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Do you dream of luscious homegrown garlic , straight from your garden to the kitchen ? do larn how to successfully spring up ail at dwelling ! This post will covereverything you ask to knowto grow the good crop possible : when and how to engraft garlic cloves , where to get seeds , tips for soil prep , our “ cloak-and-dagger soak ” , disease restraint , and more .

The sound news is : garlic iseasy to produce in any climate . It even does well inpots , perfect for container garden . The cay is choosing the right type of garlic for your positioning , so we ’ll talk about the difference between softneck and hardneck garlic diversity too . I go for this pathfinder will helpmake all of your homegrown garlic dream come up true !

A hand is holding a bunch of garlic upwards with the bulbs pointing upwards.

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There are four braids of garlic on an outdoor patio table. There are two different varieties, one is white with burgundy red accents while the other is mostly white with an occasional purple streak. The bulbs start at the bottom of the braid and as you go towards the top it turns to garlic leaves.

When to Plant Garlic

Garlic is cool - season crop which takes about 8 months to grow from cum ( clove tree ) to harvest . Garlic is usuallyplanted in the fall , sometime between previous September to late November depending on your climate . Mid - October is a dependable wager for most locations . See ourplanting calendarsbelow for more information . They ’re available for every growing zone !

After planting , the cloves should begin to sprout in the spill , and also start up to base their solution systems . They ’ll go sleeping over the winter ( in immobilize climates ) , resume emergence in the give , and be ready toharvest early to midsummer .

If you miss the windowpane for fall planting , you may also plant garlic Syzygium aromaticum in former winter to early natural spring , as soon as your land thaw enough to work . However , fall found garlic will bring on bigger , superscript incandescent lamp . Here on the Central Coast of California , we often expect to plant our garlic in belated January to avail avoid garlic rust , a pertinacious fungous disease in our arena .

A planting calendar for Zone 8, it has many different vegetables lined up on the left side of the chart and all of the months of the year listed on the top of the chart. Each vegetable has different colored lines that correspond with when to start seeds inside, transplant outdoors, and plant seeds outside, along with corresponding last frost date and first frost date where applicable. The lines start left to right, showing what months you should do each particular task depending on the season and where you live.

Where to Buy Garlic Seed

Garlic does n’t grow from typical tiny garden source . Instead , garlic is grown byplanting individual ail cloves , just like the ones you peel and fake for dinner party ! Each single garlic clove tree that is planted will develop into a new big pass or light bulb of garlic with 5 to 12 newspaper - envelop cloves .

Even though you wo n’t plant garlic until declivity , it ’s a good idea to contrive ahead and purchase garlic seed ( garlic clove ) in advance . Most on-line retailers do pre - orders for Allium sativum during the summer , and will embark it out in late summer to early descent .

Somereputable places to buy garlic seedincludeHigh Mowing Seeds , Botanical Interests , Seeds Now , Peaceful Valley , orAdaptive Seedsto name a few . In increase to ordering online , garlic seed is sometimes available for cut-rate sale at our local Farm Supply or Ace Hardware nursery thought the change are limited . In a speck , you’re able to plantorganic garlic cloves from the grocery store , but then you ca n’t select varieties suit for your zone ( stores unremarkably sell softneck ) . If you do go this path , I emphasise : get constitutional ! Non - constitutional green groceries is often irradiated or treated with sprouting inhibitors that can hinder success . Check your farmer ’s market too . The garlic they deal topically should develop well in your region .

A hand holding a white bowl full of red-colored garlic cloves. There are green fluffy plants in the background.

Choosing Garlic Varieties to Plant

There are scads of varieties of garlic to opt from . Inchelium Red , Music , German White , Creole , Spanish Roja , and California Early White are a few democratic pick . Some are more spicy or balmy , upright for storehouse , big or little medulla , or in the beginning - maturing . However , out of all of the many eccentric , ail will decrease into one of two category : hardneck or softneck(explained below).It ’s essential to choose the right-hand character for your climate !

