Garlic

About Garlic

Garlic is planted as single cloves in fall, rests through winter, and is dug the next summer. Hardneck types send up edible curly scapes and like cold winters, while softneck types store longer and suit the South.

A perennial grown as a fall-planted annual crop; NC State lists it for zones 4-9 and UMN grows it in Minnesota. It needs weeks of winter cold to bulb well, so softneck types are more reliable where winters are mild.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

• Fall planting: 1 to 2 weeks after the first fall frost

Plant cloves pointed end up, 2 to 3 inches deep, 1 to 2 weeks AFTER the first killing frost (so the fall value is negative). Days to harvest count from fall planting, about eight months.

Soil

Loose, well-drained soil that holds moisture; mulch 3 to 4 inches deep after planting.

Loosen the soil, keep pH 6 to 7, and work in well-rotted manure or compost; follow a soil test, and without one use about 3 lb of balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 per 100 sq ft before fall planting.

Feeding

• spring, as soon as shoots come up (by about mid-April): nitrogen fertilizer such as 21-0-0. Spread about 1/2 lb per 100 sq ft beside the rows and water it in.
• 2 to 3 weeks after the first spring feeding, no later than early May: nitrogen fertilizer such as 21-0-0. Use a smaller amount, about 1/4 lb per 100 sq ft, beside the rows and water it in.

Stop adding nitrogen by early May (early April in the South), or bulbs form late; if soil tests high in phosphorus, use a low- or no-phosphorus fertilizer.

Harvest

Dig when the lower leaves have browned but about half the upper leaves are still green, usually late June to late July. Cure 3 to 4 weeks in a warm, dry, airy place. Stop watering 2 weeks before harvest.

Bulbs are dug once, between late June and late July, and you replant the biggest cloves in fall for next year's crop. Curly scapes can be snapped off and eaten in early summer.

Varieties (29)

Pests to watch for

Onion maggot, Thrips, Cutworms, Wireworms, Eriophyid mites (rust, bud, blister and gall mites), Allium leafminer

Diseases and problems

Botrytis, Pink root, Purple blotch, Aster yellows, Neck rot

In the kitchen

Used raw or cooked to flavor nearly every cuisine; hardneck scapes are good sauteed or in pesto.

Keeping it: Keep cured bulbs whole and dry in a cool, airy spot, not the fridge; whole heads keep for months (softnecks longest), but once you break a head, use the cloves within about 10 days.

Safety: Garlic supplements may raise bleeding risk, so tell your doctor if you take blood thinners or aspirin or are having surgery. Fresh raw garlic on the skin can cause severe irritation and chemical burns, and amounts above normal food use may not be safe in pregnancy or breastfeeding (NCCIH).

Pets: Toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA): contains N-propyl disulfide, which damages red blood cells and can cause vomiting, anemia, weakness and a fast heart rate.