If you’re a home cook you likely start many dishes by throwing chopped garlic and onions into a pan with olive oil. It’s the foundation of many, many meals! Plan ahead and you can have your own year round supply of organic garlic with little effort.
Lots of people ask me about my favorite vegetable to grow in my garden. Although it’s difficult to narrow it down to just one, garlic is definitely up there! I plant between 220 bulbs every fall and harvest them in July.
My garlic stores in my basement for the whole year, so I never buy garlic from the grocery store and haven’t for many years.
If you live in a colder climate like mine in Wisconsin (zone 5a/b), you should plant your garlic during the last two weeks of October. I wait until I get a hard frost in my garden so I can clean out some garden beds to make room for garlic planting.
(If you live in a warmer climate, read this and this for tips about growing garlic in your region.)
To get you excited about growing garlic I’m sharing the reasons why I love it so much…and think you should, too!
6 REASONS YOU SHOULD PLANT GARLIC
It’s super low maintenance. Once you plant and mulch your garlic there’s very little to do until the harvest the following summer. Just keep it weeded (which is easy to do if you mulch it heavily) and watered if it gets dry.
It survives the winter. Where I live in WI we can get lows down to -40 degrees F in winter. (I know, I ask myself why I live here every January and February!) There aren’t a whole lot of vegetables that can take that brutal weather. But, garlic survives and thrives.
No pests and diseases. In my garden, garlic has always been pest and disease free. There are a few that exist, but they’re not very common in the home garden.
It doesn’t take up much space. You can plant garlic 6” apart on all sides. That means you can fit a lot of garlic in a garden bed. My 220 cloves take up about two garden beds. Not a bad payback for so little space!
It stores for a long time. If you grow the right types you can store your garlic fresh in your basement or other cool area for up to a year. It’s so fun to use your own garlic in the kitchen all winter long! (See how I harvest and store my garlic here.)
It’s fun! Anything that’s easy to grow and requires little work from me is a fun vegetable to grow in my book. Garlic pokes up through the mulch soon after the ground thaws and adds a little greenery to the early season garden.
Some types produce a crazy looking scape in late spring from which you can make pesto, and hauling in a load of garlic in the mid-summer kicks of the harvest season with a bang.
.
Have I convinced you yet? If so, I walk you through the entire process of planting, growing, harvesting and curing your garlic (with full color photos!) in my eBook, The Essential Guide to Growing Garlic. It’s on sale for only $5 since we’re heading into garlic season! Read about it here.
SHARE IT ON PINTEREST
","discussion":{"numPages":1,"provider":"Blogspot","confidence":0.15,"diffbotUri":"discussion|3|884644132","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","numPosts":34,"type":"discussion","title":"Why You Should Plant Garlic this Fall","posts":[{"date":"Tue, 06 Sep 2016 16:51:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Lisa","diffbotUri":"post|3|-1387468278","html":"Just a question, I planted garlic this year in a pot, it is doing well, but isn’t ready, I didn’t realize it took so long so I am wondering, do I leave the pot outside during the winter? Or bring it in?
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":0,"text":"Just a question, I planted garlic this year in a pot, it is doing well, but isn’t ready, I didn’t realize it took so long so I am wondering, do I leave the pot outside during the winter? Or bring it in?","type":"post"},{"date":"Wed, 07 Sep 2016 14:35:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|188925268","html":"Hi Lisa- Where do you live? Usually it’s planted in the fall and harvested the next summer after it gets a nice, cold winter. You could dig one up and see what it looks like. If it hasn’t formed a bulb yet I’d leave it out for the winter.
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":1,"text":"Hi Lisa- Where do you live? Usually it’s planted in the fall and harvested the next summer after it gets a nice, cold winter. You could dig one up and see what it looks like. If it hasn’t formed a bulb yet I’d leave it out for the winter.","type":"post","parentId":0},{"date":"Thu, 08 Sep 2016 15:18:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Marianne","diffbotUri":"post|3|-46331834","html":"Hi! Does it grow in pots well? I have a balcony with shade in the morning and full sunnin the afternoon/evening.
