Introduction

Brief overview of garlic cultivation

Growing garlic starts with selecting the right garlic varieties, such as hardneck garlic and artichoke garlic, and ensuring proper soil preparation. Garlic bulbs thrive in well-drained soils enriched with organic matter like garden compost or pelleted chicken manure, which promote healthy roots and robust bulb growth.

Planting garlic cloves in early spring or fall, depending on the variety, ensures they develop into larger cloves. Conducting a soil test can help determine the right nutrient levels for optimal growth. Throughout the growing season, managing weed growth and providing adequate water and organic fertilizers such as blood meal or fish meal are essential steps for maximizing garlic yield.

Harvesting garlic at the right time, before the bulbs split, preserves their intense flavor and ensures the largest cloves for future planting or culinary use, including dishes like stir-fries or roasted vegetables. Choosing grocery store garlic as a reference can also help in understanding the desired size of large cloves.

Importance of growing large garlic bulbs

The importance of growing garlic bulbs lies in their superior flavor, nutritional value, and culinary versatility. By following proper steps for planting garlic, such as selecting healthy cloves, enriching soil with organic fertilizers like chicken or cow manure, and ensuring well-drained beds or raised beds, growers can encourage robust garlic root development and optimal bulb growth.

Hardneck garlic produces larger bulbs, which yield more cloves and offer a milder, more fragrant taste compared to smaller ones. This ensures that homegrown garlic surpasses grocery store garlic in quality and freshness, enhancing dishes from stir-fries to roasted vegetables with its intense flavor profile.

Harvested at the right time and stored correctly, large garlic bulbs provide ample cloves for planted garlic in subsequent seasons, maintaining a sustainable and rewarding garlic crop year after year. Additionally, garlic scapes can be harvested for culinary use, and pairing garlic with green onions can elevate various dishes.

Overview of the 9 steps to achieve big garlic

Achieving big garlic bulbs involves nine essential steps that start with selecting the right garlic varieties and preparing the soil adequately. Planting garlic cloves in early spring or fall ensures healthy root development and sets the stage for robust bulb growth throughout the growing season.

Organic fertilizers such as chicken manure or fish meal enrich the soil, promoting larger bulbs and plump cloves. Managing weed growth and providing proper irrigation, possibly through drip irrigation systems, are crucial to maintaining soil moisture levels and supporting healthy garlic plants.

Harvesting garlic at the optimal time, before bulbs split and when foliage begins to yellow, preserves the intense flavor and ensures the largest cloves for culinary use or future planting.

A Guide to Successful Growth and Harvest

Garlic is one of the easiest veggies to grow, but sometimes those big green tops yield a harvest of disappointingly small heads. After nearly a year of growing garlic from cloves by patiently watering, weeding, and fertilizing, you'll want large, flavorful garlic for your favorite recipes! Here are 9 steps to take, from pre-planting preparation through harvest, to help you grow your biggest garlic heads yet.

In addition to following all of the garlic growing steps outlined below, it is important to plant cloves at the right time. Proper timing can significantly affect your garlic yield, ensuring that your garlic plant produces the best possible results. Remember, well-timed planted garlic can lead to a bountiful harvest that enhances your culinary creations.

Best Time to Plant Garlic

Fall planting is best for garlic; generally, September or October is ideal. It should be at least 2 weeks before your first frost of the season. This timing affords your garlic the best possible chances to withstand winter conditions by giving it ample time to establish. When planting garlic, ensure you space individual cloves properly to promote healthy growth. November is late to plant garlic, and December is marginal for optimal success in growing garlic.

How to Grow Garlic 

Select the best variety for your region

Not all seed garlic grows equally well everywhere. Most seed garlic requires sufficient cold temperatures in winter to develop good heads in spring. However some varieties are more tolerant of warm weather. 

Hardneck garlic needs exposure to 40-50°F for 6 to 12 weeks for the biggest heads. Softneck garlic such as California Early White and California Late White are a good choice for warm climates. 

