How to Grow Garlic

Hardneck garlic produces a central, rigid flower stalk called a scape and generally forms fewer, larger cloves arranged in a single ring around the stalk. It's more cold-hardy and typically has a more complex, sometimes spicier flavor, making it the better choice for northern climates with genuinely harsh winters.

Softneck garlic, the type most commonly found in grocery stores, has more numerous, smaller cloves arranged in overlapping layers and doesn't produce a flower stalk, which is also why it's the type traditionally used for braiding. It stores considerably longer than hardneck varieties and does better in milder climates.

Always plant seed garlic purchased from a nursery or garden supplier rather than grocery-store garlic, since store-bought bulbs may carry disease, may not be suited to your climate, and are sometimes treated with growth inhibitors that reduce sprouting.

If you're unsure which type suits your area, hardneck varieties are generally the safer choice for regions with winter lows well below freezing, while softneck varieties tend to perform more reliably in regions with mild winters.

Choose a sunny bed with loose, well-draining soil enriched with compost or aged manure. Heavy, waterlogged soil promotes bulb rot, so raised beds work especially well for garlic in regions with heavier native soil.

Just before planting, break the garlic bulb into individual cloves, keeping the papery skin intact on each one since it protects the clove from soil-borne disease during its months underground. Use only the largest, healthiest cloves for planting, since clove size directly and predictably influences the size of the bulb it eventually produces.

Avoid using any bruised, soft, discolored, or moldy cloves, as these are far more likely to rot in the ground before establishing roots, and can also introduce disease to otherwise healthy soil.

A soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0 suits garlic well; if a soil test shows your bed is notably acidic, working in garden lime the season before planting can help correct it.

Plant cloves about 4-6 weeks before your ground typically freezes, which gives roots enough time to establish before winter without pushing up vulnerable green growth that could be damaged by an early hard frost.

Push each clove 2 inches deep into the soil, pointy end facing up, spaced 4-6 inches apart in rows spaced roughly 12 inches apart to give each plant enough room to develop a full-sized bulb.

After planting, cover the bed with 4-6 inches of straw mulch. This insulates cloves through the coldest part of winter and helps regulate soil moisture and temperature swings once active growth resumes in spring.

In regions with very mild winters where the ground rarely freezes, garlic can sometimes be planted slightly later, but most growers still find better results planting in fall rather than waiting until spring, since garlic generally needs a period of cold exposure to form proper bulbs.

As soil warms in spring, green shoots emerge through the mulch layer. Keep beds weeded consistently, since garlic competes poorly with weeds for the nutrients and water it needs during this active growth phase.

Water consistently through spring, providing about an inch of water weekly, but taper off watering in the final 2-3 weeks before harvest to help bulbs develop proper, papery outer skins rather than staying overly moist and prone to splitting.

Side-dress with a balanced or nitrogen-rich fertilizer once in early spring as new growth appears, which supports the vigorous leaf development that directly feeds bulb size later in the season.

If growing hardneck garlic, cut off the curly flower scapes as soon as they appear and begin to curl, typically in late spring or early summer. Removing scapes redirects the plant's energy from flowering into bulb growth instead, and the scapes themselves are edible and delicious sautéed or used in pesto.

Garlic is naturally more pest-resistant than most vegetables thanks to its strong sulfur compounds, but onion thrips and allium leafminers can occasionally cause damage, typically showing up as silvery streaking or distorted leaves.

White rot and bulb rot are the most serious diseases affecting garlic, both linked to poorly drained soil or planting in a bed that's grown alliums too recently. Practicing a 3-4 year rotation away from onions, garlic, and leeks in the same soil significantly reduces this risk.

Yellowing or browning leaf tips earlier than expected can sometimes signal water stress rather than disease, so check soil moisture before assuming a pest or pathogen problem.

Harvest when the lower one-third to one-half of the leaves have turned brown, usually in early-to-mid summer. Pulling too early results in small, underdeveloped bulbs, while waiting too long can cause the papery wrapper to split and separate, which shortens storage life considerably.

Gently loosen soil with a garden fork before pulling to avoid bruising or breaking bulbs, then brush off excess dirt by hand without washing the bulbs at this stage.

Handle freshly harvested garlic carefully, since the bulbs are more fragile before curing than they'll be once dried, and any bruising at this point can lead to rot during storage.

Cure bulbs by hanging or laying them in a warm, dry, shaded, well-ventilated space for 2-4 weeks. Avoid direct sunlight during curing, which can scorch the outer skins and reduce storage quality.

Once the outer skins are fully papery and the necks are dry and tight, trim roots close to the base and cut stems to about an inch above the bulb, unless you plan to braid softneck varieties for storage and display.

Store cured garlic in a cool, dry, dark location, ideally around 60-65°F with moderate humidity. Under good conditions, softneck varieties can store for 6-8 months or longer, while hardneck varieties typically keep for 3-5 months.