Time to Plant your Hardneck Garlic

Okay, so maybe it is just easier to buy the garlic instead of growing it. But then you will miss out on all the fun of selecting and growing different varieties. Garlic is easy to grow. No, not all garlic tastes the same. No, Elephant Garlic is not garlic. It is more closely related to the leek.

What you buy in the grocery store is typically grown in California (or China) and is what we call softneck garlic. This is the garlic you purchase in braids. You know what those are. They are chains of garlic that you hang in your kitchen for decoration (but probably never use for culinary purposes!). You can store softneck garlic for about 6 to 8 months. Generally, you can tell whether the garlic in your grocery store is from California or China by looking at the bottom of the bulb. California garlic has the bottom, where the roots are, pushed out. Garlic from China has the bottom pushed in. Or, if you prefer a belly-button analogy, outies (USA) or innies (China). 

Hardneck Garlic. In our metro area, you can plant hardneck varieties right now and for the next two to four weeks, depending on when the ground starts to freeze. Hardneck varieties do not store as well as softneck varieties, but almost all will store for at least 4 to 5 months. 

Some hardneck varieties that do well in Minnesota include Chesnok Red, Music, Georgian Crystal, Krasnador Red, and Georgia Fire. I grow six varieties, including Music, Sicilian, Georgian Crystal, German-X Hardy, Armenian, and Krasnador Red. Each matures at different times (between July-August). 

Where to buy it. You can purchase garlic from many different seed catalogs and at some farmer’s markets (make sure the varieties are identified so you know what you are buying). Garlic is sold by the bulb and by the pound. 

Taste. Garlic varieties range from mild, to medium, to rip your lips off, when you eat it raw. Cooking takes out the hot or spicy taste. So if you use garlic for cooking, don’t be concerned about whether it is very mild or hot. 

Planting. Garlic, like onions, is a heavy feeder which means it requires higher amounts of nitrogen. Your soil should be loose and well drained. Adding organic material would be great. Split the bulb into its separate cloves. The larger cloves will produce larger bulbs. Plant the base of the clove 2 to 3 inches below the surface of the soil, pointy-end up towards the surface. This year I will be planting my cloves 3 inches below and 5 inches below the soil surface. I want to see if there is a difference in the size and quality of the bulbs. Space the cloves 6 to 8 inches apart in the row and 6 to 8 inches between rows. 

Care. When the ground freezes, cover your garlic with a thick layer of mulch, about 3-6 inches. Mulching minimizes soil fluctuations and prevents soil heaving, which can cause the cloves to separate from the bulb as the soil thaws in the spring. You can use straw, marsh hay, or chopped up leaves and grass when you mow your lawn this fall. Garlic (like onions) needs to be weed-free. They do not like the competition. Depending on your soil, garlic needs about an inch of water a week. If we have another very hot, dry summer next year, you may need to water more often and/or more deeply. 

When to harvest. Depending on the variety you decide to grow, you can expect to harvest garlic from about the middle of July through the first or second week of August. You will know when to harvest because half of the leaves will turn brown. If you wait until all the leaves turn brown, the cloves will separate from the bulb. This year, harvesting came a bit early because of our very mild spring. 

Hardneck varieties produce “scapes,” which you can harvest after the scapes begin to curl. Scapes are the flower stalk of the plant and have a milder flavor than the clove. You basically are getting a 2-fer with hardnecks—scapes and bulbs. You can chop and freeze the scapes for future use. If you allow the scapes to grow and get really curly, they will develop the flower-seed head. The result will be smaller bulbs. 

Drying, cleaning, storage. Remove the bulbs, brush off any soil, and hang them up to dry in a well ventilated room (or garage). After 3 to 4 weeks, cut the tops off to about one inch above the bulb, trim the roots, and enjoy the garlic that you grew for the next several months. You can store it in your kitchen or a well-ventilated room. You can eat the garlic as soon as you dig it out of the soil, but if you want to store it for any length of time it is better to dry it. 

Caution! Do not store garlic in oil! Garlic has low acidity and storing it in oil could result in botulism, which is rather nasty. Better to store the peeled garlic cloves in vinegar, or as I mentioned above, store the entire bulb in a basket or ventilated container in your kitchen. Do not store garlic in your refrigerator. Temperatures below 40 degrees will cause the garlic to sprout. 

If you do not want to plant the hardneck varieties now, for whatever reason, consider planting the softneck varieties this spring, as soon as you can work the soil. Planting these varieties in the spring will allow you to grow and harvest in one season. Planting and caring is the same as for the hardneck varieties. Again, when the half of the leaves have turn brown it is time to harvest. Softneck varieties do not produce scapes. Some varieties that seem to do well in Minnesota include Inchillium Red, Chet’s Italian Red, and Lorz Italian. 

So get out there! Garlic is fun and easy to grow. You can plant about two dozen cloves in a three foot area. It sprouts out of the ground very early in the spring and is generally maintenance free. And you can impress your friends and neighbors. What! You grow garlic? Yep. I did it all by my little lonesome. 

Got questions? I will be happy to respond.