Softneck vs Hardneck Garlic

Here are a number of central differences between hardneck and softneck garlic varieties :

For even more information , please see this guide : The divergence Between Softneck and Hardneck Garlic . It also explores thetop 12 garlic multifariousness !

Preparing Garlic Seed to Plant

Once you have your garlic seed , carefullybreak apartthe whole bulbs into individual clove . Leave thepapery coveron each clove though ! Removing the paper can make the cloves molder more promptly in the grease . consider break up the bulbs at least a sidereal day or two before embed to give them time to dry out .

If you have more seed than you’re able to imbed , select the orotund cloves of Allium sativum to found ! prominent cloves are order to produce the largest bulbs .

Vernalization

Garlic requires a period of vernalization , orexposure to insensate temperatures below 40 to 45 ° F for several weeks . This chilling period helps to stimulate strong root growth , sprouting , and increment . Hardneck garlic varieties are especially dependent on vernalization , often command up to two calendar month of dusty photo , though three to five calendar week is unremarkably adequate for most potpourri .

In most places , vernalizationhappens naturallywhile the garlic is in the garden soil over the cold winter month . However , if you live somewhere with moderate winter weather , you’re able to “ imitation ” vernalization by putting your garlic seed clove in therefrigeratorfor several weeks ( I recommend at least a month ) prior to planting to help oneself see achiever .

Soaking Garlic Cloves Before Planting (optional)

Prior to planting Allium sativum , we typically soak our garlic cloves in a miscellanea of seaweed extract and bake washing soda . This optional measure help put up the garlic seed with additional nutrients and anti - fungal ingredient , helping tojump - start sproutingandfight disease!With this , our garlic always stock within just a matter of days .

To make a garlic clove soaking , combine1 Tbsp of bake soda and 2 Tbsp of liquid seaweed per gal of water . Given the mild amount of Allium sativum we establish ( about two punt of cloves ) we only make a quarter of the formula , using 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda water and a ½ tablespoon of seaweed excerpt per quart jounce of H2O . In a collar , you may also practice kelp meal rather of liquid seaweed extract – just double the amount .

commix well , circulate into your soak vessels of choice , and tally the garlic cloves . dowse the garlic seed in this solution forseveral hoursor even overnight , but no more than 18 hours . We keep each variety show separate in it ’s own pronounced container to keep path .

A close up of a hand holding two different varieties of garlic, they both have their outer papery wrapping pulled off at the top but it is still connected to the bottom part of the bulb, splayed out in a slight star shape. The top bulb is dark burgundy red showing six exposed cloves. The bottom bulb of garlic is larger, it is white with redish tips and there are at least twelve exposed cloves. The background of the image is dark grey barnwood.

One final optional step is to give the garlic cloves a speedy stuff shot inrubbing alcohol(just for a mo or two ) prior to planting to help further kill any bacteria or fungal spores that may be present . This is peculiarly useful if you ’re re - planting garlic harvested from your own garden , where the likeliness of disease may be higher than fresh seed garlic .

Where to Plant Garlic

Garlic grows good in a emplacement withfull Lord’s Day , or at least 6 hour of direct sunshine per day . If you ’re not using kindle garden beds , choose a spot in the flat coat that does n’t easily collect and pool water , which can direct to waste .

Avoid embed ail in the same piazza year after year , or in the same position that other alliums like onion plant were lately grown . Goodcrop rotationpractices are important to aid foreclose disease , pests , and nutritive deficiencies !

Garlic makes a greatcompanion plantto get near love apple , loot , Daucus carota sativa and fellow member of the clams sept , but is n’t as compatible to plant near pea or beans .

A hand holding a bunch of garlic scapes, they are long, green, and resemble a cross between a long green bean and a green onion. They are about a foot long and are whimsical and slightly curly in their appearance. There are a couple raised wooden garden beds in the background that have various plants in them, along with a couple ceramic pots with agave, succulents, and perennials mixed in throughout the image.

