Grow Organic Garlic the Easy Way

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I use garlic in most dishes, not desserts of course. That means I use a lot of it. Luckily organic garlic is very easy to grow and doesn’t take up a huge amount of space either. It has the added advantage of being a great insect and eelworm repellent in the garden. And, because of this, garlic has a firm place in organic gardens and permaculture systems.

What You’ll Learn

Which type to choose.
How to plant organic garlic.
When to plant garlic cloves
Care and maintenance of organic garlic.
When to harvest your garlic.
How to harvest your garlic.
Curing and drying garlic.
Storing organic garlic.

How to Grow Organic Garlic

1. Which type to choose.

There are two types of garlic, hard neck and soft neck, and as the name implies, the stalk part is either hard or soft. They are perennial plants, but most people grow them as annuals.

Hard neck varieties send out a long, twisting stalk that, if left and not cut for eating, will eventually develop clusters of small bulbs at the end. These bulbs can be taken off and planted (they take longer than cloves to mature), or eaten.

Hard neck garlic bulbs on stalk. — Hard neck garlic creates small bulbs at the end of the stalk.

The soft neck varieties can be plaited and hung up to dry, like you see in cutesy photos of Italian or Spanish market stalls.

Plaited soft neck garlic — Soft neck garlic can be plaited and hung up to dry.

In cold climates, the hard neck garlic is better suited to the cold than the soft neck garlic.

2. How to plant organic garlic.

Don’t bother with seed, unless there is a specific variety that you can’t get in organic clove form for planting. Plants raised from seed will take two years, while plants grown from the cloves will sprout very quickly and provide some green leaves for harvesting by spring.

Push the cloves into the soil, or make a trough and put them in, with the pointy side up. Bury them up to 5cm (2 inches) deep and 15cm (6 inches) apart.

3. When to plant garlic cloves.

I start planting in autumn as the colder weather arrives and carry on into January. The South of France has a unique climate, which is warmer than the interior. This gives me a much longer time frame in which to plant blocks of garlic and to put some cloves in where the tomatoes will be planted later. Garlic is a great insect repellent.

4. Care and maintenance of organic garlic.

As your garlic starts to emerge, water once or twice a week if the weather is dry. As the plants grow larger, only water when the soil feels dry to the touch. If you are in a winter rainfall area, then nature will water them for you.

For the rest, garlic looks after itself.

When hard neck garlic sends out its long twirly stems, cut them off close to the last set of leaves, and eat them. This will not harm the plant at all and will in fact send all the energy back into making garlic cloves instead of garlic flowers and bulblets.

Cut the stems off and steam them as a vegetable.

5. When to harvest your garlic.

For soft neck garlic, the leaves will start to go yellow and flop over. For hard neck garlic, wait until at least half of the leaves on the stalk have died down.

Dig carefully around two or three stems and check the size of the bulb. It’s difficult to see what’s happening underground and the leaves dying off are only an indication.

If the bulb is still smooth without definition, wait a couple of days before checking again. If the cloves are noticeable, then it’s time.

6. How to harvest your garlic.

Push a garden fork in quite close to the plants and lift them up. Be careful not to stab the fork into the bulbs. Shake the soil from the roots, but don’t worry too much about clearing them completely. The soil will drop off as it dries.

Keep the leaves attached to the bulbs and keep the skin intact.

Use any bulbs that have been damaged right away, or chop them up and freeze them.

7. Curing and drying garlic.

It’s very important not to wash the garlic bulbs intended for long term storage. The bulbs need to be dried so that they will last for a long time.

The soft neck garlic leaves can be plaited together and hung up to dry.

Soft neck garlic leaves can be plaited and hung up to dry.

Place the bulbs in a sheltered, well-ventilated area out of the sun and leave for 2 to 3 weeks to cure. When the skin is dry and papery and the roots are dry and hard, then the bulbs are ready for storage.

The flavour will intensify as the garlic dries.

8. Storing organic garlic.

Put your garlic into net bags and store in a cool, dark, dry place. A garage is a good spot.

Store organic garlic in net bags. — Store garlic in net bags.

If garlic is stored properly, it will last for months.

Some Final Notes

Garlic tends to sprout in cold weather or when it’s kept in the fridge. When using your garlic in the kitchen, keep it in a pottery container with holes in the side for good air circulation. The veggie basket is also a good option.

Once a bulb has been broken open, it should be used up within a few days for maximum freshness and flavour.

Garlic is a fantastic companion to tomatoes and protects them from many pests and diseases.

Growing your own garlic is very gratifying. I hope you have good results by following these guidelines. See you in the garden!

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