Beginner’s guide on how to grow garlic in your garden
Let’s just begin with my love for garlic, I think I add garlic to almost any dish I cook. What I don’t love however are musty old garlic bulbs from the grocery store. Well, what better reason to grow your own garlic in your home garden?
This year we had our first harvest of garlic bulbs and I can not express to you how easy it is to grow garlic! Because of the pregnancy I haven’t done much (read almost zero) work in the garden. We did prepare for this season last year though. Last fall, in October, we planted I think about 30 – 40 cloves of garlic, we haven’t done anything apart from adding some mulch and watering when it was dry weather. At the beginning of July this year, the outer leaves started to turn yellow indicating they were ready to be harvested!
We removed the outer leaves and dried them for about 2 weeks and then braided them for easy storage. Now we can enjoy homegrown non-musty garlic! Read below in this guide how you can grow, store, and enjoy your own garlic from the garden! From choosing the right variety to how to deal with pests and diseases.
Different varieties of garlic
Garlic comes in two main types: softneck and hardneck. Choosing the right variety depends on your climate and personal preference. In short, hardneck types are typically more flavorful, while softneck varieties have a longer shelf life.
Softneck garlic
Softneck garlic is recognizable, how surprising, by its flexible stems, or by its soft neck. These soft, and flexible stems are perfect for braiding the garlic to store them. A typical softneck garlic bulb contains around 8 – 20 cloves that will vary in size. The outer skin layers are usually tight and smooth, making the bulbs compact. These cloves have a mild flavor and, depending on the type, a sweetness when cooked. Because of this mild flavor, you can use this garlic raw in dishes as an addition to a dressing or salsa.
Furthermore, softneck varieties thrive in milder climates with mild winters and hot summers. Plus, this variety is perfect for long-term storage! Check out my article about braiding garlic for a beautiful and space-efficient way of storing garlic. When stored correctly softneck garlic bulbs may last up to 6 – 12 months if stored correctly.
Hardneck Garlic
Hardneck garlic also has, not very surprisingly, a hard, rigid central stem (scape) that extends through the center of the bulb. If you remove the scape through the growing season you’ll encourage bulb development. As a bonus, the scape is edible and very tasty! The hardneck varieties typically have a single ring of large cloves, usually 4 – 12 cloves per bulb, around the central stem. These cloves are more uniform in size than the softneck garlic cloves. The hardneck cloves have a more pungent, and strong taste than the softneck variety making it perfect for spicy dishes.
The hardneck garlic varieties thrive in colder climates, and even need a cold period to develop properly! This is called vernalization. Furthermore, this variety requires a tiny bit more work than the softneck variety, although it is still so low-maintenance that it can hardly be said. During the growing season, you’ll have to remove the scape without harming the rigid stem, that’s all!
To store hardneck garlic you can cure it, cut off the stem just above the neck, and then put it in a hanging wire basket or mesh produce bag.
Planting depth, spacing, and location in the garden
Garlic has a very superficial root system, called a fibrous root system just like the roots of the onion plant. Therefore, plant garlic cloves about 2-3 inches deep, with the pointed end facing up. Space the cloves 6 inches apart in rows so the roots don’t compete with each other for nutrients. We used a handy tool to plant our garlic, a cardboard triangle with sides of 6″, this was a tip I once saw on Instagram of Jolene from Oursanctuarygarden. This way we had enough spacing for proper air circulation and were very quick planting all the bulbs!
The only thing your garlic further needs is a sunny spot, an inch of water per week, and well-draining, loamy soil. Add organic matter, such as compost, to enrich the soil when planting the garlic cloves.
Planting from seed or bulb
There are two different methods when it comes to growing garlic in your garden. You can either start your plants from seed or buy a few bulbs and plant the individual cloves. Although the first method is rarely done it is possible to start your garlic from seed under specific conditions and the right garlic variety.
Because of years and years of cultivation of garlic, the plant is almost sterile. By cultivating garlic plants traits like the taste, the size of the bulb, and hardiness in specific climates are improved. These are good traits for gardeners around the world, however, the downside is that garlic plants are now almost sterile. It now mostly grows via asexual reproduction or in easier words, by planting cloves instead of seeds. So, when people talk about growing garlic, they’ll start by planting cloves instead of garlic seeds.
At the moment I’m writing a detailed description of how to grow garlic from seed. I’ll link the article here when it’s done, so you can check it out if you want to try this challenge!
Last year was the first time we’ve grown garlic and bought bulbs to plant our plants by planting cloves. I wanted to try to grow garlic but did not have the time to start the plants from seeds. And I think that’s OK! Gardening is my hobby, and if it causes more stress than enjoyment I wouldn’t like it anymore.
