How to Plant Garlic

Garlic is one of the few crops that never fails me. I’ve grown it for several years and always end up with a great harvest. It’s a good thing, too, because we LOVE garlic. If you have a little patch of sunny garden, give it a try!
Garlic is easy to grow in a sunny patch of your garden. There are multiple varieties with different flavors to try!
Prepare your soil. I chose a spot in the backyard between the garden boxes and the birdbath, pulled all the weeds, and mixed in a healthy pile of compost.
Just like veggies, garlic needs to be spaced properly so it has room to grow. Hubby made me this plantermajigger from a piece of scrap wood and some dowels.
Just push into the soil and presto! Perfectly spaced planting holes, about three inches deep and three inches apart. If you don’t have a plantermajigger, poke holes in the soil with a pencil or stick.
You can use organic garlic from the farmers’ market, but don't use the kind at the grocery store. It’s usually sprayed with chemicals and stuff that keeps it from sprouting.Take off the outside “paper" so you can see the cloves.
Then pop the cloves off the base and get ready to plant. Note: don’t plant the tiniest cloves, like the one in the lower left corner. Tiny cloves make tiny crops! Save those for cooking.
You’ll push one clove into each of the little holes you made. Be sure you’re planting them right side up, like this. Spread soil over, pat down gently, and wait.
After a week or so, you’ll see them sprouting (*cough* among the weeds *cough*).
Now cover the entire area with straw. The straw insulates the ground, keeps the soil moist, and prevents the weeds from growing. The garlic will go right through the straw and the weeds won’t!
BrownThumbMama
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 12 comments
  • Sharonatkins Sharonatkins on May 15, 2015
    Your husband MUST patent this idea for a "Planter Thingamugig" and start production now. This is a true winner for you and your family.
  • Anna Anna on Jun 09, 2015
    After you get it patented, I'll be your first customer. And if you can clone the clever, handy hubby, I'll take one of those, too!
Next