How to Grow Garlic: Everything You Need to Know

You can find garlic in just about every kitchen, and for good reason. The flavorful cloves can level up just about any savory dish, plus they’re known to boost the immune system, reduce blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels. Not to mention it’s downright tasty, especially in Italian dishes or slathered on toast with butter and a sprinkle of sea salt. If you’ve never tried growing your own garlic but are keen to give it a whirl, check out our guide below to learn how to grow garlic from cloves and harvest it for flavorful dishes all year round.

All About Garlic

Scientifically referred to as Allium sativum, garlic is a member of the onion family and closely related to leeks, shallots and chives. It’s best known for its bulbs and cloves, but the full plant can reach a staggering 3 feet in height when fully mature. The plant can be divided into two categories: hardneck and softneck garlic.

What Is Hardneck Garlic?

Hardneck garlic is commonly grown in colder northern climates where temperatures are lower. The cloves are fewer, but larger in size. Their stalks are hard and woody and have been said to impart a stronger flavor than softneck varieties. A few popular kinds of hardneck garlic include porcelain and purple stripe.

See more: Good Things Grow at Garlic Breath Farm in Elburn, Illinois

What Is Softneck Garlic?

Softneck garlic grows well in milder climates and produces cloves that are smaller and more densely packed together. It rarely produces scapes (an excellent addition to stir-fries, pastas and omelets) and doesn’t require pruning throughout the growing season. Popular types of softneck garlic include artichoke and silverskin (commonly spotted at grocery stores around the country).

How to Grow Hardneck Garlic

Growing hardneck garlic is as simple as dividing the cloves and popping them into the soil with the pointed end up (much like tulip bulbs). The larger the clove, the larger the bulb. Plant them in autumn before the first frost, which will give them enough time to take root before the ground freezes and temperatures plummet. Be sure to space your cloves at least 6 inches apart. If you’re planting in rows, give them about 10 inches of distance between one another. Squeezing them in tighter might be tempting but will result in smaller bulbs and cloves that are harder to work with.

Once in the ground, cover your garlic cloves with a hearty layer of mulch (at least 4 inches) to protect them from winter weather. They will tolerate the cold and overwinter well as long as they are planted properly and given an inch of water per week. You’ll also want to provide them with a nitrogen-heavy fertilizer during planting and a few times throughout spring and early summer.

When spring rolls around, you should see green shoots (scapes), which is a sure sign the roots took and garlic is on the way. Once you see scapes appear, stop fertilizing.

How to Grow Softneck Garlic

Unlike hardneck garlic, softneck garlic won’t produce garlic scapes. You’ll miss out on these tasty additions in the kitchen but end up with more garlic cloves in a shorter amount of time in exchange. Softneck garlic stores well, and many gardeners enjoy braiding them to hang in dry storage for up to 12 months.

If you live in a mild climate, plant softneck garlic in the fall if you want to harvest in the spring. Plant the cloves 3 to four 4 deep with the pointed end up, and be sure to space them at least 6 inches apart.

After planting, mulch your garlic bed with at least 4 inches or mulch, straw or leaves to keep the soil moist and discourage weeds. You could also apply a bulb-specific fertilizer upon planting and once more in the spring.

How to Harvest Garlic

You can harvest hardneck and softneck garlic varieties the same way. Once the plants have turned yellow and started to wilt, pull them from the ground and hang them upside-down to cure for at least two weeks. Many gardeners like using wooden laundry drying racks for this. After two weeks, you can cut the stalks and store the garlic heads in a cool, dark space for long-term storage. You can also braid softneck varieties while the stalks are flexible if you prefer a more aesthetic storage technique.

How to Preserving Garlic for Next Year

Once you’ve grown your first batch of garlic, repeating the process next year is easier than ever. Simply set aside some of your healthiest bulbs to plant for the following season. Choose from among your largest bulbs to ensure a healthy harvest next year. When autumn rolls around, simply plant them in the ground and enjoy a revolving door of decadent, homegrown garlic to use in all your favorite dishes.

Garlic Recipes

Try using your homegrown garlic in some of our favorite garlic recipes:

• Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Pecans
• Garlic Dill Soda Bread
• Creamy Roasted Garlic and Spinach Orzo
• Rosemary Garlic Flank Steak
• Spring Greens Mixed Berry Salad with Garlic Vinaigrette
• and more!