Garlic is a delicious and versatile addition to any dish, and it’s also easy to grow at home

Garlic is a perennial herb that grows into bulbs. There are three main types of garlic the most popular being the common white garlic but there is also a pink (which grows earlier than the white) and a garlic with red colored bulb, which is slower and produces larger cloves.

Garlic is so versatile and useful for flavoring and other household purposes that a patch should be included in every Home Garden, all you need is a sunny spot in your garden and some well-drained soil.

Garlic is a member of the allium family, which also includes onions, leeks, and shallots. It’s a hardy plant that can withstand frost and chilly weather, making it a perfect addition to any winter garden. Growing garlic is also relatively easy; all you need is some well-drained soil and a sunny spot in your garden.

Cultivation of Garlic

Garlic needs a rich, light and sandy soil in a spot with plenty of sun. It is ideally suited to a site that has previously been manured and occupied for another crop. It does not like fresh manure but bone meal is fine. Garlic does well in soil which has been well trenched and broken up, and brought up to a fine tilth. Drainage is really important, as Garlic is likely to rot in wet soil.

Garlic does not produce seed, but is grown from its cloves or parts of the compound bulb. The whole bulbs are broken up into the small cloves comprising it, and of these the outer cloves are the ones which should be used for planting and growing more garlic.

Choose the right variety of garlic for your garden. There are two main types of garlic: hardneck and softneck. Hardneck garlic is easier to grow in cooler climates, while softneck garlic is more tolerant of warmer temperatures.

planting garlic

Plant your garlic cloves about 6-8 weeks before the first frost. This will give the cloves time to establish themselves before the cold weather sets in. Plant in late Autumn with eight inches between each plant and one foot between rows. Do not cover the cloves but press them into the soil and leave in this state throughout the Winter.

Make sure the cloves are planted with the pointy end facing up and about 2 inches deep. Space them about 4-6 inches apart so that they have room to grow.
If you’re growing hardneck garlic, you’ll need to stake or tie the plants so that they don’t flop over when they bloom in late spring/early summer. Softneck garlic doesn’t usually need staking or tying, but you may want to do it anyway to keep the plants tidy.

Water your garlic regularly, especially during dry periods. Mulching around the plants will help retain moisture and keep weeds at bay. The ground must be kept well-watered and absolutely free from weeds whilst the crop is growing. This is essential to success. Other than weeding with a hoe, garlic is low maintenance and can be left to getting on with growing.

Garlic is different to shallots as it only produces one stem. As the leaves die off and turn yellow during summer the bulbs can then be harvested and left to dry out in the sun. Letting the garlic harden thoroughly and by doing this your garlic should keep for several months. If your garlic hasn’t bulked up enough it is likely that it didn’t get cold enough for the plant to put down stores and ‘fatten up’.

when to harvest garlic

Any garlic lover knows that there’s nothing quite like the taste of freshly harvested garlic. But when is the right time to harvest this flavorful bulb? In general, garlic is ready to be harvested when the bottom leaves turn brown. It’s important to check the bulbs regularly, as they can mature at different rates depending on the variety and growing conditions.

If the bulbs are left in the ground for too long, they will begin to split and lose their flavor. On the other hand, harvesting too early can result in small, underdeveloped bulbs. Therefore, it’s important to keep a close eye on your garlic plants and harvest when the bulbs are just the right size.

To harvest your garlic, loosen the soil around the plant with a spade or trowel and then carefully lift it out of the ground.

Once harvested, brush off any dirt from the bulbs and allow them to cure in a cool, dry place for 2-3 weeks. This curing process allows the flavor of the garlic to develop fully. After curing, trim off the roots and store the bulbs in a cool, dark place where they will keep fresh for several months.

The bulbs, after harvesting, can be tied together and stored in a dry place. Garlic grown in cold districts has a stronger and more pungent flavor than that raised in warm localities.

I like to braid softneck varieties of garlic together and hang them up in my kitchen as decoration as well as having them on hand for cooking. You can also use the green tops (called scapes) of hardneck varieties of garlic as a delicious addition to salads or stir-fries. Simply chop them up finely and add them to your dish just like you would with any other herb.

Did you know…

If you want a good crop of peas or beans old wives tales tell us not to plant garlic, onions or shallots near them.

Garlic (like onions and shallots) are even great for repelling some insects like aphids and weevils and as a treatment to prevent blight in potatoes and tomatoes.

To get fat garlic bulbs a hard frost is needed. Garlic grown in warmer conditions will never ‘fatten up’ like bulbs grown in cooler climates.

With just a little bit of effort, you can easily grow delicious garlic in your own backyard! By following these simple tips you’ll be sure to have a thriving crop of tasty, home-grown garlic in no time.