Garlic is one of my favorite crops to grow. It’s really easy and grows over the winter. October is a great time to plant. The bulb will start to develop over the winter and finish in the spring. It’s good to plant between a cover crop like winter peas.
You can purchase garlic from a seed company, which means it’s been inspected for harmful pathogens and you know what variety you’re getting, but high quality garlic from the grocery store will work just fine. Break the heads up into cloves while leaving as much of the papery skin on the cloves as you can. Dig holes 2 to 3 inches deep and 3 to 8 inches apart. If you give them more space the bulbs will get bigger.
Plant each clove with the pointy end up. Cover with at least an inch of soil and an half an inch to two inches of mulch. Keep the soil from drying out over the winter. In the spring they will send up a stalk called a scape that produces seeds. Cut off the scape to direct more energy to growing the bulb. The scape is edible and delicious! Dig up the bulbs when it starts to get hot in the late spring and the leaves turn yellow.
Links to More Information
How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Garlic https://www.almanac.com/plant/garlic
Choosing the Best Garlic Variety for your Garden and Palate https://howtoculinaryherbgarden.com/types-of-garlic/