If you live in an area with warm winters, avoid garlic described as “great for cold areas.” Growing garlic varieties that are not adapted to your climate can result in smaller heads.

Importance of choosing the right garlic variety

Selecting the right garlic variety is crucial for achieving big, flavorful bulbs in your garden. Hardneck varieties are known for their larger cloves and intense flavor, making them ideal for those seeking robust garlic yields.

Softneck garlic, on the other hand, tends to produce smaller cloves but stores well and offers mild garlic flavor, perfect for culinary uses like stir-fries and sautés. Consider the growing season and climate conditions in your area when choosing garlic varieties, as some are better suited to cold temperatures or wet soil.

Whether planting cloves from your own garlic crop or purchasing from a reliable source, ensuring healthy bulbs and consistent bulb formation is essential for successful garlic cultivation and a bountiful harvest.

Different Types of garlic

When selecting the right garlic variety for your garden, it's important to consider the diverse types available beyond just softneck and hardneck varieties. Elephant garlic, for example, isn't a true garlic but rather a type of leek that produces large cloves with a mild garlic flavor, ideal for roasting or using raw in salads.

Creole garlic, originating from the Mediterranean, offers a spicy and pungent flavor, while Rocambole garlic features a complex taste and is prized by chefs for its rich flavor profile. Additionally, Silverskin garlic, known for its strong flavor and excellent storage qualities, is often preferred by home gardeners and commercial growers alike.

For those in the Midwest, referring to the Midwest Vegetable Production Guide can help you choose the best garlic varieties suited for your specific growing conditions. Each type of garlic brings its unique characteristics to the table, making it essential to choose varieties that align with your culinary preferences and growing conditions for a successful harvest.

Best varieties for large bulb production

Selecting the right garlic variety is crucial for maximizing bulb size and yield in your garden. Hardneck garlic varieties such as German Extra Hardy or Music are renowned for producing large bulbs with robust flavors, making them ideal choices for regions with cold winters.

For milder climates, softneck varieties like California Early or Inchelium Red are preferred for their ability to grow well and store for extended periods. Elephant garlic, although not a true garlic, also yields exceptionally large cloves with a mild flavor, suitable for roasting or using raw in dishes.

When choosing garlic varieties for large bulb production, consider your local climate, soil conditions, and desired flavor profile to ensure a successful harvest of healthy, sizable garlic bulbs.

Prepare the soil for planting

Garlic can grow in a variety of soils. For large heads it is important to build up your soil with proper amendments and drainage.

Garlic prefers:

• Loose, loamy soil with high organic matter content. If your soil is hard packed consider tilling to loosen the soil
• Well draining soil is preferred, heavy wet soils can cause cloves to rot or develop poorly.
• If your garden soil is not suitable for garlic, its a good idea to consider growing it in a raised bed for better drainage.
• If you fertilize your garden, only do so between pre-planting time and late spring when scapes begin to form. Otherwise you could encourage too much top growth instead of head development.
• Be careful also of over-fertilizing with nitrogen-rich fertilizers in the fall, this could lead to stimulating top growth and result in frost damage in very cold winter areas. For details on soil preparation for garlic, see our Garlic Planting and Growing Guide.

Plant the biggest cloves

The biggest garlic heads grow from the biggest garlic cloves. Large garlic cloves have more energy stored up to help get your garlic off to a good start, and are more resistant to frost damage. When separating cloves for planting, select the largest cloves for growing garlic heads, and use the smaller ones for growing spring green garlic. Just harvest in spring when the leaves have grown, and use like garlic chives.

If you saved some of your harvested garlic for planting, select the larger of your heads for seed garlic and eat the smaller heads. While the larger ones are more appetizing, if you select larger heads for planting this year, you’ll have more big heads for both planting and eating in future years.