Thanks!
Thanks!","type":"post"},{"date":"Mon, 12 Sep 2016 15:48:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|35487787","html":"
Hi Marianne – You can grow garlic in pots. They key will be to make sure you have enough fertility. Pots usually need to be amended every 2 weeks or so because the nutrients leach out due to all of the watering. Here’s an article with tips on growing it in containers: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-plant-garlic-in-contain-158494
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":3,"text":"Hi Marianne – You can grow garlic in pots. They key will be to make sure you have enough fertility. Pots usually need to be amended every 2 weeks or so because the nutrients leach out due to all of the watering. Here’s an article with tips on growing it in containers: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-plant-garlic-in-contain-158494","type":"post","parentId":2},{"date":"Sun, 11 Sep 2016 10:43:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Ana Cotto","diffbotUri":"post|3|1705962651","html":"Thanks for the tip about garlic planting. Though I live in Puerto Rico, is it possible to grow garlic in our weather? What’s the highest you’ve had in the fall when you plant them?
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":4,"text":"Thanks for the tip about garlic planting. Though I live in Puerto Rico, is it possible to grow garlic in our weather? What’s the highest you’ve had in the fall when you plant them?","type":"post"},{"date":"Mon, 12 Sep 2016 15:46:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|-3145434","html":"Hi Ana- You can grow garlic in warmer climates, but you need to make sure you’re selecting the right varieties. Here are two articles with more info: https://www.mmmgarlic.com/growing-garlic-3/growing-garlic-warm-climates/ and http://greyduckgarlic.com/Southern_Garlic_Grower_Guide.html Good luck and keep me posted!
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":5,"text":"Hi Ana- You can grow garlic in warmer climates, but you need to make sure you’re selecting the right varieties. Here are two articles with more info: https://www.mmmgarlic.com/growing-garlic-3/growing-garlic-warm-climates/ and http://greyduckgarlic.com/Southern_Garlic_Grower_Guide.html Good luck and keep me posted!","type":"post","parentId":4},{"date":"Tue, 13 Sep 2016 20:39:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Aubree","diffbotUri":"post|3|-1592473314","html":"I just moved to work and I’m wondering if there are any plants I can plant now
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":6,"text":"I just moved to work and I’m wondering if there are any plants I can plant now","type":"post"},{"date":"Wed, 14 Sep 2016 17:39:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|-465680774","html":"Hi Aubree- It depends where you live. I live in Wisconsin, zone 5a/b. I just planted the last of my vegetables for the year – arugula, spinach and cilantro. I also plant garlic in October. If you live in a warmer climate it’s likely you can plant more than that.
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":7,"text":"Hi Aubree- It depends where you live. I live in Wisconsin, zone 5a/b. I just planted the last of my vegetables for the year – arugula, spinach and cilantro. I also plant garlic in October. If you live in a warmer climate it’s likely you can plant more than that.","type":"post","parentId":6},{"date":"Wed, 19 Oct 2016 00:30:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Regina","diffbotUri":"post|3|753307334","html":"Hi Megancain,
I also live in Wisconisn. Are you saying we can plant garlic and leave it out in our kind of weather? Should I plant some now. I live in Milwaukee. I use garlic all the time.
I also live in Wisconisn. Are you saying we can plant garlic and leave it out in our kind of weather? Should I plant some now. I live in Milwaukee. I use garlic all the time.","type":"post","parentId":7},{"date":"Wed, 19 Oct 2016 14:10:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|-227936548","html":"
Hi Regina- Yes! Garlic is awesome because it survives the winter in WI. Just make sure to mulch it thickly with leaves, hay or straw to protect it from the freeze and thaw we get here. I’ll be planting mine in the next few weeks! I haven’t gotten a frost yet, so I’m waiting to clear out space until then.
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":9,"text":"Hi Regina- Yes! Garlic is awesome because it survives the winter in WI. Just make sure to mulch it thickly with leaves, hay or straw to protect it from the freeze and thaw we get here. I’ll be planting mine in the next few weeks! I haven’t gotten a frost yet, so I’m waiting to clear out space until then.","type":"post","parentId":8},{"date":"Wed, 14 Sep 2016 01:17:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Michaela","diffbotUri":"post|3|-851209134","html":"I just moved to MO/KS and was wondering what type of garlic would you recommend planting?
