The easiest garden grow.
Garlic is the easiest crop to grow in our area. Cloves are set between Halloween and mid-November, and harvest in May or June. Cold winter weather forces your clove to bunch up into a big, delicious bulb! Big cloves yield big bulbs.
Choosing Garlic
Garlic comes in two primary types: hardneck and softneck.
Hardneck garlic send up a stiff flower stalk (the scape). The dried scape leaves behind a woody stem in the bulb. Garlic scapes are a delicacy! Hardnecks form fewer, larger cloves in the bulb. They are known for punchy, complex flavors. A long stretch of cold weather is necessary for good bulb formation, so hardnecks are not suitable for the South. Hardnecks do not keep as long as softnecks do.
Softneck garlic do not produce scapes, and therefore has no hard center. Softnecks form many cloves. Flavor is generally mild, with varieties more or less tasting the same. Softnecks store for longer, and are common in grocery stores. Warm or short winters are no problem for them, making them perfect for the South!
Planting Time!
Garlic prefers loose, and well-drained soil. Clay soil can be helped a lot with composts and soil conditioner. Prepare beds for planting with plenty of compost (try our Chicken Manure Compost).
Break the bulbs up into cloves, and take care to leave the protective, papery skin. Plant the clove pointed-end up, with the pointed-end about one to two inches deep. Plant cloves about six inches apart for best bulb formation. Water well at planting time. It can’t be easier!
Waiting Game
After sowing the cloves, we wait. Some sprouts may show before cold Winter sets in (see Digging Deeper). By February your little sprouts will start to grow.
Our late Falls and Winters are sometimes wet, but usually dry. Don’t forget about your little plants over Winter – if it hasn’t rained for a couple weeks, show them a generous watering.
Garlic are suprisingly heavy feeders! Have nitrogen-rich fertilizers on hand. Start regular feeding with a fertilizer like Plant-tone in February, and continue through April.
Digging Deeper
Plants grow when daylight is longer than 10 hours. The time of year when days are shorter than 10 hours is called the Persephone period. As we approach this period, you should notice the plants around you really slowing down. When daylight begins to lengthen in early February, plants react a lot! Little parts of your garden will start to come to life, before bursting with action in March and April. It’s a joy to see the seasons change.
Two to four inches of mulch on top of your new cloves will be the best decision you make for garlic (besides choosing to grow you own). Mulch holds moisture in the soil, and importantly prevents weeds. Garlic and other onion-like plants need a space free of weeds for the best results.
The Big Day
The big harvest day can be a little tricky to time, but there are signs to look for.
Stop watering a few weeks before you expect harvest.
Normal harvest time is sometime from May to June. A clear sign is when the lower third or half of the leaves turn yellow to brown, and the stalk begins to fall over. Falling over is a result of the neck softening and maturing.
You can always check by harvesting a single bulb to see if it’s mature and ready. When harvesting any garlic bulb, use a trowel to dig out the bulb gently – never tug a bulb out.
After harvest, simply leave the tops and roots on and brush off any soil.
Bulbs need to be cured, and the classic way to cure softnecks is braiding. Braid after a few days of drying, while the tops are still flexible. Check out your favorite vegetable gardening YouTuber for tips on braiding! Alternatively, you can use an inexpensive metal baker’s rack, and string the leaves through the bars until the harvested plant is held up by the shoulder of the bulb.
Curing last about two to four weeks. Tops and roots can be cut now! Store finished garlic in a cool, dark place with good airflow.
Using Your Garlic
Garlic has many obvious uses, but here we will offer unusual ideas.
Garlic you purchase and grow from your own stock usually has small cloves in the center of the bulb. Plant these small cloves in a separate area to harvest the greens only. These greens can be cut, dried, and blended to make a delicious cooking spice.
You can also reserve some cloves for fermented garlic honey. Fill a mason jar with peeled garlic cloves, and fill with raw honey (see our friends at Vdovichenko Bee Farm for local honey) Burp the jars regularly, until the honey is very viscous and highly fragrant of garlic. Goes great on biscuits and foccacia!
Ask for help!
We at South Pleasantburg Nursery pride ourselves as plant nerds, connoisseurs, and gardeners. Come by or call for any gardening needs!
General Contact Information:
(864) 299-6677
[email protected]
1135 South Pleasantburg Drive
Greenville, SC 29605
Between I-85 and Greenville Tech