Garlic Growing 101: Your Go-To Resource for Growing, Planting, and Harvesting Garlic Successfully

Our longest awaited crop is harvested in July - garlic, planted what feels like another lifetime ago in October of last year is finally ready to be pulled from the ground, cured and enjoyed. One way I can always tell if I will be good friends with someone is based on how much garlic they add to their recipes. If you’re not doubling the amount of garlic a recipe calls for, I’m not sure we can be friends.

Of course this is only a joke. But my obsession with garlic runs deep, as evidenced by this love letter to garlic scape pesto (click for the recipe).

Garlic imparts a flavor into your dishes that has to be experienced to be understood. Strong and sometimes spicy, no pasta dish is complete without it. I’ve even been known to be one of those weirdos who will eat garlic cloves raw for the health benefits. Nothing will clear your sinuses better than chomping on a raw garlic clove (chase it down with a chunk of fresh bread soaked in olive oil and you’re really talking).

Garlic has been used for its medicinal properties for thousands of years and is believed to have numerous health benefits. Garlic contains compounds that can stimulate the immune system, helping your body fight off infections and diseases, and it has been shown to have a blood pressure-lowering effect, which can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Garlic is anti-inflammatory, and may help lower cholesterol levels, plus it is rich in antioxidants, which can protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals. Additionally, garlic may help improve bone health by increasing estrogen levels in women, which can help prevent osteoporosis and improve digestion by stimulating the production of digestive enzymes and promoting the growth of healthy gut bacteria.

Garlic has been cultivated and used for both culinary and medicinal purposes for over 5,000 years. The origins of garlic can be traced back to Central Asia, from where it spread to Egypt, India, China, and the Mediterranean region. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all used garlic for its medicinal properties, and it was also used as a flavoring for food.

In ancient Greece, athletes would eat garlic before participating in the Olympic Games, believing that it would enhance their performance. The ancient Greeks also believed that garlic had aphrodisiac properties.

Garlic was also used during the Middle Ages to treat a variety of ailments, including the bubonic plague. It was believed that garlic could protect against the plague, and many people would carry cloves of garlic around with them as a protective amulet.

In modern times, garlic has become a staple ingredient in many cuisines around the world, and its health benefits have been the subject of numerous studies. Today, China is the world's largest producer of garlic, followed by India and Bangladesh.

How to Plant Garlic

Choosing the right garlic variety

There are two types of garlic you can plant; hard-neck or soft-neck.

Softneck garlic varieties are a type of garlic that do not produce a hard stem or "neck" in the center of the bulb. This type of garlic is typically easier to braid, has a longer shelf life, and is often preferred by commercial growers. Some popular varieties of softneck garlic include Silverskin, Artichoke, California Early, Creole, and Inchelium Red.

Soft-neck garlic does not produce scapes, so if you’re interested in trying this delicacy you’ll need to plant hard-neck varieties only. Garlic scapes aren’t something you can find in the grocery store, and while you may be able to find a single stall at your local farmers market that has them, their inventory will be short-lived. The season for scapes is small, a window of just a couple of weeks that adds to their novelty. Just another excellent excuse to grow them yourself as a side-effect of your garlic harvest.

Hardneck varieties of garlic are divided into eight groups: Porcelain, Rocambole, Purple Stripe, Glazed Purple Stripe, Marble Purple Stripe, Asiatic, Turban, and Creole. Porcelain is considered the hardiest type of hardneck garlic and is highly recommended for novice gardeners in cold climates, producing big, beautiful bulbs with satiny white wrappers with a strong flavor.

When is the best time to plant garlic?

Garlic needs a period of dormancy in the ground to develop strong root structures before the heat of spring and summer sends green shoots above-ground. For this reason it is best to plant garlic just after your first frost, while the ground can still be worked. Planted too early in the fall, you risk the garlic prematurely sprouting, sending valuable energy away from the bulb. If your garlic sprouts anyway, don’t fret - your final bulbs may be smaller, but they will still be delicious.

Can you grow garlic from the store?

You should not try to grow garlic that you purchased at the grocery store, for a few reasons. The first is that commercially grown garlic is often treated with chemicals including pesticides and growth inhibitors that may not allow your garlic to sprout and grow properly. The second reason is that seed garlic is selected specifically for desirable traits (size and disease resistance for example) that will lead to better harvests. The third reason is that you won’t be able to confirm whether the variety you are growing is hard-neck or soft-neck.

Preparing garlic seed for planting

Garlic seed purchased specifically for growing will arrive looking much the same as your average grocery store garlic. You’ll need to carefully break apart the bulbs into individual cloves for planting, without removing the protective skin around each clove. Without this papery coating, your cloves may be more susceptible to rot once planted. I find it next to impossible to completely separate cloves without losing some of the paper shell. I have planted both with little issue, so don’t despair if you can’t get each one perfect.

When to harvest garlic

Garlic is harvested the summer after it is planted. If you’re looking for signs that garlic is ready for harvesting, look for the lower 2 or 3 leaves to turn brown. This is a sign that the bulb has reached maturity. If possible, wait until the soil has had a chance to dry out for a few days with no rain. This will make it easier to harvest.

Steps to harvest garlic

Once your garlic is showing signs that it is ready to harvest, pull them from the ground. They should come away fairly easily. Brush off as much dirt as possible.

How to cure garlic after harvesting

Lay the garlic out in a dry, well-ventilated area, such as a garage or a covered porch. Avoid direct sunlight and humid conditions. Allow the garlic to dry for two to three weeks, or until the skins are papery and the cloves rattle inside the bulb. Once the garlic is fully dry, cut off the roots and the stem close to the bulb. Leave the papery skin intact.

Storing Garlic

Now you’re probably wondering how to store garlic for long-term use. Store the cured garlic in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area, such as a pantry or a cellar. Do not store garlic in plastic bags or containers, as this can cause it to rot. Instead, store garlic in mesh bags, baskets, or cardboard boxes. These are the best storage conditions for garlic.

Tricks for Peeling Garlic

Ask a garlic fan their favorite way to peel garlic easily, and you’ll get a different answer from each one. Personally, my preferred kitchen hack for peeling garlic quickly is the microwave. 3-5 seconds will be more than enough to loosen the papery skin and it should fall right off. Be careful - garlic can get very hot in the microwave even in this short amount of time.

If you’re not a microwave household and want to try a more traditional method for peeling garlic that doesn’t require any tools, try one of these methods:

Smashing method

Place a clove of garlic on a cutting board and place the flat side of a chef's knife on top of it. Use the heel of your hand to press down on the knife, crushing the garlic. This will loosen the skin, making it easier to remove.

Rolling method

Place a clove of garlic on a cutting board and place the flat side of a chef's knife on top of it. Use the palm of your hand to roll the knife back and forth over the garlic, applying gentle pressure. This will help loosen the skin.

Shaking method

Place a few cloves of garlic in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid. Hold the jar tightly and shake it vigorously for about 30 seconds. This will loosen the skin on the garlic, making it easier to remove.

Tips for storing peeled garlic

You can freeze peeled garlic as whole cloves or pre-minced and frozen into ice cube trays for easy convenient garlic whenever you need it.