Thank you!
Thank you!","type":"post"},{"date":"Wed, 14 Sep 2016 17:40:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|-764154984","html":"
Hi Michaela- I’ve gotten this question a lot and it’s more than a few line answer. I’ll be writing a blog post in the next 2 weeks addressing it. Keep your eyes peeled!
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":11,"text":"Hi Michaela- I’ve gotten this question a lot and it’s more than a few line answer. I’ll be writing a blog post in the next 2 weeks addressing it. Keep your eyes peeled!","type":"post","parentId":10},{"date":"Wed, 14 Sep 2016 15:55:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Katie","diffbotUri":"post|3|-679670121","html":"What variety of garlic do you suggest I plant. I live in Southwest Michigan so it’ll get pretty cold here through the winter as well. Thank you!
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":12,"text":"What variety of garlic do you suggest I plant. I live in Southwest Michigan so it’ll get pretty cold here through the winter as well. Thank you!","type":"post"},{"date":"Wed, 14 Sep 2016 17:40:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|452830041","html":"Hi Katie- Great question! This has been a popular request so I’m going to write a blog post next week about it. It’s a longer answer than can fit in the comments. Stay tuned!
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":13,"text":"Hi Katie- Great question! This has been a popular request so I’m going to write a blog post next week about it. It’s a longer answer than can fit in the comments. Stay tuned!","type":"post","parentId":12},{"date":"Mon, 19 Sep 2016 11:15:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Daisy","diffbotUri":"post|3|1656191081","html":"I am super excited about growing garlic this winter with my eight (8) year old. I woke her up this morning with that news. She cannot wait!
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":14,"text":"I am super excited about growing garlic this winter with my eight (8) year old. I woke her up this morning with that news. She cannot wait!","type":"post"},{"date":"Mon, 19 Sep 2016 17:18:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|-171437018","html":"That’s SO cute! Thank you so much for sharing that with me this morning. It’s so fun to plant with kids because the cloves are a nice size for them to work with. Keep me posted on how it goes!
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":15,"text":"That’s SO cute! Thank you so much for sharing that with me this morning. It’s so fun to plant with kids because the cloves are a nice size for them to work with. Keep me posted on how it goes!","type":"post","parentId":14},{"date":"Wed, 21 Sep 2016 07:40:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Didi Pierce","diffbotUri":"post|3|-1314814273","html":"There are many squirrels living near my garden. What steps do you take to keep squirrels from digging up your garlic beds?
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":16,"text":"There are many squirrels living near my garden. What steps do you take to keep squirrels from digging up your garlic beds?","type":"post"},{"date":"Wed, 21 Sep 2016 17:29:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|385970717","html":"Hi Didi- Great question! I have squirrels as well and they sometimes both my flower bulbs, but have never dug up any garlic. Most animals don’t like it because it has such a potent smell and taste. If you want to be extra careful you could stake down some wire over the bed or use row cover to protect the newly planted beds.
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":17,"text":"Hi Didi- Great question! I have squirrels as well and they sometimes both my flower bulbs, but have never dug up any garlic. Most animals don’t like it because it has such a potent smell and taste. If you want to be extra careful you could stake down some wire over the bed or use row cover to protect the newly planted beds.","type":"post","parentId":16},{"date":"Sun, 09 Oct 2016 14:56:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Jan fisher","diffbotUri":"post|3|-342280893","html":"Pocket gophers do eat garlic! Guess we must have Italian ones here in NE WA!
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":18,"text":"Pocket gophers do eat garlic! Guess we must have Italian ones here in NE WA!","type":"post","parentId":17},{"date":"Mon, 10 Oct 2016 17:38:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|-1188411827","html":"Oh, no! Sorry to hear that. Usually alliums can escape the wrath of pests and animals because of their strong taste. You have some hardy gophers out there, Jan!