Give them room to grow

Plant garlic with plenty of room for their roots to grow, ensuring that the garlic does not compete with each other for nutrients and water. Spacing individual cloves at 6 inches apart when planting is best.

This distance allows them to grow garlic effectively while providing some shade to each other as they develop, which also helps with the next step.

Keep growing garlic cool

The biggest garlic experiences a long cool winter and early spring when it establishes its root system and prepares for head development, followed by a long (but not too hot) spring and early summer growth period when the heads grow and divide. Head growth starts when the soil temperature is around 60° F and ends when the soil reaches 90° F.

The key to this step is to keep your garlic's soil cool for as long as possible until it is ready for harvest. This will give it the longest time possible to develop larger cloves. If your soil gets too hot too early, head growth will stop, resulting in small bulbs.

Additionally, during fall planting, ensure that your garlic is positioned to avoid excessive direct sunlight early in the season, which can raise soil temperatures too quickly. The integrity of the basal plate is crucial for head development, as it plays a significant role in the growth and size of the bulbs.

How to Keep Your Garlic Cool in the Summer

• Select a planting site that is shaded during the hottest part of the day.
• Mulch deeply with light colored material such as straw to help reflect light, insulate the soil from heat, and retain moisture – all of which keep the soil temperature lower.
• In areas where the ground freezes, mulching also protects the garlic from getting too cold. Compost, or Mega Mulch are also good mulch options.
• You can also shade your garlic patch with shade fabric.

Plenty of water

A good irrigation plan will also help to increase head size. Mulching helps to reduce evaporation, so your soil stays moist longer and less water needs to be applied. Water your seed garlic deeply but infrequently (allow the surface to dry out between watering, but keep it moist several inches down). This will encourage the roots to grow deeper to find water, instead of staying in the upper regions of the soil where the temperature is higher.

Weed your garlic beds

Weeds growing among your garlic provide unnecessary competition for nutrients and water. Weed your garden regularly! Mulching can also help to reduce the amount of weeds that sprout up.

Remove scapes right away

Scapes are the flower stalks that hardneck garlic produces in the spring and early summer. Check your growing garlic frequently for these, and remove them at leaf level. They’re good to eat, so don’t throw them out! They should not be allowed to grow because this takes energy away from head growth.

Monitoring and Managing Pests and Diseases

Common pests and diseases affecting garlic

Monitoring and managing pests and diseases are essential steps in ensuring healthy garlic crops and maximizing bulb production. Common pests affecting garlic include aphids, which can weaken plants and transmit diseases, and nematodes that attack garlic roots, stunting growth.

Diseases such as white rot fungus can devastate entire garlic crops by causing bulb rot, while garlic rust manifests as orange spots on leaves, affecting photosynthesis and bulb development. To mitigate these risks, practicing crop rotation, using disease-resistant garlic varieties, and maintaining optimal soil drainage are crucial.

Additionally, applying organic fertilizers like chicken manure or fish meal can boost garlic's natural defenses against pests and diseases, ensuring robust plants with high-quality bulbs for harvest.

Organic pest management strategies

Monitoring and managing pests and diseases in garlic using organic strategies is crucial for sustainable cultivation and high-quality bulb production. Implementing crop rotation with non-allium crops helps break pest and disease cycles, reducing the risk of infestations and infections.

Introducing beneficial insects such as ladybugs or lacewings can naturally control aphids and other harmful pests that affect garlic plants. Additionally, applying organic mulches like garden compost or straw helps suppress weed growth and maintain soil moisture, creating a healthier environment for garlic roots.

Regularly inspecting garlic plants for signs of disease, such as yellowing leaves or fungal spots, allows for early intervention with organic fungicides or biopesticides derived from natural sources. These practices not only protect garlic crops but also support the growth of large, healthy bulbs with robust flavors and nutritious qualities.

Early detection and prevention tips

Early detection and prevention are key to effectively managing pests and diseases in growing garlic cultivation. Regularly inspecting garlic plants for symptoms such as yellowing leaves, stunted growth, or pest activity helps catch problems before they escalate.

