How to Grow Garlic

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1. Plant cloves directly in the ground about 4-6 weeks before the soil freezes (the soil usually freezes in mid to late December in Connecticut). We recommend planting this year between Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Each clove will produce one plant with a single bulb - which may in turn contain up to six to twelve cloves.

2. Choose a garden site that gets plenty of sun and where the soil does not stay too damp. A raised garden bed is a good spot. To avoid disease problems, don’t plant garlic in the same spot two years running.

3. Loosen the soil to a depth of 8” and amend the soil with a 2-3 inch layer of compost to ensure the ideal combination of fertility, good drainage and moisture retention. Add a pinch of Coast of Maine, True Organic or Sustane granular organic fertilizer to each planting hole.

4. Remove all traces of weeds; they'll easily win out over garlic's grass-like foliage.

5. Plant the largest cloves from the bulb, and discard any that are pitted or tinged blue-green - both are signs of mold.

6. Set unpeeled cloves, pointy end up, 2 inches deep and 6 inches apart. Rows should be about 10-12 inches apart.

7. Top-dress the plants with Coast of Maine soil. Once the weather stays cold, mulch the bed (chopped leaves or Mainely Mulch shredded straw are good for this) to protect plants from the cold. If you skip this step, the cloves will heave out of the ground in winter as it freezes and thaws.

8. In spring, feed with Coast of Maine, True Organic or Sustane granular organic fertilizer and add a thin, fresh layer of mulch when new growth begins. To ensure large bulbs, cut off the flower stalks that develop in June. These are called garlic scapes and are edible and delicious! Cut off the scapes as soon as they begin to curl. Fertilize young plants with Neptune’s Harvest organic liquid fertilizer twice during the spring and early summer.

9. Provide an inch of water a week. Either in the form of rain or hand watering. Do not overwater garlic.

10. Clip garlic leaves to use any time, but remove no more than 1/4 of a plant's top growth or you'll reduce bulb size.

11. Begin harvesting bulbs in summer when the bottom few layers of leaves have begun to turn brown. In our area of CT, that is usually in mid July. Allow the soil to dry a bit before harvesting for better curing.

12. To harvest, drive a garden fork beneath the plants (be careful not to damage the bulbs), gently pry them loose, and then pull them out. Brush off any excess soil, and lay the plants in a pile. As soon as you’ve finished harvesting, move the plants to an airy location that is protected from sun and rain. A covered porch or shed is perfect.

13. To cure garlic in preparation for storage, hang the bare bulbs with their foliage in bundles or spread them out on a table or rack. Leave the roots on. Use a fan for good air circulation. You can begin eating them right away, but bulbs intended for storage must be cured.

14. After a few weeks of drying/curing, clean the bulbs more carefully. Trim the stalks from 2”-12” above the bulb, and trim the roots close to the bulb. Rub off the outer layer of skin around the bulb, and use a nailbrush or toothbrush to gently remove any soil clinging to the base. Try not to remove more wrapper layers than you have to. Store the bulbs in a well-ventilated, dark spot, 55-60 degrees F. A colder storage will cause the bulbs to sprout early and a warmer spot will shrivel them.

The Best Organic Garlic Varieties Offered by Natureworks in 2025
100% Certified by MOFGA as organically grown, virus and nematode free!
MOFGA is the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association

German Extra Hardy: Hardneck porcelain type variety with a distinctive, hearty flavor. Very similar to German White. Plump cloves and good storage.
Russian Red: Hardneck Rocambole type with mottled burgundy skin. Delicious garlic flavor, keeps well. 6-12 cloves per bulb.

Georgian Fire: Hardneck porcelain type with large cloves. White skin outside, with blushed inner skins. Spicy flavor, loved by garlic aficionados. This variety sports large cloves and stores well.

Garlic Terminology-

Porcelain Type- Produces 3-6 very large cloves, with tight porcelain-white skins. Each single clove is equivalent to 2-3 smaller cloves of garlic. Huge cloves are great for pesto, and baking whole. Porcelain types are excellent for storage.

Rocambole Type- Produces 5-13 medium sized cloves, with tan, brown or reddish skins. Shorter shelf life than porcelain types, but if well-cured they will store well through March. Fine, rich, robust flavor – peels easily.

In an effort to provide horticultural information, these educational documents are written by Nancy DuBrule-Clemente and are the property of Natureworks Horticultural Services, LLC. You are granted permission to print/photocopy this educational information free of charge as long as you clearly show that these are Natureworks documents.