Although garlic takes a fair while to grow, it’s worth the wait. Fresh home grown garlic tastes amazing, so much better than shop bought garlic. It’s not a hard crop to look after, so let’s look at how to grow garlic.
How To Grow Garlic
Garlic is relatively easy to grow, in fact under normal conditions once planted garlic pretty much thrives on neglect. The secret as with most crops is soil preparation, for garlic to grow properly it needs loose, free draining, fertile soil. Fork in some well rotted manure or compost a couple of weeks before planting.
You can find out about the health benefits of garlic by going to the US National Library of Medicine page by clicking here.
When To Plant Garlic
In the UK garlic was traditionally planted on Halloween (31st October). This allows it to over winter in the soil and develop cloves. If you plant garlic in Spring it will usually grow, but the bulb won’t split into cloves.
Where To Plant Garlic
Garlic does best in full sun, and should never be grown in standing water as this will cause the clove to rot. If your soil is very clay like add plenty of organic matter or consider growing garlic in containers. Keep weeds to a minimum and weed by hand to avoid damaging the developing garlic.
Garlic makes a great companion plant, for more information on companion planting garlic click this link.
How To Plant Garlic
Once the soil is prepared, gently remove the outer skin from the bulb of garlic (leave the skin on individual cloves) separate the cloves and place them in the soil. The individual cloves should be planted around 6 inches apart. Bury the cloves with around an inch of soil above the pointed tip of the clove.
It’s best to buy your garlic for planting from registered suppliers as this will not only be grown specifically for your area, but will also be certified disease free. Having said that you can use store bought garlic but the results will be varied.
When To Water Garlic
Only water garlic in dry spells, during an average winter you shouldn’t need to water it at all. It’s best to stick a dry finger into the soil, if it comes out with soil on then no water is required.
How To Grow Garlic In Pots
Fill a large container with compost, position individual garlic cloves with around 5 inches of space between each one and plant as per above. It’s worth remembering that pots tend to dry out faster than garden beds so check moisture levels regularly.
When To Harvest Garlic
Garlic needs about 9 months in the soil, so an October planting will be ready to harvest around May the following year. Check the leaves, garlic should be harvested when most of the leaves are going yellow/brown, but still with some greenery.
Sometimes garlic will form shoots in Spring, these are known as scapes and should be removed to allow the plants energy to concentrate on growing the bulb. Don’t throw the scapes away though, they have a mild garlicky taste and can be used to flavour many dishes.
How To Harvest Garlic
Gently lift the bulbs with a fork taking care not to get too close to the bulb and damaging it. If you do accidentally damage a bulb use this one first.
How To Store Garlic
Once harvested, garlic should be left in a dry, airy place to dry out. When the outer skin is like paper, and rustles to the touch, the garlic can be stored in a dry frost free place.
Growing Garlic In Just Water
This has become all the rage lately, and is easy to do. You will only get leaves to use for flavouring and not bulbs but it’s worth doing out of season. Just place some cloves of garlic in a jar or other small container and fill with water to just touch the bottom of the cloves.
Place in sunlight and after a little while, you will see roots and leaves forming. These can be cut once or twice then they need to be replaced.
How To Grow Garlic FAQs
Can You Grow Garlic From The Grocery Store?
Yes you can, but you run the risk of introducing viruses and infections into your soil. Plus the garlic will probably be of inferior quality also.
When Do You Plant Garlic?
Garlic needs to be over wintered. It should be planted towards the end of October.
Garlic takes approximately 9 months to grow from a clove to a full size bulb.
Garlic should be ready to harvest around 9 months after planting. So if it’s planted in October it should be harvested in May the following year.
Do You Plant Garlic With The Skin On?
Leave the outer skin on each individual clove. You only need to remove the skin from the whole bulb of garlic to get to the cloves.
Can You Grow Garlic In Just Water?
Yes but all you will have to harvest are leaves, no bulbs will form from garlic grown in just water.
Can You Grow Garlic In Pots?
Yes as long as you allow enough space between cloves, garlic will do well in pots. Containers will need extra watering.
Does Garlic Need A Lot Of Water?
No garlic only needs watering in dry spells, too much water will cause the cloves to rot in the soil. Be sure to grow in free draining soil to prevent rotting.