Tricks for Satisfactory Homegrown Garlic

Garlic is just about the best ingredient to use for making food more flavorful. Many home gardeners have discovered it is rather easy to grow your own garlic. Homegrown garlic can be disappointing however, producing small bulbs, bulbs with only one big soft clove, or even no bulb at all. The causes of unsatisfactory production come down to the quality of the seed clove, growing conditions, the variety, the variables of the season, and disease. Some garlic strains will just not bulb satisfactorily in your area. Garlic varieties adapt to a fair range of day lengths, intensity of cold, and accumulated heat conditions. Try locally sold seed cloves because they may well be the best variety for your climate.

When preparing your soil, beef up the nutrient status of your soil by working in a complete fertilizer before sowing. Liquid manures are also beneficial. Your soils pH must be above 6.0. Ideally, a deep, fertile, very well drained soil is needed.

Generally speaking, garlic can be planted in autumn through to early winter. Under warm temperate climatic conditions autumn planted garlic will remain dormant for a few weeks, then develop roots and a shoot. With the onset of the cold of winter growth is fairly slow until temperatures warm in spring. The cold of winter is needed to initiate the side buds that will ultimately grow and swell to become cloves. The lengthening days of spring are the signal for the initiated but undeveloped side buds to start forming into cloves.

Choose the best: the biggest and fattest seed cloves to sow. Sow them root end down, standing erect, and about an inch or so under the soil surface. Place them about 4 inches apart.

It is important to have a free draining soil. Cloves put in early in winter will have a longer cold treatment and will respond to lengthening days in the spring more quickly than those put in later. Know there is always a risk of the cloves rotting in a cold wet soil. Excellent drainage is a must to give an edge on climate and disease. 

Garlic competes poorly with weeds. Try to keep them meticulously weeded, if possible. Be careful with the hoe, however. Tragic occurrences can happen with a hurried hoe. If the weather is dry, mulch them to conserve water. Mulching also helps defer the weeds. Water your garlic plants well and regularly in dry periods.

The plants are ready to harvest when the foliage has died off, or mostly died off. Since garlic’s outer parchment often rots left in wet soil, harvest a bit earlier if it happens to be very wet at harvest time. Then dry the bulbs under cover. The bulbs should be washed, especially the roots, and leave them for a week or so to dry. If you live in a hot climate area, dry them out of the sun or your precious bulbs will sunburn. When the bulbs are dry, you can trim off the roots, brush off the outer discolored parchment, and braid the dried leaves together if you wish to hang it for a decorative way to store your garlic.

Store garlic in a dry place. Most kitchens are fine. The ideal storage conditions are temperatures of around 50°F, dry, and well ventilated. Giving your garlic a reasonable advantage by following these suggestions just might mean a successful produce for your homegrown garlic.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.