Implementing good cultural practices, such as fall planting of individual cloves in well-drained soil, providing adequate spacing between plants, and ensuring proper soil fertility with organic matter like horse manure or fish meal, can promote vigorous plant growth and resilience against pests and diseases. Using mulches like garden compost helps suppress weed growth, which can harbor pests and compete with garlic plants for nutrients.

Maintaining cleanliness in the garden and promptly removing any diseased or pest-infested plant material can prevent the spread of pathogens and pests to healthy garlic bulbs. By focusing on early detection and prevention strategies, growers can safeguard their garlic crops, ensuring the production of great garlic with medium sized cloves, optimal flavor, and yield. Additionally, understanding when to stop nitrogen supplementation can enhance overall bulb quality.

Harvest at the right time

Make sure that your garlic is fully grown before harvesting. When your garlic is ready, it will not grow anymore and is considered mature when the tops are a third (the 4 bottom leaves) brown or when it falls over (for softneck varieties).

When your garlic tops begin to yellow, stop watering them. Harvest garlic 2 weeks later and cure them. Don’t wait too long, or the papery covering will start to break down and they won’t store as well. Your garlic will not all be ready at the same time, so harvest each head as needed.

Why Cure Garlic:

• Curing allows the garlic's flavor to intensify and mellow, enhancing its taste in culinary applications.
• Properly cured garlic has a longer shelf life, allowing you to enjoy your harvest for an extended period.
• Curing helps reduce the moisture content in the garlic bulbs, preventing mold growth and ensuring better storage conditions.

How to Cure Garlic:

• Harvest garlic when the tops are about one-third brown. Avoid waiting until all the leaves are brown, as this may result in over-mature bulbs.
• Keep the tops (leaves) on the garlic bulbs. This helps protect the cloves during the curing process.
• Hang the garlic bulbs or lay them out in a single layer in a well-ventilated, shaded area. Good air circulation is crucial for the curing process.
• Cure for 2-4 Weeks: Allow the garlic to cure for 2 to 4 weeks. During this time, the outer layers will dry and the bulbs will harden.
• Trim and Clean: After curing, trim the roots and cut the tops to about 1-2 inches above the bulb. Brush off any remaining soil, but avoid removing too many layers of skin.
• Store in a Cool, Dry Place: Store the cured garlic in a cool, dry place with good air circulation. Avoid storing in areas with high humidity.
• By following the curing process, you ensure that your harvested garlic is not only flavorsome but also well-preserved for future use.

Storing Garlic

Best practices for storing garlic bulbs

Storing garlic bulbs properly is crucial to preserving their flavor and quality over time. After harvesting garlic, it's essential to cure the bulbs by allowing them to dry in a well-ventilated, shaded area for 2-4 weeks. This curing process helps to toughen the outer layers and intensify the garlic's flavor.

Once cured, trim the roots and tops, leaving about 1-2 inches of stem attached. Store the garlic bulbs in a cool, dry place with good air circulation to prevent mold and sprouting. Avoid storing garlic in areas with high humidity, as this can lead to deterioration. Following these best practices ensures that your homegrown garlic retains its freshness and robust flavor for months after harvest.

How to maintain garlic quality over time

Maintaining garlic quality over time begins with proper curing immediately after harvest. Ensure garlic bulbs are dried in a well-ventilated, shaded area for 2-4 weeks to toughen their outer layers and enhance flavor.

After curing, trim roots and tops to about 1-2 inches, preserving some stem to shield cloves during storage. Store garlic in a cool, dry place with good air circulation to prevent mold and sprouting, avoiding high-humidity areas. These practices protect homegrown garlic, whether hardneck or softneck varieties, ensuring it remains fresh, flavorful, and ready for culinary use long after harvest.