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":19,"text":"Oh, no! Sorry to hear that. Usually alliums can escape the wrath of pests and animals because of their strong taste. You have some hardy gophers out there, Jan!","type":"post","parentId":18},{"date":"Wed, 28 Sep 2016 16:11:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Catie","diffbotUri":"post|3|-1308449410","html":"We get a lot of snow, I was thinking of planting in a raised garden bed. If I mulch and quit watering when the snow comes will it survive?
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":20,"text":"We get a lot of snow, I was thinking of planting in a raised garden bed. If I mulch and quit watering when the snow comes will it survive?","type":"post"},{"date":"Wed, 28 Sep 2016 21:22:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|609562971","html":"Hi Catie- If you live in a cold climate like I do (Wisconsin) then you should not water your garlic after planting. It’s basically dormant until the spring, like a flower bulb. Mulch it thickly and it will survive the winter just fine. It gets down to -40 F here sometimes.
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":21,"text":"Hi Catie- If you live in a cold climate like I do (Wisconsin) then you should not water your garlic after planting. It’s basically dormant until the spring, like a flower bulb. Mulch it thickly and it will survive the winter just fine. It gets down to -40 F here sometimes.","type":"post","parentId":20},{"date":"Thu, 29 Sep 2016 13:55:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Susana","diffbotUri":"post|3|789514223","html":"I live in La Crete, Alberta Canada, and we get -30° Celsius weather during winter. Can I still plant garlic in fall or will it just freeze?
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":22,"text":"I live in La Crete, Alberta Canada, and we get -30° Celsius weather during winter. Can I still plant garlic in fall or will it just freeze?","type":"post"},{"date":"Fri, 30 Sep 2016 15:05:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|-108781567","html":"Susana – Yes! Garlic actually does better in colder climates. Think of it like a flower bulb – they easily survive cold temps in winter. I live in Wisconsin, which gets extremely cold, and my garlic does great every year. Definitely try it this fall!
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":23,"text":"Susana – Yes! Garlic actually does better in colder climates. Think of it like a flower bulb – they easily survive cold temps in winter. I live in Wisconsin, which gets extremely cold, and my garlic does great every year. Definitely try it this fall!","type":"post","parentId":22},{"date":"Wed, 12 Oct 2016 18:46:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Bethany M","diffbotUri":"post|3|1091754448","html":"Will garlic bring pests along? I have trouble with squirrels and mice on our property.
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":24,"text":"Will garlic bring pests along? I have trouble with squirrels and mice on our property.","type":"post"},{"date":"Thu, 13 Oct 2016 17:52:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|371544725","html":"Great question, Bethany. In general most pests don’t bother alliums (garlic, onions, leeks) because they have such a strong smell and taste. The squirrels and chipmunks in my garden tend to leave them alone. If you’re worried, you could cover the bed with some wire after planting to make sure the critters don’t dig them up.
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":25,"text":"Great question, Bethany. In general most pests don’t bother alliums (garlic, onions, leeks) because they have such a strong smell and taste. The squirrels and chipmunks in my garden tend to leave them alone. If you’re worried, you could cover the bed with some wire after planting to make sure the critters don’t dig them up.","type":"post","parentId":24},{"date":"Sat, 15 Oct 2016 11:00:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Mary C","diffbotUri":"post|3|1876345116","html":"Can I plant my garlic in my raised garden in NNY now? Will it survive the winter? Thanks
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":26,"text":"Can I plant my garlic in my raised garden in NNY now? Will it survive the winter? Thanks","type":"post"},{"date":"Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:26:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|-784869061","html":"Hi Mary- Great question! Yes, garlic can survive the winter in cold areas. Here in WI it goes down to -30-40 F in winter and my garlic does just fine. You can plant it now if you’d like, although I wait until the warm days are gone so it doesn’t sprout. I plant mine in early November. Good luck!