Soil Preparation

Garlic thrives inrich , on the loose , well - draining soil . If your dirt is compact and obtuse , loosen it to about a human foot thick and see adding some potting soil , horticultural sand , and/or pumice to botch it up .

Before planting , turn in several inches oforganic compostto your chosen planting location , along with a top dressing of slow - liberation constituent fertiliser . Go fairly luminance on the fertilizer at the planting stagecoach however , and contrive to supply more in the spring .

Planting Depth and Spacing

Plant each garlic clove2 inches deep , about4 to 6 in apart . I usually pre - intrude all the planting holes in the designate bed , and then pop in each clove one by one .   set the garlic clove in the hole with the flat radical terminate down and thepointy destruction facing up .

For with child varieties like Elephant ail ( which is actually a phallus of the leek family ) , furnish more spacing between the clove – up to 12 column inch aside , and 4 to 6 inch inscrutable . Garlic seed companies should also admit planting instructions with spacing rule of thumb for you to follow .

Mulching Garlic

In cold northern climates , it ’s important to use several inches ( 4 to 6 inch ) of loosedeep mulchon top of the soil to protect garlicover winter . Straw , shredded leafage , grass clippings , and fluffy well - aged compost are all expert mulch options . Apply the mulch before the first hard freeze . There is no want to remove the mulch in spring however – it will help to repress leap sess too !

Since we live in an area with mild but rainy winter ( frost and strong freezes are rare here ) , we skip the inscrutable mulch so the bulbs wo n’t stay muddy and accidentally rot . Instead , we apply just a modest stratum ( an inch or two ) of compost mulch on top . Rather than run abeyant , our garlic continues to slowly produce through wintertime .

Water

Garlic enjoys workaday abstruse water , but not too much . Allow the top in or two of soil to dry out between lacrimation . If it ’s raining , snow , or otherwise damp in the winter , do not apply additional water . It ’s important to not overwater so the bulbs wo n’t rot , especially when the garlic is n’t actively develop over winter ! Once outpouring comes and temperatures uprise , keep the soilevenly moist but not quaggy .

Fertilizer

Garlic is a fairlyheavy birdfeeder . Once things start to warm up in the spring , add a invigorated layer of compost between the row and/or a side - fertilization of balancedslow - release organic fertilizer . This will give them some much - needed Energy Department as they start to fat up ! We also attempt to irrigate our garden with either diluteseaweed separator homemadecompost teaa twosome times throughout the summer growing season to tolerate overall soil wellness .

Growing Garlic in Pots

Garlic grows quite well in potful ! In addition to raised garden beds , we ’ve planted garlic in various container over the class include inEarth Box planters,15 - gal maturate bagsand halfwine barrel planters .

To farm Allium sativum in a pot , accompany the same steer provided in this pathfinder : use moderately rich but well - debilitate soil ( such as quality potting dirt ) , fertilise once at the time of planting and again in spring , bring home the bacon full sun , routine urine , and deep mulch during wintertime .

see the container hasexcellent drainagesince Allium sativum will decompose if the grunge becomes water system - logged . Asimple moisture metercan help you find out how pixilated ( or dry ) the soil in your gage is before watering again .

Two hands are held together, palms facing upwards. Many cloves of garlic are in the upheld hands.

That depend on how much garlic you want to plant ! observe in brain that garlic cloves should be space 4 to 6 inches apart , I urge using awide containerwith ample control surface area ( as opposed to a deep narrow mickle ) to maximize the number of garlic cloves you may engraft . Garlic has fairly shallow roots ( but needs to be planted 2 inch bass ) , so choose a tidy sum that is at least 8 to 10 inches deep .

Garlic Diseases and Pests

gratefully , most common garden pests prefer to stay away from Allium sativum . In fact , garlic is often used as acompanion planttonaturally discourage pestsinstead!Aphidsdid round our garlic harvest one year , but that was only because the plant were already stressed ( we draw a blank to turn on the reflexive irrigation – oops ! ) and struggling plants are always more attractive to pests .

