How to Plant and Harvest Garlic in 7 Easy Steps
Interested in learning how to plant your own garlic? Watch the video and follow the simple steps outlined below for planting in the fall and harvesting next season.
- Start with head of seed garlic from farmer’s market or local farm stand, for best results. Choose hard neck variety, which will produce garlic scapes in the spring.
- Remove outer layers of paper. Break head into individual cloves. Each clove planted will grow into one head of garlic.
- Dig small trench 4 inches deep. Place each clove into trench spaced 6 to 8 inches apart with root end of garlic pointing down (toes down, heads up).
- Cover trench with soil. Add thick layer of compost atop trench. Cover compost with 6 to 8 inches of leaves.
- Garlic continues to grow roots in the winter and will produce a shoot in the spring
- Keep garlic well watered in the spring. Garlic scape can be harvested in May.
- Garlic plant will be ready for harvest in July, when green shoot is half brown. Dig garlic and cure in basement or barn.
Elizabeth Almeida is founder, head farmer, chief weeder, and top taster at organic vegetable farm Fat Moon in Westford. She also plans healthy living events for the farm through the Center for Healthy Living and Learning. Foodie magazines will give you the scoop on the tastiest and trendiest foods to eat, but Elizabeth will give you the dirt on food - how it is grown, what is good to eat, and maybe some insights into the giant food system that gets us whatever we want to eat in every season. Her passion and her businesses help folks untangle their way to health!
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