How to grow garlic in 6 simple steps – Tom’s Guide
Knowing how to grow garlic clove can give you your own supply of this vegetable year after year. Garlic is used in order to complement all kinds of dishes, from sauces and soups to breads plus salads. For this reason, we’re often picking up a cluster of bulbs at the grocery store. But , did you know a person can actually grow your own garlic? It’s not that tricky either, much like learning how in order to plant potatoes .
Not only will this save you the expense of purchasing fresh garlic — as garlic herb lasts upward to a year when stored properly, it gives you a steady supply on demand, with limited waste. Plus, the task of growing your personal vegetables is rewarding in itself and always makes them somehow taste better. You know there’s no chemicals or pesticides involved and you know exactly where they’ve come from. If you’ve decided to take the plunge and develop your own garlic, here we will guide a person through the process step-by-step plus answer any questions you may have along the way. Here’s how to grow garlic.
Want to expand your veggie garden, be sure to also check out how in order to grow tomatoes from seeds .
How you can develop garlic
1 . Select the best type associated with garlic for your yard — Before we go into detail, you first need to pick out the best variety of garlic to grow in your soil and climate. A person unfortunately can’t just grab a clove of garlic from a store-bought bulb. These will possess been treated with all sorts of chemicals during the growing procedure, so you’re not likely to yield great results from them.
There are two types of garlic — hardneck plus softneck. Hardneck types are more robust and better grown in colder temperatures, so they’re more suited in order to northern states. Softneck garlic grows ideal in warmer climates, so southern gardens are preferable. There are a couple of key differences between the two:
- You will get fewer, but generally larger cloves from hardneck versus softneck. Softneck garlic clove offers a cluster of smaller cloves.
- Hardnecks grow flower stalks, known as scapes, which you can also eat.
- Softneck garlics usually store better and last longer — up to twice as long as hardneck types.
- Softneck garlic herb will literally have a soft, flexible neck, so you can braid this variety.
Hardneck garlic generally will be more flavordul compared in order to softneck, but much comes down to the specific garlic clove variety a person choose. Some offer more spice, while some are sweeter than others. Decide what you want in order to cook with and do your research to pick out the best garlic before you start.
2 . Buy your lights — As mentioned before, never use garlic herb from your own grocery store. Instead, buy new seed garlic from a dedicated seed supplier or a trusted online store. You can even buy these from Amazon, such as these Fresh California Softneck Garlic Bulbs ( $9. 29, Amazon . com (opens within new tab) ). Why not plant more than one range of garlic clove to see which grows best?
A person can always use final year’s harvest for refreshing cloves therefore you won’t have to buy new bulbs every year. Bear in mind that garlic seeds actually refers to the cloves themselves — that’s what you will be planting here.
3. Choose the best spot in your yard plus prepare the particular soil — Select a spot that gets plenty of sunlight (at least six hours a day) and make sure you have enough space to grow what you need. Each clove will be planted at least 4 inches apart for reference. Mix compost or manure into the top few inches of soil before growing your cloves. Be sure to really work the soil and make sure it’s loose and drains well; this is best for garlic. Use a soil test kit, such as the Luster Leaf Soil Test Kit ( $15. 99, Amazon (opens in brand new tab) ), to check the pH levels plus make any kind of adjustments if needed. Garlic likes the particular pH between 6. 0 and 7. 0 with regard to reference.
4. Plant the cloves — Break your light bulbs apart, leaving the papery skins intact. Use the biggest cloves to get the ideal results, checking them over for disease before planting. The flat end along with roots will certainly be facing down, while the pointed end will end up being upright. Plant each clove about 2 inches deep in the ground, and area each about 4-6 inches apart. You can then set your own rows regarding 10-12 ins apart. This will provide each associated with your cloves adequate space to develop. Water your freshly planted cloves and place the layer of mulch upon top to protect them from the dropping temperatures — this will also help to retain moisture. Aim regarding about six inches associated with mulch intended for adequate protection.
four. Maintain your garlic herb — Now that the particular seeds are planted, you just need to maintain them. Your cloves may need about ½ to 1 inch of water every week — any more or less than this and your crop can fail. Keep an eye on the weather conditions and adjust your application as necessary. Watering during the winter months won’t be necessary. When spring arrives plus temperatures pick up, you can remove the mulch and hopefully shoots will start in order to appear all too soon. Apply fertilizer in the particular spring to aid growth — we recommend Burpee Bone Meal Fertilizer ( $12. 99, Amazon (opens in new tab) ).
If you are growing garlic of the hardneck variety, remove any curly flower stalks as they develop; these garlic clove scapes, because they’re called, will actually reduce the bulb size because energy is usually being dedicated to the stem. However, the scapes are usually edible, so that you can chop these types of up and add in order to dishes to get a mild garlic essence.
You will need to fertilize your own garlic once more as the particular bulbs begin to increase and bulge — this is usually in May. Make sure to get rid of any crabgrass and dandelions that rear their ugly heads in your vegetable patch more than this time as well. Keep watering regularly as the bulbs grow, although you can reduce the supply and stop within the final weeks — otherwise a person will be encouraging illness.
5. Harvest your garlic herb — The time has come at last to pick your home-grown garlic. Generally, garlic grown in the fall will be ready by August, although this can vary depending on the variety of garlic. You can tell your garlic is ready once the lowest three leaves begin to brown plus collapse — if you’re cautious you can always dig up one and examine its condition before moving onto the rest. Gently dig up a bulb with a garden fork, being careful not to pierce or damage any parts — whatever you do, don’t pry the garlic up from your stem, like you would the carrot; this will likely just cause damage. Inspect the first bulb; you’re looking for plump and bulging cloves and a thick, papery layer on the outside. If you’re happy with what you see, you are able to continue harvesting. Don’t take away the stalk, foliage or roots through your garlic clove at this particular stage.
6. Store your garlic herb — Your own garlic will be ready to eat as soon as you dig it up, but in case you’ve got multiple plants, you will probably want to store the majority. First, you will need to cure the particular bulbs — this essentially gives all of them a chance to harden prior in order to long-term storage.
Find a dark, covered, dry space which gets good air circulation and maintains a consistent temperature. Basements make for ideal curing spaces for this reason. You may hang your own garlic up or place them flat on an open surface — in either case they will want about two weeks to fully harden. Once time is definitely up, your garlic can be stored since normal pertaining to future use. Don’t wash them prior to storing, it’s essential to keep them dry. But you can cut the stalks off now, or braid them when flexible.
Keep your lights in a dry, dark plus cool room in the long term. Depending on the type of garlic, your collect will still be great for another four months up until a year! Remember to keep some back for next year’s seeds.
When is the best time in order to plant garlic clove?
Garlic is typically rooted within the fall, often inside late October, so a person still have period to take advantage. The main rule of thumb is that it should be planted before the first frost hits. There’s no hardened rule however — garlic herb can actually be selected and planted in the particular spring time for a summer harvest, even though you should plant as early as possible to obtain the best results.
For more growing tips, tricks, and how-tos, check out our guides on how you can herb grass seed , how to plant sunflower seed products , the way to grow asparagus and 9 easiest vegetables to grow for beginners .