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":27,"text":"Hi Mary- Great question! Yes, garlic can survive the winter in cold areas. Here in WI it goes down to -30-40 F in winter and my garlic does just fine. You can plant it now if you’d like, although I wait until the warm days are gone so it doesn’t sprout. I plant mine in early November. Good luck!","type":"post","parentId":26},{"date":"Fri, 21 Oct 2016 17:06:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Lawanna Pond","diffbotUri":"post|3|1472386275","html":"Also, if you have garlic in your garden or back yard you will never have gophers or moles. I have a 100 x 75 ft. back yard and one garlic plant in the front corner and I have never had any rodents except once when my neighbor decided he didn’t like the plant and reached over the fence and pulled it up. It wasn’t long before I had a gopher and I put the garlic back and haven’t had one since. It always spreads into a bunch of stalks and I harvest some and give it to family members and use some and leave one piece in the ground and it still keeps working.
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":28,"text":"Also, if you have garlic in your garden or back yard you will never have gophers or moles. I have a 100 x 75 ft. back yard and one garlic plant in the front corner and I have never had any rodents except once when my neighbor decided he didn’t like the plant and reached over the fence and pulled it up. It wasn’t long before I had a gopher and I put the garlic back and haven’t had one since. It always spreads into a bunch of stalks and I harvest some and give it to family members and use some and leave one piece in the ground and it still keeps working.","type":"post"},{"date":"Tue, 25 Oct 2016 13:29:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|431457172","html":"That is one nice thing about alliums, Lawanna, animals don’t usually bother them because of their strong taste and smell. Gophers can be such a nuisance, so it’s great that you’ve found a way to keep them out of your yard. Thanks for sharing!
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":29,"text":"That is one nice thing about alliums, Lawanna, animals don’t usually bother them because of their strong taste and smell. Gophers can be such a nuisance, so it’s great that you’ve found a way to keep them out of your yard. Thanks for sharing!","type":"post","parentId":28},{"date":"Fri, 21 Oct 2016 23:25:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Domenic Don Durante","authorUrl":"http://Creative%20Vegetables","diffbotUri":"post|3|1095431118","html":"I plant garlic every year and it’s always grows well. At times you get small bulbs along with bigger ones I braid them and leave outside till the green is brown.I have tried Spanish,Italian and even from California corms and it seems always the same. I always remove the seed flower (drumstick in the middle) My grandmother used to remove them as the strength goes to the bulb not to seeds. We cut the flower on top and use it for soups and sauces. How deep do you plant your garlic? “Some say the white point should be visible” at ground level.I live in Toronto Canada and at times gets pretty cold
Don Durante.
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":30,"text":"I plant garlic every year and it’s always grows well. At times you get small bulbs along with bigger ones I braid them and leave outside till the green is brown.I have tried Spanish,Italian and even from California corms and it seems always the same. I always remove the seed flower (drumstick in the middle) My grandmother used to remove them as the strength goes to the bulb not to seeds. We cut the flower on top and use it for soups and sauces. How deep do you plant your garlic? “Some say the white point should be visible” at ground level.I live in Toronto Canada and at times gets pretty coldDon Durante.","type":"post"},{"date":"Tue, 25 Oct 2016 13:27:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|1238201524","html":"
Thanks for sharing your experience, Don. I plant my garlic about 6 inches deep and then cover it with a thick layer of mulch to protect it from the winter weather here in Wisconsin.
","pageUrl":"http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/","id":31,"text":"Thanks for sharing your experience, Don. I plant my garlic about 6 inches deep and then cover it with a thick layer of mulch to protect it from the winter weather here in Wisconsin.","type":"post","parentId":30},{"date":"Tue, 25 Oct 2016 03:32:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"Leslie","diffbotUri":"post|3|545320753","html":"HOw about Atlanta, Georgia?
I’m putting some garlic in just to see
What happens!
I’m putting some garlic in just to see
What happens!","type":"post"},{"date":"Tue, 25 Oct 2016 13:24:00 GMT","humanLanguage":"en","author":"MeganCain","diffbotUri":"post|3|-1035558147","html":"
Hi Leslie! Depending on what zone you’re in you will want to read the links for southern gardeners in the post above. If you have trouble growing bulbs like tulips and daffodils you’ll likely need to pre-chill your garlic before planting.
Original article and pictures take http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/plant-garlic/ site
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий