Monday, October 21, 2013

Plant Garlic In 5 Easy Steps

I have been wanting to plant garlic for several years now, especially after seeing all the delicious uses for garlic scapes. I use garlic quite a bit in my cooking, and have recently learned about its antibiotic, antiviral, and antibacterial qualities, so that made me want to plant garlic that much more. Here's how we did it, and how you can plant garlic in five easy steps.


Step 1 - Buy your garlic.
We bought our garlic online here. We researched to see which variety was best for our area and went with a hardneck called German Extra Hardy. It can withstand very cold winters (we can dip down into the single digits here in Missouri) and also is great for long term storage. 

Step 2 - Prepare for planting.
Garlic needs plenty of sun to grow (at least six hours per day). We decided to plant ours in two smaller beds in the garden that get a good amount of sunlight. We cleared the weeds and worked the soil well until it was nice and loose while Sylvester supervised the operation.


Step 3 - Break apart the cloves.
The bulbs need to be broken up into individual cloves for planting, so we carefully separated each clove. I've read that it is best to leave the papery skin on the cloves to help prevent against rotting and disease, so we tried to keep the skin on when possible. 


Step 4 - Plant cloves in rows root end down.
We dug a furrow about three inches deep, and planted each clove several inches apart. Each row was at least six inches apart, and we were able to get three rows in each of our two garden beds. We made sure there was at least two inches of soil covering each row of cloves.


Step 5 - Cover with mulch.
I cleaned out the coop over the weekend, so we used the pine shavings with composted chicken manure on top of the garden beds. This will protect the garlic from the winter cold and also prevent weeds from growing up (a necessity since garlic doesn't compete well with weeds).

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the process was, since for some reason I had it in my head that garlic was difficult to plant and grow. I've read that garlic actually doesn't require much maintenance, so I'm hoping for a good harvest next year. We'll definitely keep you updated on the progress!

Do you grow garlic in your garden?

~Tammy

Shared with From the Farm Blog Hop, Backyard Farming Connection Hop 

46 comments:

  1. I have to do this this weekend! We're building a new bed just for the garlic so it's taking a little longer than planned... but fingers crossed my husband can finish the bed this week so I can get those cloves in the ground.

    Although, it's still consistently in the 80s during the day so maybe I don't need to be in too much of a rush :-P

    Those cloves are too cute! I've read about pre-soaking them, but don't think I will bother. Did you?

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  2. What a great tutorial! I don't have the right yard for a garden, so I get mine at the farmers market :)

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  3. We also planted our garlic this past weekend. German Extra Hardy as well with a few of a variety someone gave me. Blossom. I hope your garlic is extra yummy. Enjoy those scapes in the spring!! We eat them with the snow peas that ripen around the same time.

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  4. I do. I prefer hardneck varieties such as Xian and Rosewood, and I've found that they do best if planted in the fall rather than the spring. Nothing is tastier than garlic from one's own garden!

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  5. I planted some garlic this fall too. Hopefully it'll do well!

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  6. You have make beautiful garlic photos!
    Greetings, RW & SK

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  7. OK -- I'm sold!! I take it that the root end goes down and the point -- points to the sky!!
    Wish I had some chickens for fertilizer!! Still can't talk Danny into getting a couple!!
    Too Easy!! You had great shots!

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  8. I've never thought about growing garlic, but it looks so easy. Does it grow throughout the winter, or do you have to wait until spring?

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  9. Yes! We love garlic scapes including garlic scape pesto. Yum yum!! Great post! :)

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  10. I love garlic. I eat it on almost all baked dishes now :)

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  11. Tammy, congratulations with your father's birthday!
    Greetings, RW & SK

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  12. I love this idea, but haven't done it yet? I better get on the ball!

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  13. Great tutorial. I didn't know it was so easy to plant! I'm looking forward to hearing how it comes along.

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  14. LOVE this. Thank you for sharing. I guess I never realized how easy it could be. I will have to do this ASAP !

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  15. I love raising garlic... (oh and eating it too!)

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  16. I grow garlic! It is my very favorite crop to plant . . . and eat. It's so easy! We always get good results. So glad you're growing it now too. You'll love having homegrown garlic to use in all your cooking!

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  17. I have never planted garlic.. I looks like they are planted pretty much like onions.. I never realized it would grow well even in these cooler temps and less sun.. How long before you start to harvest it. Just curious about this....Thanks and Blessings!

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  18. How cool that you planted your own garlic. I eat a ton of garlic..

    Hugs~

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  19. I grow garlic every year, but I've never got large fat cloves. This year I've done a couple of different things and so far so good. We have the mantra to plant on the shortest day and harvest on the longest, but I planted later this year, in July instead of June. Also I broke up the cloves about a week before planting as that's supposed to help them break dormancy. And my secret ingredient is alpaca poo! S:)

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  20. I haven't planted garlic...yet!

