Garlic Growing Guide! 

09/30/2023

Garlic is one of the most well known and versatile crops in the garden! It can be used in so many recipes, and dishes, and adds flavor that nothing else can match! Best of all, it's one of the easiest crops to grow, and one of the first to be harvested in early-mid summer!

Purchasing Seed Garlic:

Purchasing the right garlic for your climate is going to be your first step in a succesful harvest! There are two main types of garlic:

 

- Hard Neck: Best choice for northern Gardeners

 

- Soft Neck: Best choice for southern growers

 

This is usually the best guide for starting out, but we have grown softneck garlic in our northern climate! In short, garlic is extremely versatile, and most all varieties should grow well for most regions! As always, just read the description and growing information for any varieties that your looking to purchase!

 

Where to purchase Garlic:

1.) When Purchasing Garlic, we recomend always choosing from "seed" garlic vendors. Though it is possible to grow from store bought garlic, it isnt always the easiest to tell what variety it is, and if it will grow well in your region. It also could carry chemicals, or diseases that came from other states through shipment or from the field.

 

2.) It is always best to grow seed garlic meant to be planted and grown for the home gardeners.

 

3.) We supply 1 variety of garlic that is adaptable to most growing climates, and hope to add 5-6 new varieties next year!

 

When To Plant Garlic:

When to plant your garlic depends on your growing season. All garlic should be planted when cold temps arive, but a few weeks before your first hard frost. for many climates, this is between October, and November. 

 

Garlic should always be planted in the fall, as the roots will establish all through the winter. Come spring, garlic will send up its foliage and start to form the new bulbs!

How To Plant Garlic:

 

1.) Garlic enjoys full sun and requires this for maximum bulb production. Choose a sunny spot that receives at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight

 

2.) Garlic is planted by the clove. Every single clove will turn into a completely new bulb the following year! To start, break up your bulb into individual cloves. Do not remove or peel the outer skin. This will help to protect the clove, and will slowly break off as the new bulb forms. 

 

3.) Plant your cloves around 3 inches deep with the pointy side up! This is important as the cloves have two sides. A flat side and a pointy side. The pointy side sends up the foliage, and the flat side sends down the roots! If you are not sure on which way to plant, place the cloves sideways.

 

4.) After planting, cover your newly planted cloves with some type of mulch to prevent clove damage from severe frosts. This could be straw, leaves, ect. If you live in zone 6 or higher, this is optional in our opinion. 

 

• NOTE: Garlic requires well-drained soil that does not get water logged or flooded. If garlic cloves/bulbs sits in water, it will rot!! Alwasy make sure to add sand or other required amendments if your soil does not drain well. 

Fertilizing Garlic:

 

1.) garlic is quite easy to maintain, but does require nutrients for the biggest and best yields. Before planting, we recommend adding aged compost or manure into your planting beds. If this isnt an option, add bone meal to the soil. This will help in early root, and bulb formation. After this, your garlic will not need any nutrients until spring! 

 

2.) When spring arrives, and the cloves have young shoots or foliage thats around 6 inches tall, give them their first foliage feeder or any (preferably water soluble) fertilizer. After this, fertilize every month for the next 2-3 months.

 

Harvesting, And Storing Your Garlic:

1.) When early-mid summer arives, your bulbs will start to mature. Since the bulbs are underground, it can be challenging to tell when the bulbs are ready to be harvested. There is one sign that most gardeners use, and this is to check the foliage. When mature, the foliage will start to wither, and die off. Wait until most of the foliage is dead or flopped on the ground for best results.

 

2.) When harvesting, be careful to not desturb the bulbs as they are quite delicate at this stage! Always use a trowel or other tool to dig around the bulb and remove. Resist the urge to hand pull! We've done this and it never works out well.

 

3.) Once harvested, bring indoors as soon as possible as sunlight can burn or damage the bulbs. Bulbs must be cured, meaning stored exactly as they are in a garage or the house for 3-4 weeks. during this period, the bulbs will harden and begin to cure prolonging shelf life. Hang them up or lay across mesh covering, and always keep out of rain, sun, and excessive heat or cold temps, as this can cause rotting or damage to your harvest. 

 

4.) Make sure to leave the foliage on the bulbs during this 3-4 week period as this will help to maintain shelf life and helps to protect the bulbs during this delicate stage. 

 

5.) Once cured, cut the dead stalks down to about 1-2 inches above the bulb. for hard neck varieties, this will be woody, and for softnecks, this will be soft, or may even fall off. 

 

6.) Store in a cool dry area. Most bulbs can last 4-6 months if properly cured, and stored!

 

www.beebeseeds.com

 

Thanks for reading,

Beebe Seed Co.