Growing Garlic

Planting Garlic

Garlic is grown from the individual cloves. Each clove will produce one plant with a single large bulb. A single bulb could produce up to twenty cloves of garlic.

Plant garlic in the fall, 4 weeks before the ground freezes. Some varieties can also be planted in the spring.

Garlic grows best in rich, well-drained, loamy soil that is free of weeds. Growing garlic is incredibly easy, try these suggestions:

• Break a garlic bulb apart into individual cloves, being careful to keep the papery skins covering each clove intact. Plant larger cloves as these produce larger bulbs.
• Plant root plate down, 3 inches deep, spacing 5 inches apart, in rows 12 inches apart. Add organic matter, manure or mulch on top. The mulch conserves moisture and suppresses weeds.
• Water well.
• By mid-June, your garlic will begin sprouting flowery tops that curl as they mature.
• These flowers should be removed to encourage larger, more efficient bulb growth. Remove flowers10-14 days after they appear.

Harvesting Garlic

The bulbs are ready to harvest when most of the lower leaves have turned brown. The upper ones will still be green. Drying is an essential part of curing the bulbs, so do not wash them in water.

• Carefully dig up each bulb; do not pull, or you may break the stalk from the bulb, which can cause it to rot. Once it's harvested, brush off any soil and remove from direct sun as soon as possible.
• Tie the garlic together in bundles of 6 to 10 bulbs and hang them to cure for about four to six weeks in a shaded, breezy and dry area. Two weeks drying time is ideal.
• When your garlic is thoroughly dry, trim the roots, taking care not to knock off the outer skin. Cut the stalks off about 1½” above the bulb and place in mesh onion bags.
• Store in a cool, dry and well-ventilated area

Then enjoy!

Have more questions? Visit your local Buckerfield's and we'll be happy to help!