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  21. Wonderful tutorial Tammy! I use a lot of garlic and it's so good for you:) I like your method for keeping the weeds down and protecting it during the winter.. using resources and keeping it natural;)

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  22. Hoping to have better luck than last year. We got some good scrapes, where we planted was junk. Better luck next year!

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  23. I've tried to grow garlic without success, but after reading your steps, I see where I may have gone wrong. Now I have to try again! One thing I didn't know, is that the pine shavings are ok to use on our gardens. Someone had once told me not to use them, so I only compost the straw from the coop. I should have asked you about this sooner!

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  24. Love it! I plant garlic every year and have always had great success with it. They are a hardy and easy plant to grow here. Nothing better than fresh garlic, you'll love it!

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  25. I grow garlic all the time and once you starting using and eating your own home grown garlic you won't want to go back!

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  26. How delicious! Home-grown garlic...

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  27. Garlic is my favorite thing to grow. We pretty much use it in daily so we always grow plenty, and save the largest bulbs to plant the following season. If you have a lot of squirrels in your area you might want to cover the bed with mesh or chicken wire otherwise they may dig up your bulbs. I cover my garlic with 6" of leaves in the fall. The garlic will begin to grow and you will soon see the green tops poking up. It is very cold tolerant but the leaves will give it extra protection and help hold in moisture. There is nothing like home-grown garlic!

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  28. I use garlic a lot in my cooking so I'm thinking it would be a good idea to plant my own!

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  29. It's so easy, eh? You explain it beautifully. And now we wait....

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  30. Garlic is a great addition to a garden!! You use the compost instead of fabric? I'm new at this so bear with me. I used fabric this year, and then put mulch on top of it (for things I planted, though we didn't do garlic). The squirrels won't stay out of my stuff and there's always fabric getting dug up and flying around my yard (grrr). Maybe compost would work better... I just don't want a ton of weeds, so I'm looking for something. :) Good luck w/your garlic.

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  31. I've been planting garlic for years now, and I love it! Garlic scapes are my favorite! I always soak mt cloves for a few minutes in an all-purpose organic fertilizers (e.g. Maxi-crop) just before I plant them, it gives them a bit of protection and a boost in the early spring. I also use lots and lots of mulch, usually the leaves from the aspen trees. Have fun planting, and add some shallots one day, they're just as easy as garlic and go in at the same time. Yum!

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  32. I've been suffering with really bad headaches the past few days but couldn't stay away any longer. I missed seeing life on the farm. I've never planted garlic and had no idea it was this easy to do. Garlic is supposed to be so good for you as well. I like my garlic fresh. I might decide to do this in the spring. I just love that photo of Sylvester supervising. :)

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  33. Awesome tips! I want to plant garlic!

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  34. hi tammy,

    i like garlic. i use garlic a lot in my cooking. garlic goes in so many foods we eat today. also, thanks for the great tips.

    how cool that you planted your own garlic.
    garlic

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  35. Oh for the love of garlic! Best way to enhance foods-crazy over it! What a great tutorial-thank you:) By the way I love your story of how you moved to your acreage!
    jemma

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  36. We planted garlic for the first time this past year. Like you I was amazed at how easy it was to plant and so happy how low maintenance it has been.

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  37. My boss grows garlic and I love how it smells walking by her garden.

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  38. Fabulous and oh-so-easy! I bought organic garlic from our grocery store and planted that the last time. Best garlic I've ever eaten!

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  39. We use a lot of garlic but have never tried growing it, though we've grown onions. I didn't realize garlic was so beneficial either-so good to know! Thanks for a great post, Tammy!

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  40. Hi, we use a lot of garlic too. I am going to try planting it. :-) Thank you for the great post,this will help a lot!

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  41. I dont think we can do garlic here. Would have been good though.
    Hey do you have any recipes for green tomato chutney? Need to use up our unripe tomatoes.

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  42. Your garlic looks good and chunky , I use it quite a lot in my cooking.. Well Done x

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  43. We also use a lot of garlic, this is definitely I need to include in my plans. Thanks Tammy for your wonderful instructions.

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  44. I happen to have garlic trying to grow on my kitchen counter top currently. :) It's sprouting really nice green shoots!

    I envy your milder winter & that you can plant in the fall.. I might look into options for colder zones, we're pretty limited when it comes to hardiness that can handle our deep freeze.
    I bet I could try it in a cold frame.

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  45. I like this idea, I've never grown garlic - I'm not much of a gardener! Apparently we can grow it in the UK so I'm going to try.

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