How To Grow Garlic In 3 Simple Steps

A little prep work—and planting at the right time—will yield loads of healthy, robust garlic cloves.

March 13, 2017

While you can plant garlic in spring as soon as the ground can be worked, fall is actually the best time to plant plump garlic cloves in your garden. Doing so allows them to put out a generous tuft of roots over the winter, and ensures maximum garlic harvests next summer. But you can't just plop them in the ground—follow these steps for a healthy garlic crop:



1. Soak The Cloves

soaking garlic

Break a garlic bulb apart into individual cloves, being careful to keep the papery skins covering each clove intact. Then fill a quart jar with water and mix in 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of liquid seaweed (available on or at your local garden store). Soak the garlic cloves in this mixture for 2 hours prior to planting to prevent fungal disease and encourage vigorous growth.

Related: The Best Way To Grow Garlic

2. Place In Furrows

planting garlic

In the meantime, prepare your bed for planting. Garlic grows best in rich, well-drained soil that is free of weeds. Dig a furrow about 3 inches deep. Place the presoaked garlic cloves into the furrow, spacing them 6 to 8 inches apart. Be sure the flat root end is down and the pointy end is up.

Related: Growing Garlic Greens Indoors

3. Cover

garlic shoots
