How To Grow Garlic

Garlic is an essential in the kitchen and a fuss-free option in the garden. Whether in a bed or pot, garlic grows quickly and produces a decent amount with little care involved. Plus, it's loaded with flavour and health benefits! Winter is the ideal time to start growing garlic. Start sowing now and enjoy your glorious home-grown garlic when summer rolls around.

Prep the area

Better quality soil will produce better tasting crops. If you’re planting into an existing garden bed, dig in some Living Earth Organic Compost. Then add a layer of Garden Mix on top. If possible, allow the soil the sit for a day or two before planting.

If planting into pots or containers, simply pour in the Garden Mix for a ready-to-use soil. Using good quality soil and compost in this step will reduce work down the track.

PLANT THE CLOVES

When choosing what garlic to plant, it’s often best to steer clear of the supermarket bulbs. It's likely these will have been treated to stop their ability to sprout. It’s always beneficial purchasing the bulbs from to your local garden centre instead.

Right before planting, break the bulb into individual cloves. Press the cloves into the soil, roughly a thumbs’ length (or 5cm) deep. Make sure the pointed end is up with the fat end planted down. The roots will grow from the bottom while the shoots spring up from the top.

The roots can spread quite far, so plant the cloves about a hands length (or 15cm) apart. If they are planted too close together, they will compete for nutrients and water.

Nurture their growth

Enriching your soil from the start will help reduce the work in this step.

Feeding the cloves fortnightly with fertilizer high in nitrogen, like Organic Liquid Compost fertiliser, will help replenish nutrients.

Water them occasionally to maintain soil that’s moist but not drenched. If flower spikes appear (they often resemble a little elf hat) simply remove them to allow your cloves grow to their full size.

Don’t forget to protect your garlic! Keep it weed-free and weather-resistant by adding some organic Pea Straw Mulch. For more info on how to apply it, read our Top 10 Do's and Don'ts of Mulching.

Enjoy your home-grown Garlic

When the sprouts start dying off in the summer months, it’s time to harvest. Use a fork to loosen the soil and gently dig the cloves from below. Over the next week leave or hang the bulbs in a dry, cool place. Once they are dry, your bulbs are ready to enjoy! Place them in string bag and store in a dry spot away from direct sunlight.