​Starting with cloves
Because growing garlic from seed is such a difficult process I will only explain how you can grow garlic from cloves in this article. If you want to grow your garlic from true seeds check out my article about how to grow garlic from seed (coming soon).
In short, this method is pretty straightforward:
- Buy some bulbs of garlic.
- Plant individual cloves of garlic in the fall (late September or early October depending on your local climate). Make sure you plant them in a spot in your garden where they will enjoy the full sun in well-drained soil. Plant them a few weeks before the first frost arrives, this will allow the root systems to develop before the ground freezes when frost arrives.
Don’t forget to use the 6″ triangle to make the spacing between cloves easier. Leave the papery skin as much as possible on the cloves, plant the cloves with the pointy end upwards, and cover them with loose soil and mulch. - Wait until early summer. When the two or three outer green leaves of your garlic dry out you can harvest the newly grown bulbs of garlic. That’s it! Again, growing garlic is super easy, and the reward (very tasty garlic) is so big!
Hardneck garlic
Mind, when hardneck garlic matures it forms flower stems, also called the scape. If you don’t remove this scape your plant will put its energy into a flower stalk which, in turn, will produce true seeds. After removing the scape don’t just throw it away! This scape is delicious, use it as you would use regular garlic in your dishes.
Softneck types won’t form a scape.
What to do about bolting garlic
Bolting means when the garlic plant starts to flower and produce a seed stalk (scape). When the plant puts its energy into forming a scape, flower, and eventually true seeds, it will not have enough energy to grow big bulbs with garlic cloves. Removing the scape will make your bulbs 20-30% bigger. So if you want to harvest larger bulbs, remove the scape.
The best time to remove the scape is when the bud is forming. The best way is to use a pruning scissor or to snap the scape off as close as you can to the base of the plant. Mind though, don’t get too close to the plant to prevent damaging it.
Pests and diseases that can harm garlic
Common pests
Onion thrips
Onion thrips are tiny insects that suck plant juices. They love to feed on the young leaves in the inner neck of onion and garlic plants. You can recognize these insects by their elongated slender bodies of about 1-2 millimeters with narrow hair-fringed wings. Your garlic will show leaves with white to silvery patches and streaks when the plant is infested with these insects.
To prevent these insects from infesting onto your crops you can plant some trap crops next to the garlic. Flowers like carnations or chrysanthemums look pretty but will also attract the onion thrips. Planting carrots will also protect your garlic patch. Onion thrips will cause so little damage to carrots that you can harvest both garlic and carrots at the end of the season! If your plants are infested and you haven’t planted a trap crop you can use a hose to wash them off your plants. Onion thrips prefer dry and warm conditions so the water droplets in the neck of the garlic are inhibitory to onion thrips.
Nematodes
Nematodes are microscopic worms that can damage roots by injecting enzymes that cause rotting of the roots. Crop rotation is the best way to prevent this pest from harming your garlic. You’ll notice after harvesting that the roots and bulb of the garlic are damaged or your garlic will die way before harvest time. Often a whole cluster is infected so if you notice a patch of garlic that died prematurely, it could be because of a nematode infestation.
Common diseases
White rot
This is a fungal disease that causes plants to wilt and decay. Avoid planting garlic in the same spot for several years to prevent this fungal disease from getting into your soil.
Fusarium
Fusarium is another fungal disease that affects the garlic heads. To prevent this fungus from harming your garlic, ensure good soil drainage and avoid overwatering.
Additional tips for growing garlic
Watering
Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy. Garlic needs about 1 inch of water per week. Reduce watering as the plants mature, especially as harvest time approaches.
Fertilizing
Garlic benefits from a balanced fertilizer. Apply a nitrogen-rich fertilizer in early spring and switch to a phosphorus and potassium-rich fertilizer as the plants grow.
Harvesting
Garlic is usually ready to harvest in mid to late summer when the lower garlic leaves turn yellow and dry out. Gently dig up the bulbs using a garden fork to loosen the soil. Peel off the outer layer so the bulb is clean and cut off the roots as close to the bulb as you can get. Let them cure in a dry, airy place for a few weeks. Once the outer skins are papery, they are ready for storage.
Storing
You should store garlic in a cool, dry place with good air circulation. Softneck varieties can be braided and hung, while hardneck varieties can be stored in mesh bags. Check my How to braid garlic article for detailed instructions on the storage of softneck-type garlic,
Before you store your garlic you should dry the bulbs and cut off the roots tight to the bulbs. I always like to keep a few bulbs in the fridge as fresh garlic and take a few of the largest bulbs for planting in the fall.
By following this guide, you’ll be well on your way to growing your own delicious garlic in your garden. As I said before, it is such an easy crop that it would be a shame not to plant cloves in the fall.
