How to Plant your Garlic

It's Garlic time!!!  Have you purchased your Garlic Bulbs yet? I did! Bought it on Saturday and I'm so excited! I have never planted Garlic before.




I don't have much room, though I'm hoping to have more garden space soon. We are going to be building two new garden beds!  I bought a hard neck (Spanish Roja Garlic) and a soft neck (Italian Late Garlic).

My little gal helped me pull the cloves apart and plant them. Good hand model, huh?

This late spring and summer, I've grown so many vegetables and fruits that are new to me. Garlic is definitely something that was on my list, and I'm happy to have some in the ground!

To Plant Garlic:

You've only got a little bit of time to start growing Garlic, and it's a one-shot sort of deal in the fact that it's only planted in the fall.  Garlic takes roughly 9-10 months to grow.  Here in the Pacific Northwest, we've got late September-early November as our Garlic planting window.  If you're interested, determine when it's best for your climate now!

1. Separate the cloves.  Be gentle and try to not expose the flesh by peeling the thin papery skin off.  Prepare your planting area by adding some extra compost and working the soil so it's nice and loose.

2.  Plant the garlic cloves in sun, 6-10" apart, 1-4" deep.  The planting depth depends on how severe your winters are--plant closer to 4" deep for colder winters.  Make sure that the root end is down, pointy end up!

3.  Depending on the severity of your winter, mulch with straw, hay or fallen leaves around the first frost.  Use 2-6", depending on your climate.

Have you purchased your garlic yet?  What varieties did you get?

Happy Growing!