How to Grow Garlic: A Comprehensive Guide from Planting to Harvest
Garlic is a flavorful and nutritious herb that is a staple in many households. Growing garlic is an easy and rewarding experience that can be done in your own backyard. In this guide, we will cover everything you need to know on how to grow garlic, from planting the clove to harvesting the bulb. We will be documenting the entire nine months of growing garlic, which is the same amount of time it takes for a human baby to develop. Let's get started!
Step 1: Planting You can buy seed garlic or just use organic garlic bulbs from grocery stores. Do not use conventional garlic peels from grocery stores because they might be sprayed with growth suppressant chemicals. The season to plant garlic is in early fall if you live in a zone 8b, but if you live in a hotter climate you can plant your garlic in mid-fall or even in late fall. If you live in a colder region, you can even plant your garlic in spring. However, it's preferred to plant garlic in fall. Just make sure you plant your garlic at least eight weeks before the first frost.
Step 2: Get a Big Garlic Bulb and Break it into Cloves Separate the cloves into three different piles. Use the big cloves for planting, medium-sized cloves for cooking, and small cloves for planting as an experiment.
Step 3: Prepare Loose Soil with Lots of Compost Garlic is a root vegetable and prefers loose soil to grow. If your soil lacks nutrients, add organic fertilizer derived from bone meal and fish meal right into your soil. Use a lot of compost that you make yourself along with worm casting, so you don't have any need to add additional fertilizer.
Step 4: The Depth and Spacing of Garlic Figure out the depth and spacing by punching holes in the soil about two inches deep and six inches apart. Garlic should be planted about a thumb's length deep and a hand's length apart. Choose an area that receives full sun for planting garlic.
Step 5: Plant the Flat and Down and the Pointy End Up Plant the garlic bulbs flat side down and the pointy end up. Don't plant garlic too close to each other, as planting garlic too close won't give as much yield because garlic won't grow as big.
Step 6: Water Your Garlic Bed After planting, water your garlic bed. Every plant needs water. Water every three to five days or as necessary.
Step 7: Growing Garlic Two weeks after planting, the garlic sprouts are about two to four inches tall. Add lots of grass clippings all around the garlic plants. In fall, there is a lot of surplus of dead leaves, so add quite a bit of dead leaves all around your garlic plants as well. This process suppresses weeds from growing, provides protection to the plants from the cold of winter, adds nutrients to the soil, and retains moisture in the soil.
Step 8: Harvesting Garlic planted in fall will be ready to harvest by June or July, which is about eight to nine months after planting. The garlic plants begin to turn yellow at this point. Stop watering the garlic plants altogether, and now it's time to harvest the garlic. Gently pull the garlic to harvest. If your soil is a bit tough, use a fork to lift the garlic. Cut off any flower buds that form on garlic, as this will only suck the energy from the bulb and may decrease the size of the bulb.
Step 9: Storing After harvesting, clean the garlic bulbs by removing dirt and let the garlic bulbs dry. Store the garlic bulbs in a cool, dark, and dry place for a few weeks.
So, that's it - now you know everything you need to know about growing garlic! With just a few simple steps, you can grow your own delicious, organic garlic right in your own backyard. Whether you're an experienced gardener or just starting out, growing garlic is a fun and rewarding experience that can provide you with an abundance of fresh, flavorful garlic for months to come.
So, what are you waiting for? Grab some seed garlic or organic garlic bulbs from your local grocery store and get started on your garlic-growing adventure today. And don't forget to share your experiences and results with us in the comments on Daisy Creek Farms YouTube channel - we'd love to hear from you!