant garlic now?
Not to worry ! It ’s actually good to plant a little too recent than too early .
Why ?
Because planting ail too early in drop may lead in poor ontogenesis and bulb development .
If you plant too early , the clove wo n’t prepare root until it gets cold . Meanwhile , they just seat in the territory , not growing , and becoming more susceptible to decompose , disease , or underground cuss . picture to really blistering weather in fall can also reverse vernalization and ensue in small incandescent lamp .
A good rule of pollex for northern climates is to plant after the first killing frost , but while you’re able to still work the soil .
Here ’s how I do it :
If the primer is n’t frozen yet but you still have a farsighted period of cold weather ahead , you’re able to plant your garlicnowas long as you add a hefty stratum of mulch on top .
This worked for me in Central Oregon when our wintertime had a late start . I engraft my ail in a raised layer in January , knowing we still had at least three calendar month of cold conditions in the lead ( our last rime is n’t until June ) .
Then , I added about 8 inch of mulch on top , using a combination of rip up leaves andcut - up boughs from an erstwhile Christmas Judy Garland . This kept the soil warm enough for the roots to develop a fleck before everything froze whole .
A few week later , the first heavy snowfall of the time of year added a nice layer of insulating material to further protect the cloves .
( In case you ’re wondering , garlic shoots can still grow through all that mulch in spring since the cloves contain enough DOE to force upward . )
mention that this former planting only work if you have at least a calendar month of cold weather condition onwards — garlic needs wintertime ’s shudder to form summer ’s bulb .
Hardneck garlic demand four to six workweek of inhuman temperature below 40 ° F to grow bulbs .
Softneck garlic , on the other hand , is n’t as particular about vernalization , which makes it a better option for climates with meek winters .
If you ’re one of these mild - winter gardeners , you’re able to even wait until spring before planting your ail . Do this in early outpouring when the dirt is still nerveless , and works only softneck Allium sativum for unspoilt solvent .
If your clime is somewhere in between , you may plant Allium sativum four to six workweek before the last spring frost , bring home the bacon your dirt is thawed and viable .
Do n’t wait too long before planting though . Garlic is raw to day duration change , and not having enough days with increasing twenty-four hour period length can forestall the medulla from dividing in good order or close down altogether , resulting in very humble medulla .
( If this bechance to you , all is not lost . Just harvest your crop asgreen garlic in bounce , which is a delicious vegetable in itself . )
saltation - planted garlic will mature about 120 to 150 days after planting .
Frequently asked questions
Can you grow garlic from a clove?
Garlic produce from Eugenia aromaticum is the best way to get to reap quickly . you’re able to use cloves from the grocery store , cloves from your own seminal fluid stock , or clove from specialty come garlic .
Choose the fat , firm cloves for planting , as these will make large works ( and thus larger bulbs ) .
How long does it take to grow garlic?
Garlic is a slow grower and demand patience in the garden . In general , garlic is quick to harvest anywhere from seven to nine months after being plant . The timeframe depends on the eccentric of ail planted and your local growing conditions .
If you institute your garlic in fall ( September to October ) , it ’ll mature in summertime ( June to July ) . But climates with modest winters and hot summer may plant as deep as December and get a harvest as early as May . Here ’s a handy legerdemain for knowingwhen to harvest garlic .
Can you plant garlic cloves from the grocery store?
Yes , you could in spades plant garlic that you buy from a store or farmers ’ market — just separate the cloves and fall out this planting usher .
Be aware , however , that some Allium sativum ( especially those imported from China ) may be sprayed with an inhibitor that keep the Allium sativum from spud ( thus prolonging shelf life ) . If that ’s the case , it wo n’t arise in your garden .
How can you tell if garlic is from China?
you’re able to tell the difference between Formosan - grow garlic and California - grown garlic by checking the bottom of the bulb .
If all the roots have been removed , leaving a fresh , concave spot , the garlic was likely import from China . This step is required by US agribusiness functionary to prevent soilborne diseases from enter the country .
Chinese ail is also bleached to give a “ healthier , ” whiter , and arguably more attractive show , and sprayed with a growth inhibitor to preclude sprout during transport . For these reasons , you should never hear to implant garlic that you suspect has been import from overseas .
Can you grow garlic in containers?
Garlic makes an excellent container plant life since it does n’t postulate a muckle of space once it gets move .
Use a container that ’s at least 8 inch deep to allow the rootage ample elbow room to propagate .
How wide the container should be bet on how many plants you desire to grow . A 24 - inch - diam raft , for example , can domiciliate 8 to 10 garlic plant . The bigger the container , the more cloves you could implant — and the less oftentimes you ’ll have to water in summer .
If grow garlic indoors in a container , you ’ll typically only be able-bodied to reap green garlic from these plants due to temperature and weak condition .
How do you know when garlic is ready to pick?
In later spring to other summer , look at the leaves . When about half the leafage are gullible and one-half are brownish , you could thinly dig around a medulla to find out its evolution .
If the bulb is well - formed and a decent size of it , the rest of the crop should be quick for harvesting . If the bulb still calculate a little small , push the soil back around it and check again the next calendar week .
Just do n’t wait untilallthe leaves have turn chocolate-brown , as this could lead to an overgrown bulb that ’s already separated and a shorter shelf life story in memory board .
This post updated from an clause that originally appeared on October 26 , 2010 .
