How to Grow, Harvest, & Cure Garlic
In this article, I will walk you through how to grow, cure, and harvest your own garlic right in your backyard!
Garlic has been used for centuries as food, as medicine, as a food preservative and in many cultures to ward off evil spirits, werewolves, vampires, and monsters. Let me tell you first hand, that it works. I have been on this farm since 1991 and have not seen a single one. But I am going to admit that there have been times when my wife has been roasting garlic all day and I have had to stand on the porch for a while with my eyes watering from the pungent aroma that is wafting all the way up to the back forty. These are the times that I actually sympathize with the creatures of the night.
Hint: If you don’t enjoy garlic do not marry an Italian!
1.Planting Garlic
There are very basically two subspecies of garlic; hard-neck and soft-neck. I much prefer the hard-neck garlic, I find it much easier to grow and is much hardier. The hard-neck is what I will be writing about today. When it comes to planting they have completely different planting times and need to be handled as two separate animals.
Hard-neck garlic should be planted in the Fall. The cloves need to be wintered over. This is called vernalization. This wintering or cold temping, will allow your garlic to form proper cloven bulbs and not just a garlic “wad”.
Find yourself a spot where you have not previously grown any garlic or onions. They will require the same nutrients. You should find a spot with good drainage, excessive water build-up can cause root rot and other diseases. That is why raised beds work beautifully for a nice garlic patch and can be companion planted with many other vegetables, such as carrots, spinach, peppers, potatoes, and even herbs and flowers.
Each planting bulb should be broken into single cloves for planting.
Prepare your soil with some compost, or 10-10-10 fertilizer. Loosen the the top 6-8 inches to allow the bulb to develop easily. Plant the cloves 6 inches apart and the rows approximately 8-12 inches apart. Plant each clove 2 inches deep with the pointy end up toward the sky. Round end goes down. Sprinkle with water, do not over-water.
After your cloves are planted you need to apply about 4-6 inches of mulch (straw or leaves work well). This will keep you cloves covered as the frost may push them up a bit.
Now we wait for the miracle to happen. Every clove will develop into an entire bulb.
2.Harvesting Garlic
In the Spring, watch for the sprouts to appear. The garlic will be ready about 90 days after you see the sprouts. Continue to watch the leaves rise. When 30 to 50% of the leaves turn brown that generally means that the plant is about finished producing. If you are unsure whether or not your bulbs are ready just uncover a couple and take a look. Under-ripe, or over-ripe, they are still edible, they just won’t store as well. Wait until you get what you want.
Hint: Let the soil dry a bit before you start to harvest, it will be much easier and your garlic will cure better. Gently lift the garlic up from the bottom don’t yank them by the leaves.
3.Curing Garlic
Curing garlic, simply means to dry it out slowly. Immediately get your garlic under a roof, they can become sun-burned if you leave them in the sunshine. If you have a barn bring your garlic inside out of the sun and lay them on a wire mesh table, or hang them up by the leaves. If you do not cure garlic properly with good circulation, your bulbs could develop some mold. That is not appetizing to anyone.
When storing your garlic bulbs, keep it where air can continue to circulate around it. I have garlic braids that I continue to use all year long.
Enjoy your garlic growing experience and keep those monsters away! Thank you for reading.
Love, Peace and Light
Terry Wheeler
About the Author
Terry has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. He has taught in the New York State School system for 18 years, where he teaches Career and Financial Management, Agricultural Business, Marketing and Distribution, Sports Management, Wildlife Conservation Management, and Resort and Recreation Management. His time has also been spent as an FFA advisor for 12 years and he has been farming his 100-acre family farm since 1991. He has a deep love of all types of agriculture and takes every opportunity to promote agricultural education.
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