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You are here: Home / The Garden / How To Grow Garlic: Planting Organic Garlic

How To Grow Garlic: Planting Organic Garlic

January 8, 2013 by Kristina Leave a Comment

When are you supposed to plant garlic? In the Fall. When am I planting Garlic? In January….. Why? You ask? Because I got lazy. Well, I hate to say lazy…. But, I had so much other stuff going on like Halloween and… I guess that’s all I can think of, but I felt really busy.

I’ve been thinking about planting it for months. Every day at work it pops into my head, I think about where to plant it, how many to plant, etc. Once I get home it’s too cold and too dark and I don’t feel like doing it. I decided to wait until the weekend to plant so I could get outside when it was light out. So when did I plant? On Saturday night, after cooking dinner and having a few vodka Red Bull’s with the soon-to-be hubby, when it was dark and cold.

It wasn’t the perfect time to plant – half of the areas I wanted to plant were frozen. I planted a few in some of the areas that weren’t. The rest I’m planting today – in pots, so they won’t be frozen. WILL IT WORK? I don’t know.  I’ll be sure to update you after the harvest!

What Kind of Garlic Should I grow? I’ll leave this one up to you – why? Because I usually plant the stuff I get from the grocery store and I have no idea what kind it is. Take note – I eat organic and therefore only buy organic garlic.  This garlic grows because it hasn’t been sprayed with anything to stop sprouting.  If you want to plant garlic from the grocery store make sure you buy organic.

When Should I Plant Garlic: So, like I said, I was a bit late.  You’ll get the best, largest garlic bulbs if you plant in the fall. The BEST time in the fall is about 2 weeks before the last frost (check your almanac).  Garlic first develops roots below ground, then it starts to sprout up above ground. If you plant 2 weeks before the first frost you’ll get root development but you won’t get any growth above ground (exactly what you want).

Where should I Plant Garlic? Anywhere, I planted both in my front yard garden bed and in a pot.  Wherever it may be, make sure that the soil is loose, well drained, and has plenty of nutrients.  My soil was mixed with compost at the end of the season.

How do I plant Garlic? Break the garlic cloves apart – use only the larger firm cloves for planting as they’ll lead to larger bulbs at harvest. Dig holes 3 inches deep, 6 inches apart and plant.  There should be about 2 inches of soil above the cloves. Make sure that you plant with the pointed end up so they grow correctly.

Organic Garlic Cloves for Planting

Organic Garlic Cloves for Planting

**Now, I use square foot gardening and I have my garlic planted quite a bit closer.  I leave about 3-4 inches between the cloves.  Does it make the cloves grow smaller? It could, but I don’t know because I’ve never done it any other way.

Filed Under: The Garden

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I'm a gluten free, soy free, diary free Mom, urban organic gardener, homesteader, ex-fashion designer and internet marketing consultant, who likes to craft. Who says life's simple?

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