How to Grow Garlic
Use these instructions for an endless supply of garlic! Print or pin for later.
Materials
- Garlic bulbs (read above for variety recommendations)
- Soil amendments*
- Mulch (optional)
If Soaking (Optional)
- Bucket
- Hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, or vodka
- Fish emulsion
- Baking soda
Instructions
- Plant garlic in the fall, 3-5 weeks before the ground freezes.
- Choose a location with well-draining, fertile soil (pH 6.0–7.0) in full sun. If you haven't already, prepare soil with amendments/compost based on soil needs.*
- Separate cloves from each garlic bulb/head, being careful not to damage the cloves. For hardneck varieties, I like to use a butter knife to split the center stalk, and then pull apart the head into two pieces, and remove the cloves from there. It's OK if paper wrapper comes off.
- If soaking, put cloves in bucket and soak in hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, or vodka for 15 minutes. Strain and return cloves to bucket. Add a glug of fish emulsion (like 1/4 cup) and 1 tablespoon baking powder. Fill with water to cover cloves. Let soak for 1 hour or overnight.**
- Push cloves into the soil pointy side up, root side down about 2–3" deep and 6" apart, in rows 10–12" apart. For our 4-foot wide beds, I plant four rows.
- Cover with about 1" of soil over the clove tips.
- Add 3–6" of mulch over the top, if you prefer.
- If you have mulch and/or snow cover, your garlic will not need to be watered over the winter. Only water in spring if it's particularly dry.
- Harvest garlic scapes in spring and bulbs in summer. Bulbs are ready to harvest when bottom 3–4 leaves turn brown.
Notes
*We suggest amending your soil based on your individual soil's unique needs. We usually apply fertilizer and compost prior to planting. If you'd like to see exactly how we fertilize our soil organically (and how you can too), grab our free guide by scrolling to the top of this blog post and sign up. It has lists and links to exact products.
**If soaking multiple varieties, separate the varieties by placing the cloves in mesh bags.
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