Yesterday Miss Puggle Love and I spent a whopping 10 minutes in the garden breaking up heads of garlic and planting the cloves in one of the raised garden boxes. I absoultly adore set it and forget it vegetables. Plant them in the fall, cover them with dirt and voilà, they’ll be ready to harvest in early summer.
It’s my favorite way to garden.
No coddling, no weeding, no worrying about slugs or other pesky bugs.
If you’ve never grown garlic before it’s easy peasy. Trust me, you can do it!
How to Plant Garlic
- Plant garlic cloves 6 to 8 weeks before a hard freeze giving the roots a chance to get established
- Do not break cloves until you are ready to plant
- Plant cloves 2″ deep with the root end down and the pointed side up
- Space cloves 4″- 6″ apart {depending on size}
- Cover bulbs with soil, water and walk away
- Add a layer of mulch to the garden bed just before the first frost to help protect the young garlic plants
Keep calm and garden on,
~Mavis
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Carrie says
Do you just use garlic from the grocery store or do you buy a certain type from a garden center?
I tried garlic from the grocery store last year and it didn’t work out. It could have been the squirrels digging them up constantly and not the garlic bulbs themselves. I had 1 bulb make it and the cloves were so small it was kinda silly to save.
Lisa says
You probably shouldn’t use garlic from the grocery store since you don’t know where it was grown and might no agree with your climate. However, you probably can grow garlic you get from a local farmers market. I made the mistake of buying some garlic from Seeds of Change and I didn’t get them until November. I live in Michigan. It was not a particularly impressive garlic harvest this year. In the future, I’m buying local.
Mavis Butterfield says
I picked mine up at the garden center this year {usually I order online}.
Janice says
This year I had events happen that ended up leaving my garden fending for itself much of the time. The one thing that happened is that I didn’t cut off my garlic scapes when I should have and when I picked the garlic it is what SO small. I’m looking for ideas to use these small heads rather than just compost them or drive myself crazy peeling them.
E in Upstate NY says
Janice,
Understand your garlic issues. My sons both promised me that they would harvest the scapes, and guess what? Neither did, so I’m dealing with the same issues, compounded with not digging when they should have been dug. Have few small garlic cloves and lots of sprouted ones!
Gonna plant the tiny bulbs, will take two years to get big enough to use–I’ve got the time.
In the past, here is what I’ve done with them: sort out the larger ones, place in bowl and while watching TV or other semi mindless brain activity, peel them to use. For the smaller ones, cut the unpeeled ones in half, place in small slow cooker and just cover with olive oil. Turn on low heat. Monitor, the garlic turns from light beige to brown. When mushy, turn off cooker and mush them. Remove the garlicy olive oil and strain. I use a large coffee filter supported in a mesh strainer. Filter twice if you feel the need. Taste the oil. If it’s too garlicy, add more olive oil. Remember to mark the garlic olive oil so others who use your kitchen don’t get a surprise. The mash, toss, or pull out the peels and spread on bread like butter. [motivation to peel]
Hope this helps
Carrie says
Cut them in half and throw them in the pot when you make broth, peels and all! I do the same with small onions.
Janice says
Thanks Carrie! That’s a great idea. I’m so glad I asked my question – I’ve got lots of good ideas now.
Phyllis says
If you always save 2-3 garlic bulbs to plant each fall, you’ll never need to buy garlic or seed garlic again. Garlic is one of the easiest things to grow, but timing is everything. Get it in the ground at least 6- 8 weeks before frost and mulch so you don’t get that freeze/thaw cycle that can ruin the planted cloves.
Janice says
Thank you E, That is exactly what I was looking for. I love the olive oil idea – especially using the slow cooker! I live on Vancouver Island and we have great access to farms that grow garlic specifically for planting so I’ll be getting my new crop in the ground in the next few weeks.
Lesley says
Mavis, a plaid shirt! Almost didn’t recognize you.