Conclusion

In conclusion, growing big, flavorful garlic bulbs involves a series of deliberate steps from selecting the right varieties to proper planting, nurturing throughout the growing season, and finally, harvesting and storing with care.

By following these guidelines, garlic enthusiasts can enjoy robust yields of large, healthy bulbs that surpass the quality of store-bought varieties. The process not only enhances the culinary experience with intense flavors but also ensures a sustainable supply of garlic for future seasons.

With attention to detail and adherence to best practices, home gardeners can consistently produce garlic that enriches their dishes and delights their palates year after year.

For those interested in starting their own garlic garden, organic garlic seeds are available for purchase. We offer a variety of options to support sustainable gardening practices and ensure successful garlic cultivation.

FAQs about Growing Big Garlic

• When is the best time for planting garlic?

  • Fall planting is ideal for regions with cold winters, typically from September to October. In warmer climates, plant garlic in early spring. This timing allows the garlic plant to establish roots before facing freezing temperatures or heat.

• What types of garlic are best for growing big bulbs?

  • Hardneck garlic varieties like German Extra Hardy or Music are known for producing huge bulbs with robust flavors. Softneck garlic varieties, such as California Early or Inchelium Red, are suitable for milder climates and have a long shelf life.

• How important is soil preparation for growing big garlic bulbs?

  • Soil preparation is crucial for successful garlic production. Garlic prefers loose, well-drained soil enriched with organic matter like compost or cow manure. Conduct a soil test to ensure proper pH and fertility levels, as soil microbes play a vital role in plant health.

• What are garlic scapes, and should they be removed?

  • Garlic scapes are curly flower shoots that emerge from hardneck garlic varieties. Removing them redirects energy to bulb growth, promoting larger cloves. Scapes are edible and can enhance cooking.

• Can I use grocery store garlic to grow my own?

  • Yes, organic garlic from the grocery store can be used as seed garlic. Select individual cloves that are plump and healthy, avoiding those treated with growth inhibitors. However, using small cloves may yield smaller bulbs.

• How do I store garlic after harvesting?

  • After curing garlic bulbs in a shaded, ventilated area for 2-4 weeks, trim roots and tops. Store bulbs in a cool, dry place with good air circulation to prevent mold and sprouting.

• What are some common pests and diseases affecting garlic?

  • Common pests include aphids and nematodes, while diseases like white rot fungus and garlic rust can impact bulb quality. Practice crop rotation and use organic pest control methods to minimize risks, especially in raised beds.

• How can I increase bulb size during the growing season?

  • Ensure garlic plants receive adequate water, especially during leaf growth and bulb formation. Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weed seeds. Use organic fertilizers like compost or fish emulsion for nitrogen supplementation without introducing too much nitrogen.

• What should I do if my garlic bulbs are smaller than expected?

  • Smaller bulbs may result from inadequate soil fertility, improper planting depth, or insufficient water. Over-fertilizing with nitrogen can lead to excessive vegetative growth, resulting in smaller cloves. Consider stopping nitrogen supplementation if foliage growth is excessive.

• How do I know when garlic is ready to harvest?

  • Harvest time is when the lower leaves turn yellow and begin to dry out. Avoid waiting too long, as over-mature bulbs may not store well. Look for a good balance of clove weight and the integrity of the basal plate.

• What is elephant garlic, and how does it differ?

  • Elephant garlic is actually a type of leek, producing very large cloves and milder flavors compared to traditional garlic varieties like allium sativum. It's often grown for its size rather than intensity.

• How do temperature extremes affect garlic growth?

  • Extreme temperatures can impact garlic health. In areas with temperature extremes, ensure that the garlic is well mulched to protect roots during cold spells and maintain moisture during hot weather.

• What role does proper watering play in garlic growth?

  • Consistent watering is vital, particularly during key growth phases like vegetative growth and bulb formation. Avoid waterlogging, which can lead to disease, while ensuring the garlic plant receives the moisture it needs to thrive.