Tips for planting garlic cloves

Garlic is an essential ingredient in almost every savory dish I make. Now that we have a garden area large enough to accommodate fall plantings, I’ve started planting garlic cloves in the fall garden.

Hardneck versus softneck garlic

There are two main types of garlic – Hardneck garlic and softneck garlic. The neck refers to the garlic stalk. The neck of Hardneck garlic grows up from the center of the bulb and becomes ridged when it’s mature. Softneck garlic has a stalk that consists of leaves versus a center stalk. Even when mature, the leaves of the softneck garlic will be soft and flexible.  Softneck garlic is most commonly the kind found in the grocery store.

When it comes to eating, the two types have their benefits.

Hardneck garlic is the only garlic that produces a garlic scrape, which is an edible flower stem. It can be pickled or added to other food items for a peppery flavor. You can even make garlic scape pesto from it.

Hardneck garlic can have more complex flavors that can range from mild to musky to spicy. Softneck garlic is the kind most often sold at the grocery store. They have a long shelf life and a more mild flavor.

Knowing your zone for planting garlic cloves 

Planting garlic cloves is easy and something you can do in your backyard. Just be aware of your zone when planting because that will determine the type of garlic you are able to plant in the fall.

Hardneck garlic is often better for northern gardeners. They need the cold to help produce their cloves and split the head. This is why this is the most common type of garlic for planting garlic cloves in the fall in the northern part of the United States right now. Purple Stripe and Rocambole garlic varieties are considered the hardiest.

Softneck varieties prefer more mild weather and mature more quickly. You can still plant these in the fall if you live in a climate that doesn’t see a lot of winter freezes. You can also plant softneck varieties in the spring when the weather is still mild for a late spring or early summer harvest.

For my garden zone, which is somewhere between 6a and 5b, I will plant in October or even November if we are having a warmer season. The roots will develop during the fall and winter before the ground freezes.

No matter the variety, it will take about 8-9 months to grow garlic.

Using the right kind of soil when planting garlic cloves

Before you put the garlic in the ground you want to make sure you have a well-prepared planting site with good soil that’s nutrient rich and well draining. When planting garlic cloves in the fall, I like to amend my soil because it’s already been working hard for me through spring and summer. A lot of the nutrients will be drained and have gone to previous, warm weather crops. This year I’m using BeyondPeat Organic All-Purpose Garden Soil to help enhance my beds again after the warm season harvest. The soil includes Bio-Fiber Technology that includes professional-grade organic fertilizer. It’s all mixed and ready to go right out of the bag. It makes it easy to top off my beds and integrate it with the existing soil.

BeyondPeat Organic All-Purpose Garden Soil will also feed my garlic for three months. I won’t have to worry about the nutrients the plants are getting during the coldest part of the season. Each bag has 2 cubic feet of soil and two bags work well for topping off the tall beds in our garden where I’m planting garlic and growing other cold weather crops this season.

My favorite part about using BeyondPeat is that the soil mixes are 100 percent peat-free. They’re derived from natural, renewable resources like mushroom compost and are sustainable for the environment. This also gives my plants added nutrients.

Plus, I already know BeyondPeat works. I used it this spring to top off my beds when I planted my peas in the ground last spring.

Tips for planting garlic cloves

Here’s a few more tips for how to have the most successful garlic planting season.

• Pick a sunny, well-draining location for the garlic.
• Soak garlic cloves in water before planting for at least 30 minutes.

• Dig trench the dirt about 3 inches deep and 3-6 inches apart.
• Additionally, space the rows 6 inches apart to allow the bulbs enough room, especially if planting hardneck garlic varieties because they are often larger.
• Separate the garlic bulbs into cloves and plant garlic cloves 2-3 inches down. You want the pointed side to be up.

• Water well after planting garlic cloves and cover with a layer of mulch about 4-6 inches deep.
• Make sure to mark where you planted and what varieties you planted so you remember later. You won’t be harvesting this garlic until next summer so it’s important to be able to keep track. Over the winter, I love using these simple rock markers. They hold up to the elements and they won’t get blown around by any crazy, upper Midwest winter weather. They also won’t be bothered by snow. You can find the rocks {HERE} and the stamps {HERE}.

Harvesting fall planted garlic

Planting garlic in the fall will result in a spring or easy summer harvest. Depending on the variety, garlic can take up to 150 days to mature.

You will want to harvest garlic when the leaves turn brown ­­­­. Lift the entire plant from the ground – leaves and all – and then shake as much soil away from the plant as you can.

Keep the garlic in a dry, shady place for at least two weeks to cure. You can braid garlic stalks at this time.

After the garlic cures, remove the leaves from the bulbs and store in a moisture-free place inside.

Thank you so much for joining me today, friends! I hope you have a successful garlic growing season! If you have any questions about BeyondPeat, please visit the BeyondPeat website at https://beyondpeat.com/.

For more garden posts, click {HERE} and click {HERE} to find out how to grow tomatoes from seeds!