How to Grow Garlic: The Easy Way
When it comes to gardening, I’m always looking for ways to keep things simple—and growing garlic fits the bill. I’m about to show you the easy way to grow garlic, so you can grow it effortlessly in your garden!
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I like to think of gardening a little like raising children: it takes patience, a bit of care, and a touch of know-how, but the process is more rewarding than you might expect. Although I digress, gardening is actually a bit simpler than parenting. 🙂 And growing garlic is extremely easy to do!
Getting Started With Garlic
With a good dose of sunshine, consistent watering, and healthy soil, you can be well on your way to a garden full of beautiful garlic bulbs.
What I love most about garlic is that it doesn’t require constant attention. It only requires a bit of thoughtful preparation, and a few steady practices like mulching and companion planting. Before long, you’ll find your garlic giving back far more than you put in.
Garlic is a wonderful crop to plant for both vertical gardening and grow bag gardening.
Let’s dig in together and walk through the steps from planting to harvest, creating an abundance in your garden that will flavor your meals all year long.
Choosing the Right Garlic Variety
One of the most important steps in growing garlic is choosing the variety that will thrive in your garden—and flavor your kitchen just the way you like. Garlic isn’t one-size-fits-all. Just like different climates and cultures have their own traditions, garlic varieties each bring their own strengths to the table.
If you live in a cooler region, hardneck garlic is a wonderful choice, offering rich flavor and those beautiful scapes in early summer. In warmer climates, softneck garlic tends to do best and stores a bit longer, making it a favorite for braiding and keeping through the seasons.
As you decide which type to plant, think about both your growing conditions and the flavors you love to cook with. A little intention at the start goes a long way toward a harvest that feels perfectly suited to you and your kitchen.
Tried-and-true varieties to consider:
- Music (Hardneck): A popular choice for cold climates, and one of my personal favorites that carries large cloves and a bold, classic garlic flavor.
- Chesnok Red (Hardneck): Known for its sweet, full flavor that holds up beautifully when roasted.
- German Extra Hardy (Hardneck): Thrives in northern gardens and produces big, reliable bulbs.
- California Early (Softneck): Mild, versatile, easy-to-grow and well-suited for warmer climates.
- Transylvanian (Softneck): A prize-winning, high-yield variety with a mellow flavor that stores exceptionally well.
- Silverskin (Softneck): Long-storing and perfect for braiding, with a sharp bite that mellows when cooked.
These varieties are widely loved by home gardeners and give you a solid starting point when choosing what to plant. Over time, you may even discover a favorite that feels like “your” garlic!
Check out my 2 favorite places to order a variety of garlic bulbs for planting:
Prepping the Soil
Good soil is the foundation of a successful garlic harvest. Garlic loves a home that drains well—too much standing water can cause the cloves to rot before they ever get a chance to grow. Ideally, your soil should fall in the slightly acidic to neutral range (a pH between 6.0 and 7.0), but don’t let the numbers intimidate you. Getting a soil test is great and helpful, but don’t let that stop you from planting.
The easiest way to set your garlic up for success is by working plenty of organic matter, like compost or well-aged manure, into your soil. This not only improves drainage but also boosts fertility.
Think of prepping your soil as building a healthy foundation—the more care you put into it now, the less work you’ll have to do later, and the more abundant your garlic harvest will be.
Planting The Garlic Cloves
Be sure to select healthy garlic cloves from a variety suited to your climate. Don’t plant cloves that look soft or diseased.
For optimal growth, plant the cloves about 2 inches deep and 6 inches apart, with the pointed end facing upwards. Your clove will sprout and eventually enlarge into a bulb.
Remember to water the soil immediately after planting, and establish a regular schedule to keep the soil moist (but not waterlogged).
For even better results, mulch your garlic bed with organic material like straw, leaves, or pine needles. Mulching helps regular soil temperature, retain moisture, and cut back on weeds.
Harvesting Garlic and Beyond
One of the most exciting moments in the gardening year is pulling garlic from the ground.
You’ll know it’s ready when the lower leaves begin to yellow and dry down, while a few green ones still remain. At this stage, the bulbs have sized up nicely, but haven’t yet split open.
To harvest them: use a garden fork and gently loosen the soil around the bulb. Gently lift out each bulb with care—it’s a little like uncovering hidden treasure!
Once harvested, spread your garlic out in a single layer somewhere warm, dry, and out of direct sunlight. A garage, shed, or covered porch with good airflow works beautifully.
How to Store Garlic
Over the next couple of weeks, the bulbs will cure, their outer skins drying and hardening to prepare them for storage. After curing, trim the roots and tops, then tuck your garlic away in a cool, dark place. Properly stored, it will last for many months, carrying the fruits of this season into the next.
| How To Store Garlic Long-Term |
|---|
| Cure properly first: Let garlic dry in a warm, airy spot for 2–3 weeks. Trim and clean: Cut off roots and tops once cured, brushing off excess dirt. Choose storage method: Hang or braid softneck varieties. Store hardneck bulbs in mesh bags, baskets, or crates. Find the right spot: A cool, dark, dry place (ideally 50–60°F) keeps garlic fresh for months. |
Don’t forget to set aside your very best bulbs to replant in the fall. This simple act of saving and sowing creates a beautiful rhythm, a cycle that keeps both your garden and your table nourished year after year.
Growing garlic doesn’t have to be complicated. With good soil, the right variety, and a little care through the seasons, following this easy way to grow garlic will yield a harvest that both flavors your kitchen and enriches your garden. This simple crop reminds us that small efforts can yield abundance—both on our plates and in our lives.
