Tips on Growing Organic Garlic

Growing garlic is easy once you know the basics of soft-neck vs. hard-neck, how to plant garlic, when to plant it, and how to look after it until its time to harvest. In this video I take you through my own tips on planting and harvesting garlic and you'll see how I'm growing it this year.

In the USA, try these guys:

Questions for you:
1. Have you run into any challenges while growing garlic?
2. Which varieties are you growing this year or that you can recommend?

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[joanfargo]

I grow Spanish Roja Garlic every year and they are a large and flavorful hard neck variety. Great results.

[tatianka]

I've been growing German Red variety for a few years now - I love it! It is a hard-neck. I am in northern Illinois, USA - so our winters do get very cold (even up to -25C for a few days). I mulch my garlic with a good layer of straw right after planting to keep it warmer during the winter months, and I've been letting it sprout and grow keeping the straw mulch on it - it keeps it moist and mostly weed-free. I do braid mine too - as long as the hard stems aren't too dry, it can still be pliable enough to braid. German Red has lasted me a full year in storage provided good storing conditions (it does get a bit soft by the end, but still edible).

[SimplyGarden]

Thank you for sharing. I've been growing garlic for many years myself. We do have an occasional problem with the cloves rotting in the ground. To help fight this we have found that soaking them overnight in rubbing alcohol helps reduce the bacteria causing them to rot. I also grow them organically saving the best bulbs to replant.

[wifeofnick]

I am growing garlic for the first time this year. I went with Inchelium Red based on reviews I was reading online. I ended up buying some to cook with from a farmer's market after I had ordered the seed garlic, and I absolutely loved it. It's going to be hard waiting almost a whole year for a harvest!

[Novicenan]

Thanks for the video! I’m growing garlic for the first time this year and purchased a “starter pack” from an organic garlic farm that comes with Chesnok red and Inchelium red. I’m in MD, USA growing zone 7.

[davedruid]

Grow As Much Garlic As You Can. It Helps Strengthen The Immune System! I have a Big Garlic Patch in my Community Garden Herbs Patch.

[davedruid]

This now the 3rd year that I have Grown Garlic in my Temple Herb Garden and I have discovered that the original Garlic has now spread Seeds and the Garlic Patch is thick with Small Baby Garlic Sprouts.

[aldas]

I am growing two type of hardneck, red Russian and music garlic. We have very cold winters here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Cheers !

[jeffreymilton]

Uh-oh, I've already planted mine, but I've put them in really quite deep. Up until this year, like you, I've planted them close to the surface, but have been disappointed with the results.
I must have been watching Monty on GW a few weeks ago and (I'm sure) he put his in a lot deeper; a good couple of inches...so this time this is what I've done.
I guess seeing as my garlic has always been a little feeble this will be interesting.
I'll let you know...

[CJ-qjpk]

Hi USA California here, I believe your giant garlic head may be Elephant Garlic When you harvest, little yellow tiny cloves should be on the head, towards the bottom. You plant those and first year forms a clove the second year grows the head of garlic. It is a milder garlic than most.We love it.

[Jannaschimmel]

Hi Tanja, for the autumn planting I put the garlic a (a finger) deeper.... in spring just like you do (in the Netherlands).

[edenrestoredall]

Thank you Tanya for that very informative video. I have not planted garlic before and I was planning to do it next spring. Now I realize that I don't need to wait. I can plant it now. Can I plant onions around this time as well? Maybe you can post a video about that. Thanks in advance.☺

[Gigi-fvky]

Great timing. I will be growing garlic for the first time this year and I am wondering what do I put in my raised beds? They are empty, so do I used bagged soil, bagged compost, bagged rotted manure, or a combination? I do intend to empty my tomato grow bags into them and reuse that soil, but that will probably be half. So, maybe do I do compost.manure for the other half? I grew elephant garlic from the nursery last year and it was expensive for just 3 cloves and only one split. I will be replanting the 2 mono bulbs, but I am doing my own experiment with 2 heads of grocery store elephant garlic. I figured I have a nothing to lose as it was much much cheaper and Baker Creek, where I bought my garlic, was out of elephant garlic every time I checked. I can't remember the variety names but I got one bag of hard neck and one bag of soft. Later I will check and update with the names. Thanks!

[taithmacerca]

Interesting. Didn't know there was a distinction.

[growingaHome]

In my zone 5 garden, I grow Music garlic with good success. However, I plant mine much closer, 6 inches, and much deeper as our ground freezes solid.

[helennightingale]

It’s a bit late to sow my garlic I know but I have been waiting for the courgettes to finish before clearing that bed. My question is should I top up the raised bed with compost and sow into that or plant out the garlic cloves then top up the bed with compost in the springtime?
Love your videos, your garden and allotment look amazing

[ConnieFan]

To grow garlic in SW Florida with sandy soil is a challenge, what soil type for my zone can I buy to try

[gaianeg]

Thank you for sharing. I leav in Los Angeles, my garlic bulb greens already is one foot. I would like to know when I can harvest those greens for food. Thank you in advance.

[jogiampaolo]

Thank you for the video, we are planning on growing garlic this year for the first time. Do we need to cover them with hay or leaves over the winter?

[gailyoung]

Hi! I liked you video on growing garlic...very understandable! Thank you! One question...what could I use to naturally (organically) feed my soil to increase the phosphorus content in the soil? Thx in advance...I've never left a comment in You Tube b4 so I'm not sure how I'm going to hear back from you...I suppose I'll come BACK to this video and check for replies from you, eh?