Garlic is used to flavor a wide range of dishes, but it also offers great health benefits and can be dried to make it last longer. Growing garlic is easy and inexpensive. In a single season you can get more garlic than you can consume, so you can also share it with friends. Read on to learn how to find garlic for planting, how to grow and harvest it at the end of the season, and then store it properly.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Preparing for Growing Garlic
Step 1. Find out when is the right time to plant garlic in your area
In general, the best time is mid-autumn or early spring.
Garlic grows well in a wide range of climatic zones, but suffers from intense heat and humidity, especially in areas with heavy rainfall
Step 2. Choose where to grow and prepare the soil
Garlic needs full sun, but it also grows in partial shade as long as it's not covered for much of the day and during the growing season. The soil must be well loose and crumbly, the best is sandy.
- Make sure the soil has excellent drainage. If it's clayey it's not good for growing garlic.
- Use compost and manure to add nutrients to the soil before planting garlic.
Step 3. Get some fresh garlic
Garlic grows by planting the cloves - which we will call seeds in this case. So all you need is fresh garlic to get started. You can buy it at the supermarket, from a greengrocer or, even better, from a farmer at the local market. It is essential that the garlic heads are fresh and of excellent quality, possibly avoiding those treated with chemicals.
- Choose fresh garlic heads with large cloves, avoiding soft bulbs.
- Each clove will sprout into a new garlic plant. This is something to keep in mind when buying.
- If you have sprouted garlic in your home, it is perfect for this purpose.
- Nurseries provide excellent garlic for planting. You can also ask for a specific variety, or some advice on local cultivation.
Method 2 of 5: Plant the Garlic
Step 1. Open the garlic head to retrieve the cloves
Be careful not to damage the base of the wedges, where they were attached to the bulb. If the base is damaged, the garlic will not sprout.
Plant the largest wedges. The smaller ones take up as much space, but produce smaller bulbs
Step 2. Push each clove into the ground with the tip down
You need to plant them 5 centimeters deep.
There must be about 20 centimeters of distance between each clove to recreate optimal growing conditions
Step 3. Cover the planted cloves with mulch
The most suitable is hay, dry leaves, straw, compost, manure or well-rotted cut grass.
Step 4. Add the compost
Freshly planted garlic must be well fertilized.
If you plant garlic in the fall, remember to fertilize again in the spring; conversely, if you plant it in the spring, it must be reconciled in the fall
Method 3 of 5: Growing Garlic
Step 1. Water the seedlings often
Young plants need to be kept in moist soil so that the roots develop well. Do not overdo it with water, as garlic does not grow well in soaked soil in the cold months, in fact it may even rot.
- Water generously once a week if it hasn't rained. It is not necessary to water the garlic unless there is drought; in this case, water in moderation, because garlic does not react well with moist soil.
- Gradually reduce watering as the heat arrives. Garlic needs a hot, dry summer for the bulbs to ripen.
Step 2. Eliminate parasites
Insects, mice, and other creatures may eat garlic or nest among plants. Beware of the following parasites:
- Aphids love garlic leaves and buds. However, you can get rid of them easily, just squeeze them with your finger.
- Many people plant garlic under roses to ward off aphids and prevent them from affecting them.
- Mice and other creatures tend to burrow in mulch. If there is a rat problem in the area, you need to choose a type of mulch that doesn't attract them.
Method 4 of 5: Harvest the Garlic
Step 1. Eat the flower scapes
As the plant grows, long, green stems called flower scapes develop which form curves. Take some away and eat them however you like.
- Don't do this to every plant, as you could damage the bulbs themselves with this process.
- Use gloves when you decide to pull the scapes, otherwise your hands will smell the garlic for several days.
Step 2. Pay attention to the signs indicating the time of harvest
Garlic heads can be harvested when you can feel the individual cloves inside the bulb and the leaves turn yellowish or brown.
- When the scapes begin to dry out, it is important to harvest the garlic, otherwise the head will split into individual cloves.
- Harvest begins at the end of summer. In many areas it is possible to continue harvesting throughout the year until late autumn.
- In the warmer climatic zones it is possible to start the harvest earlier.
Step 3. Loosen the soil around each bulb using a shovel
Pull the bulbs out of the ground.
- Be careful when digging, as garlic is easily damaged.
- Wash the garlic heads and leave them to dry in a well-ventilated area, or in the sun for a few days if no rain is expected. The sun can damage garlic, so don't leave it outside for too long.
Method 5 of 5: Store the Garlic
Step 1. Store the garlic in a cool, dry place indoors
Dried garlic heads can be stored in suitable containers, so you can take out the cloves when you need them.
Step 2. Make a garlic braid
The dried leaves can be intertwined, so that you can conveniently hang the garlic heads in the pantry or kitchen. It is both a useful and a decorative method.
Step 3. Store the garlic in oil or vinegar
Cloves of garlic can be preserved in oil or vinegar. In any case, to avoid the development of bacteria, keep them in the refrigerator and consume them quickly.
Advice
- The larger cloves produce equally abundant heads of garlic.
- Save a head or two of garlic from this crop for planting next fall.
- Garlic resists the cold well. It can be planted in the fall, left in the ground during the winter and harvested at the end of the following summer.
- Although you can use the garlic found in stores, it is advisable to try different varieties of garlic available in nurseries or online, which can differ in taste and color.
Warnings
- Don't let the garlic dry under the ground. The bulb risks breaking.
- Do not freeze the garlic heads. They would become moldy, becoming unusable.
