Top Eight Tips for Terrific Garlic
1) Start with big healthy garlic cloves to plant.
2) Select the right garlic variety for your climate. you may need to experiment to see which varieties work bast for you.
3) Prepare a good planting bed for garlic cloves; soil should be loose and well draining. Garlic hates wet roots and will have small or rotten bulbs if soil is too wet.
4) Add lots of organic matter; garlic likes lots of nitrogen.
5) Plant garlic cloves late in the fall for the biggest bulbs.
6) Keep garlic well weeded.
7) Harvest at the right time; when plants have 3-4 dried bottom leaves and the top leaves are still green.
8) Cure (dry) garlic bulbs carefully to make the garlic last all winter long.
For more detailed information see How to Grow Organic Garlic, Southern Garlic Growers Guide, How to Grow Really Big Garlic, Frequently Asked Questions, or First Time Garlic Grower's Guide.
Picture: Three savory Phillip garlic bulbs hide near fall leaves.
When to plant garlic
Warmer climates should plant garlic later in October. Studies show that planting later in the fall results in bigger bulbs.
| Climate Zone | Earliest Planting Date | Latest Planting Date |
|---|---|---|
| 0-3 | Late August to early September | Late September |
| 3-5 | Mid to late September | Early to mid October |
| 5-7 | Early to mid October | Late October |
| 7-9 | Late October | November |
| 9-10 | Late October | December |