Break garlic heads apart and plant individual cloves
Growing Garlic – Plant it and Forget It!
If you want a crop that you can plant over the winter time and forget about til spring, garlic is the crop for you! In my opinion, garlic is just about the easiest thing you can grow in your garden.
A cold weather lover, garlic can be planted a few weeks before the first frost date in the fall/winter. Throw a layer of leaves or straw over it and it’s ready to harvest about 6 months after planting. Seriously, folks, that’s it.
Garlic shoots emerging through soil
In a cold winter climate, it will go dormant in the cold weather. When spring comes, you’ll see signs of life as green shoots make their way though the soil. If you live in a warm winter climate, like I do, you will see green shoots about 2 weeks after planting, and it will grow all winter long. Garlic grows a new head from each clove that you plant and will be ready to harvest in about 6 months. Individual garlic cloves can be planted from organic garlic heads that you can buy at any grocery store – couldn’t be simpler!
If you’ve never had homegrown garlic, boy, oh boy, are you in for a treat. It’s so much more aromatic, and flavorful than store bought. I love the nutty flavor of roasted garlic, the garlicky taste of homemade garden fresh tomato marinara sauce with garlic. How about garden fresh veggies with garlic grilled to perfection? My mouth is literally watering as I write this!
Garlic is well suited to growing in a container on a deck or patio, so if space is your issue, it’s the crop for you! Watch my YouTube video “Growing Garlic in Containers” for the step by step instructions..
Are you growing garlic? What is your favorite garlic recipe? Comment below – I’d love to hear from you!
See you in the garden,
CaliKim
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I have planted garlic in my raised bed for the first time. I live in Minnesota and have a heavy plastic over one section where my garlic is planted. Should I remove the plastic for the Winter or leave it with the garlic rather than use a mulch cover? I have carrots also under the cover and are coming along well. I don’t know if they will make it through the winter or not. Just a test this first year.
Hi Audrey, It’s always fun to experiment in the garden – sounds like you have a mini hoop house going there – nice job! Carrots should do fine under the plastic. Since I do live in a warm winter climate, I’m no expert on overwintering, but my initial response is to uncover the garlic, and put some mulch on them, as they actually do like the colder temps to develop the largest heads. Again, experiment to see what works best for you. Thanks so much for stopping by!
I’m doing the same experiment myself for garlic, carrots and ginger in Minnesota! I’m hopeful of great results!
Hello Krystal – apologies for missing your comment in the Christmas rush. Garlic is so easy to grow – homegrown is so tasty! Let me know how it goes with your garlic there in Minnesota! Thanks for stopping by!
Just got planted some more today!! My first batch was a month ago. Does any growth come up at first or no growth until spring?? I am in zone 9. Also, How often do you have to water??
My favorite recipe with garlic is ratatouille!!! Yours???????
Hi Kristy! Mine took about 2 weeks to sprout here in So Cal, pretty sure it’s about the same weather as you have there in Florida. I check mine a few times a week to see if the soil is dry, then water. It all depends on how much rain we have (not much lately). As we get into spring, I’ll cover more about watering needs. You’ll want to back off on watering closer to harvest. Stay tuned, I’ve got you covered here!
Hi CaliKim, I just found your YouTube channel and really enjoyed your videos. I’m a new subscriber .
Hello Tom, thanks for subbing and visiting me here on my blog as well! Glad you are enjoying my videos – what are you growing in your garden?
Hi CaliKim, I’m right there with you. Garlic planted today, the weather is getting cooler in the UK now and frosts are not too far away. This is a first for me, but looking forward to reaping the rewards soon enough. Thanks as always for you great guides 🙂
Paul, I bet you feel great that you got some planted, always a good feeling! iT will be fun to see it come up in the spring, (maybe even before!) and harvest later on. Glad you are enjoying the garden ideas here, thanks for your support!
This is a great article. I have picked up some garlic and some elephant garlic to plant out this was a great article just in time for me! 🙂 Thank you Kim! I will try to make a video of it and post it when I plant it out 🙂
Homegrown garlic is the best – we love it – so flavorful! Let me know how it goes and Happy Gardening!
I just saw this video. I have an enclosed porch, with many windows. It is cold out on this porch. Do you think I could start some garlic in a pot in my house, then set it out in the enclosed porch for the rest of the winter? We keep our home around 68 degrees.
Hello Jenny, thanks for watching the video on growing garlic. Yes, I think this would work beautifully. Starting it indoors would get it going just a bit before you put it out in the cold. Depending on how cold your porch is, to save yourself a step, you could just start it right on your porch in a container. I love to experiment, so I’d probably try both and see what works best! Keep me posted!
HI Kim! As always Thank You for sharing your knowledge. I live in the northeast and tryied growing garlic for the first time in containers last Fall but it didn’t do well. I think it may have been of the soft neck variety as opposed to hard neck. Again, Thank You and I think I’ll try again early next Spring
Hi, Rick!
Love that you arent giving up on garlic! =) Keep me updated on how it goes for you next season!
I ‘m trying to get a fall/winter garden started I have purchased you seed collection for the fall garden, and I am so excited. I am fairly new to gardening. I have kept a very small patio container garden for a few years, but want to add to that project and expand to my vacant lot next to my house, my lot has a small storage shed and about three tree, and one is a pear tree. My pear tree needs some TLC, and a lot of cleaning up, however that lot will give me about 300 sq feet of garden space. My husband and I have been collecting wooden pallets to build a fence and planter boxes, as well as some garden furniture, and maybe and new patio, because my container garden has taken over my current patio, and I may waiting for my new seed that I have order form you. I am excited.
Hi Lora, I am super excited that you picked up a fall seed collection and are getting started – you’ll love growing your own food and all the benefits that come along with it! You don’t need much space to grow your own food. Watch out, soon you’ll be hooked and will want to turn every bit of space into a garden Let me know how you enjoy your fresh veggies. Thanks for stopping by!
I tried container garlic last year but had the container under an overhang of a window. The garlic sprouted that fall but when I went to check in spring there was nothing. Could it be because of the overhang and no snow got to it?
I planted garlic in a container last year and placed it under an overhang so it didn’t get any snow. Could this be why it didn’t take? Should I place it somewhere on the deck where the snow will touch it?