GARLIC PLANTING: THE COMPLETE GUIDE

IT’S TIME TO PLANT YOUR GARLIC! 

It’s not too late so don’t let another year pass by - this is your year to grow your own garlic….I’m giving you the details but if nothing else just go outside & put some garlic in the ground (source seed garlic from a reliable supplier - skip to bottom of page) 

So this is my second year planting garlic (Thanks to my friend Barbara for inspiring me) and I can’t believe how easy it is. I really wish I had known this before because you’ll never buy garlic again and I’m going to show you why….

For those that want to give it a try here’s my 10 steps for planting garlic - feel free to comment or give your own experience since I’m always open to improvements. 

1. Purchase organic garlic - the first year I ordered from Johnny’s selected seeds - German extra hardy & German red (total initial cost $18); this year I planted 6 of my home grown extra large bulbs (see numbers below) & I also purchased some new exciting heirloom varieties online from a few local Michigan companies (MIgardener & Great Lakes Garlic Farm) - I love supporting local farmers (see contact info below)!!
2. Pre-planting storage: store your bulbs at 50-60 degrees with good airflow - I keep mine in their mesh bags and put them into my wine cooler (54 degrees) until I’m ready to plant. 
3. Soil prep: Garlic does best in neutral pH soil with added nitrogen. 
1. TIP: If you’re planting late fall (after the first frost) you can amend the first few inches of soil by mixing in pelletized sulfur granules which will create a more acid soil for the winter helping to prevent root rot from bacterial/fungal disease (MiGardener pro tip)
4. OCTOBER: Plant your garlic (ideally you want to plant 30 days before your first frost…some say around Halloween 🎃 while other resources say mid October for lower Michigan) - I planted mine October 20th - you basically want the roots to establish before the snow starts
1. Don’t separate the bulbs into individual cloves for planting until the day of planting
2. Plant the largest cloves free of blemishes (rule of thumb: eat the small, plant the larger)
3. Plant garlic with 3-4 inch spacing & 2 inches deep
4. Plant with the root plate oriented down and pointy side up
5. Cover with 2-3 inches of mulch
5. Then basically do nothing all year (except keep your chickens out of your garlic field) 😜
6. JUNE: Harvest garlic scapes (hard neck varieties) when it has completed a full curl and sautéed and served as a side dish or used to make pesto or diced and used fresh in eggs or cheese. The scales are picked to encourage larger bulbs (like most plants when you pick the flower (scape) you encourage more root growth (the garlic bulb) 
7. JULY: When 1/3 of the lower stem is brown you can harvest your garlic - the leaves represent the wrappers on the bulb, so watch and harvest when there are 3-5 green leaves left). Do not pull garlic out of the soil instead lift  using a spade or fork (you don’t want to damage the protective wrappers around the bulbs because this is what gives you a longer shelf life) PS - Don’t wash or disturb the bulbs at this point. It’s much easier to brush them off once they are completely dry
8. Dry/cure your garlic - let it hang to dry in bundles or lay it out on a shelf (not outside in the rain…I learned that the hard way but my garlic still did awesome) but in a shaded dry room with good ventilation & out of direct sunlight (i.e. garage, basement, barn, etc) for 3-4 weeks
9. Once cured you can trim garlic: use scissors to clip the roots to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, clip the neck to about 2 to 3 inches long and remove any loose and dirty wrappers. Brush off dirt from garlic and store in mesh bags or paper bags
10. Keep the best & largest looking bulbs to plant for next October; Repeat and enjoy home-grown delicious garlic nearly all year around. Storage life 6-9 months.

2019 Garlic Season - I harvested 40 garlic bulbs in July (spent $18 on seed garlic so ~ original cost is $0.45/bulb) - I would sell these but I want to plant more so I kept 6 of my largest bulbs….which turned into 65 garlic cloves from next season (you do the math…I still have 34 bulbs left for winter cooking PLUS I’ve increased my harvest for next year without spending any additional money) 

2020 Garlic Season - I have planted the following and can’t wait to see what we get…

• 43 Northern Jewel Organic Garlic (Hard neck)- Michigan Heirloom garlic (from Great Lakes Garlic Farm). Fun fact: Donna and Les Abel of Michigan Garlic Farm, in Pinckney, Michigan (45 minutes from my house) propagated a variety of garlic in the 90’s with a purple stripe they've named "Northern Jewel."  This garlic is longer storing than most hard necks. It’s hot when eaten raw but sweetens with cooking.  
• 57 Chesnok Red Organic Garlic (Hard neck) – Heirloom: Very cold hardy. Each plant produces 9-10 medium sized cloves per bulb. My favorite because of it’s purple stripe color. Great for eating raw (mild flavor with a nutty aroma) as well as for sautéing, and roasting. 
• 65 Chubb E. Acres Homegrown (mix of German Extra Hardy & German Red Organic Hard neck Garlic) - Very easy to grow, extremely cold hardy, and very consistent large size (German Extra Hardy 4-7 cloves/bulb and German Red 8-9 cloves/bulb). Flavor is rich and spicy garlic flavor, high in allison content which makes this a very popular cooking garlic.

SUPPLIES FOR GARLIC PLANTING/STORAGE:

Garden label tags that actually last the season when you write on them

Garden pruners

Garlic mesh bags

WEBSITES FOR ORDERING GARLIC:

• https://migardener.com/search/?sq=garlic
• Luke Marion, founder of MIgardener, started his journey in 2011 and joined by his wife Sindy they have grown their organic garden into a large business with a huge following (their slogan “Grow Big or Go Home”). I’ll admit I’m addicted to his YouTube channel esp. because his videos are short but very informative, seasonal and timely as they match closely to our growing conditions here in Northville, Michigan.  
• https://www.greatlakesgarlicfarm.com/collections/all
• The Gregory family started their organic garlic farm in Buckley, MI in 2016 with 3 generations of farming before them they are committed to providing sustainable goring practices, free of chemical pesticides and fertilizers 
• https://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/garlic/
• Owned by Jere Gettle (and wife Emilee) and based in Missouri this company is now the largest selection of heirloom varieties in the USA. Be careful, you can get a little carried away storing seed packets in your cart…speaking from experience…but I like what Jere and Emilee are doing so I am happy to support them. They have been working extensively to supply free seeds to many of the world’s poorest countries, as well as here at home in school gardens and other educational projects. It is their goal to educate everyone about a better, safer food supply and fight gene-altered frankenfood and the companies that support it. 
• https://www.johnnyseeds.com/search/?q=garlic&lang=en_US
• Well known large organic seed/bulb distributor - large variety with great resources