One of the easiest fall crops to grow is garlic. The key to growing garlic is to plant the cloves from a bulb of garlic in the fall and allow them to mature over the winter and spring.

garlic cloves separated and ready to plant

I have always loved garlic. So much so, I now grow it. I use the garlic I grow in recipes such as garlic confit, roasted garlic, honey fermented garlic as well as other recipes that use garlic.

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Preparing Garlic For Planting
Planting Garlic
Planting Tips:
Harvesting Garlic
How To Grow Garlic
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Preparing Garlic For Planting

Preparing the garlic and the container or growing bed is very important when you are working to successfully growing garlic.

How to prepare the garlic for planting

Each bulb of garlic contains 6-12 cloves of garlic and each clove has the potential to grow into its own mature bulb of garlic by summer harvest.

Remove the outer 'paper' shell from the bulb of garlic.
Separate out the individual cloves of garlic, doing your best not to peel off the papery outer layer of each clove.
Discard the hard neck stem from the center.

Planting Garlic

Garlic can be grown in containers or in beds. I have enough space to have garlic in my vegetable garden but those of you with limited space will find success in growing garlic in containers.

How to plant garlic in containers.

Choose a container that is at least 6" deep and has the ability to drain well. Allow for 4 " spacing in the container for each head of garlic to grow.
Line the bottom of each container with a fresh layer of newspaper.
Layer in 2-3 inches of compost of the newspaper, followed by 2-3 inches of potting soil mix. Be sure the mix you choose is light, loose, drains well and is pH neutral. Add a sprinkle of sand, especially if you live in an area that is prone to having clay soil.
Gently compress the soil mix and then sprinkle another layer over the top to completley fill the container.
Press the garlic cloves into the fresh soil, root side down about 1-2 inches into the container spacing them 3-4" apart. Be sure the tips of the clove of garlic is below the soil line.
Cover the soil with 2-4 inches of mulch. Straw, grass clippings, shredded leaves or a combination. This will help regulate the extreme temperatures over the winter.
Give the garlic a good watering and you should be set for the winter.

a garden bed covered in a garden mat with 2 holes in a grid

How to plant garlic in garden beds.

I have enough space that I am able to plant about 50 cloves of garlic in my beds. I also use garden mats to keep weeds down. (no affiliation)You will see garden mat #2 in the pictures below.

Remove any weeds and clear any debris
Allow for 2-3" between bulbs and 6" between rows.
Dig a hole about 2 inches deep.
Place the clove, root side down in the hole, covering with soil to cover the tip of the clove of garlic.
Alternatively, you can make a 2" mound of rich potting soil mix that is light, loose, drains well and is pH neutral. Press the cloves of garlic into the soil, 2" down, 2-3" between and 6" between rows. Cover with a few more inches of soil potting mix.
Cover the soil with 2-4 inches of mulch. Straw, grass cilippings, shredded leaves or a combination. This will help regulate the extreme temperatures over the winter.
Give the garlic a good watering and you should be set for the winter.

Planting Tips:

If you have a power drill, get an auger attachment to help drill holes in the soil. I plant up to 50 cloves and I found that the auger attachment saves not only my hand but my back!

Harvesting Garlic

Come back in the spring and summer as I show you how I harvest the garlic bulbs.

Yield: 12 bulbs