Sept. 27 Column: How to Plant Garlic

If you’re thinking your garden season is just about over, hold on! Fall is the time to plant garlic . You don’t want to miss out on growing this amazing member of the onion family. That’s the topic of my garden column today, which you can read below.

In my column, I explain the difference between hardneck and softneck garlic. You’ll learn how to get it off to a great start. You can find “seed garlic” — which is certified to be disease-free — at garden centers and online. I was curious if seed garlic will be difficult to find this year. I was recently at a local garden center and they had a nice supply of it. If you aren’t able to locate any where you live, just plant garlic from the grocery store and go from there.

The great thing about growing garlic is that after you get your first harvest (which will be next summer), you can set aside a few cloves to plant next fall… once you’ve dried it first, of course.

One other thing: in my column, I mentioned garlic scapes which only occur with hardneck garlic varieties. If you’re not familiar with them, check out this photo because, chances are, you’ve seen them before but just didn’t know what they were. (remember that you can always click on a photo within my posts to view a much larger image) You MUST clip them off the plants if you want to have decent bulbs to harvest. Be sure to eat the scapes: you can saute them and add them to savory dishes. Some folks make garlic scape pesto, which is to die for!

Now just because I want everyone to be successful when they plant garlic, that’s the topic of this week’s “Everyone Can Grow a Garden” video as well. It also includes planting shallots, by the way. I also explain both the growing and harvesting process for garlic so you’ll know what to expect. I hope you’ll find it really helpful!

And here is my column on how to plant garlic:

by Susan Mulvihill

There are two foods that really make life worth living: chocolate and garlic. While I can’t grow my own chocolate, I certainly can cultivate garlic. It is really easy to grow and the resulting crop enhances the flavors of so many savory dishes.

Fall is the time to plant garlic. You can also plant in the spring but the resulting bulbs will be much smaller.

If you are a first-time grower, you’ll need to purchase “seed garlic” at your local garden center or from an online source. Seed garlic is another name for garlic bulbs which are certified to be disease-free and are comprised of several individual cloves. Since each clove will grow into a large bulb containing many more cloves, you’ll get a great return on your initial investment. In subsequent years, use cloves from your previous harvest rather than having to buy more.

There are two types of garlic, hardneck and softneck. Elephant garlic is a member of the onion family but not a true garlic. Hardnecks have a stiff central stalk and produce four to 12 cloves within a bulb; the cloves tend to have a more intense flavor. Softnecks have a softer stem, produce more cloves within larger bulbs, and generally have a milder flavor. If you want to braid your harvest together, grow softnecks. The huge cloves of elephant garlic have a mild taste.

My favorite hardneck varieties are German Porcelain, German Red, Music and Spanish Roja. Inchelium Red is a very reliable softneck variety for this region.

Loosen the soil of the planting bed to a depth of about 4 inches and mix in a bit of bone meal which is an organic soil amendment high in phosphorus. Gently split apart the garlic bulbs into individual cloves.

Push each clove down into soil – making sure the pointed end faces upward — until there are 2 inches of soil above the top of the clove. Space hardneck and softneck cloves 6 inches apart, and elephant garlic cloves 12 inches apart. Be sure to label your plantings so you remember what they are at harvest time next summer.

Once the entire bed has been planted, cover it with a thick layer of mulch: grass clippings from an untreated lawn, shredded leaves or straw all work well. This insulates the soil in order to prevent frost-heaving during the winter.

The sprouts will begin to emerge in early spring. If you used grass clippings for mulch, move them out of the way as they can mat together and impede plant growth. Other mulches can remain in place. Water regularly and weed as necessary so they won’t compete with the garlic.

In early summer, hardneck garlic plants form “scapes,” those curlicue stems that will develop a flower if left in place. It’s important to remove them so the plants continue developing the bulbs instead of using energy to bloom. The scapes have a mild garlic flavor and make a delicious addition to many dishes.

Harvest garlic plants when the lowest two leaves turn brown. Carefully pull them up and move them to a sheltered, dry area such as a shed, carport or garage until the stalks are completely dry and brittle. You can also hang plant bundles in a shady, sheltered area to dry.

At that point, you can preserve your harvest for later use by clipping off the main stem and storing the bulbs in a cool, dry area such as a basement or insulated garage.

Learn more about growing garlic in this week’s “Everyone Can Grow a Garden” video at youtube.com/susansinthegarden.

Susan Mulvihill is author of “The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook.” She can be reached at Susan@susansinthegarden.com.