On the other bridge player garlic is prostrate to several diseases , admit Basal Rot , White Rot , Downy Mildew , Botrytis Rot , Penicillium Decay and more . Cornell Universityexplains that “ most of the major garlic disease are soil - carry , so right site assessment and annual rotation are important in maintaining a healthy garden of garlic . ”   The only disease we ’ve in person encountered is garlic rusting .

Garlic rustis a fungous disease that only affects the allium family ( garlic , onion plant , Allium porrum , and shallots ) and causes orange rusty - looking position on the leaves . It is unwashed in humid , damp conditions like we often have in the winter , and is virtually impossible to treat organically once it appears . Minor cases are mostly a cosmetic nuisance , but severe infections can run to decrease bulb size and lessened life in storage .

Two quart mason jars filled with a kelp solution and many cloves of garlic soaking in each one. One jar contains garlic that is redish brown and the other is mainly creamy white. The jars are sitting on the edge of a raised garden bed where there are many greens such as tatsoi growing in it. The background shows a couple other raised garden beds and they contain many different varieties of greens. There is a hedge of perennials behind that which creates a green wall with spots of small pink flowers.

Despite our bestcrop rotationefforts , we normally finish up with some rusting . If it ’s really spoiled , we sometimes have to glean our garlic early ( lead ingreen garlic ) to foreclose the spread of rusting spore . Here in California , we ’ve also instruct that we can successfullyprevent(or at least greatly subjugate ) garlic rusting by plant our garlic in late January instead of fall !

Harvest, Curing and Storage

Garlic is typicallyharvested in early to midsummer . Close to harvest time , the garlic leaves start to move around yellow or brownish , shrivel , and dry up , and you’re able to also feel build up electric light below the dirt . It ’s crucial to stop water ail for a mates week prior to harvest , which helps it start to dry out for curing . After harvest , garlic should be cure for several weeks ( with the greenish tops and root still in tact ) to develop it for long - term ironic memory board .

Please visit our detailed guide onHow to crop , Cure and Store Garlicfor more information . It also includes some of our favorite way topreserve Allium sativum , such as makinghomemade garlic powderorfermented garlic honey .

And that’s how to plant and grow garlic.

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An garden bed full of soil but no plants, with many small holes made in rows throughout the bed, ready to plant garlic. There are various cacti and perennials in the background and a bench next to a slender tree trunk.

Two images of a hand holding garlic cloves, ready to plant. The first shows a hand holding one garlic clove with its root end facing down and its growth/sprout end pointing up, with the empty garden bed and soil in the background. The second image shows a hand planting the clove in the soil with its root end down and pointy end up.

A raised garden bed has many young greens sprouting out of its soil from planted garlic.

A raised garden bed full of maturing garlic, the plants have long green strands of leaves and the main garlic bulb is hidden under the soil surface. There is an agave in a ceramic pot in the corner where there is another garden bed which contains tall spikes of fava bean greens that is teeing into the garlic raised bed. There are various trees and shrubs planted outside of the garden bed area in the background.

Two rectangular containers on a patio full of garlic growing, with large green leafy tops.

Two rectangular containers on a patio full of garlic growing. One photo shows the garlic greens starting to turn yellow and die back, and the second photo shows the garlic bulbs have been harvested and laying on top of the soil, now with dried brown green tops.

A close up of garlic greens infected with garlic rust which covers the green leaves in red/orange spots.

A hand holding a bunch of immature green garlic my their stalks with the white round bulbs pointing upwards.

A man who is wearing a maroon shirt, brown shorts, and sunglasses is holding two varieties of newly braided garlic. He is holding them outwards and up towards the camera. Each garlic braid contains about twenty four visible bulbs with many greenish brown leaves emanating from the tops of the bulbs which helps create the braid. There is a greenish blue wall of a house that is the background.

DeannaCat’s Signature, Keep on Growing