Growing your own garlic gives you the chance to try fun and unique garlic varieties you won’t find at the grocery store!

Plant your garlic in the fall then harvest it in the summer

Great Garlic Varieties to Try!

Inchelium Red- From Inchelium Washington this softneck garlic has a mild flavor, stores well and is prolific

Chesnok Red- Hot garlicky flavor when raw and a sweeter, creamier garlic flavor when cooked. Striped purple cloves.

Ivan- Hardneck garlic with extra large cloves. Rich, robust, hot garlicky flavor when raw and sweeter when cooked or roasted. One of the longest lasting hardnecks for storing.

Messidor- Softneck garlic with smooth and mellow garlic flavor that sweetens when roasted. Above average size cloves.

California- one of the most widely grown varieties of garlic. Good producer, classic garlic flavor, softneck variety, great storage life

Elephant- Looks and tastes like garlic but is actually in the leek family. Produces massive cloves. Mild and sweeter than regular garlic with a hint of onion flavor

How to Grow Garlic

Planting

Garlic likes full sun and good drainage. For best results amend your soil with lime and a good fertilizer like fish or bone meal (Make sure to amend your soil several inches below where the garlic clove will sit). Separate your garlic cloves and plant 6-8″ apart and 3-4″ deep. (Make sure the pointier side of the garlic clove is facing upwards). Lightly mulch to reduce weeds.

Fertilizing & Care

In early spring fertilize with a nitrogen rich fertilizer (blood meal or pelletized chicken manure are good options). Weed the area regularly, garlic doesn’t like competition, and fertilize again in early May. Most years you won’t need to water your garlic but if we have an especially dry May or June you may need to water it every 1-2 weeks. (If you are doing any watering you want to stop about 2 weeks before harvest)

If growing hardneck garlic remove the scapes (they’re edible!) in late May or early June to increase your bulb size (Softneck garlic doesn’t produce scapes). Start checking your garlic in late June for maturity by digging one up and cutting it crosswise. If the cloves are plump and well formed they’re ready to harvest. Sometimes the garlic leaves will still be green when the garlic is mature so start checking before they die back (If you leave the bulbs too long they may split and reduce your storage life and if you want to braid your garlic to store it you want to harvest it when the leaves are still green)

Harvesting & Storage

Carefully dig out your garlic bulbs and dry them in a shady, warm and well ventilated space for several weeks. Avoid curing your garlic in direct sunlight or it can cause the papery skin to adhere and make peeling difficult. If braiding your garlic leave the tops on otherwise clean away dirt and remove tops and roots. (Be gentle, bruised garlic won’t store well.) Store your garlic in a dark, well ventilated space. Hardneck garlic generally stores for up to 6 months, Softneck garlic for up to 12 months.