Easy Way to Plant Garlic

Overview

Although there are many varieties of garlic in the world, once they are cooked, they are virtually impossible to distinguish from one another. Garlic is a plant native to the Middle East that has spread around the world. It has been used in folk remedies to stimulate the heart and improve the blood, which may explain the old story about garlic being good vampire repellent. Although varieties of garlic range from hardneck to softneck, they are planted in the same way.

Step 1

Wait until fall to plant your garlic. Garlic does best when planted in October in order to produce large bulbs in late spring.

Step 2

Plow the soil of your garden with a rototiller. Add a balanced (10-10-10) fertilizer to the soil. Use the directions that come with the fertilizer to determine how much fertilizer to add to your garden. The application rate of fertilizer will vary depending on the brand you use. Plow the soil again to work fertilizer into the soil.

Step 3

Hold a garlic bulb in both hands and gently separate the cloves with your fingers. Each clove can be planted individually to produce a new bulb of garlic.

Step 4

Dig a 3-inch hole in your garden soil with a trowel. Drop your garlic clove into the hole with the pointed tip up. Push the soil back into the hole over the clove.

Step 5

Space cloves at least 6 inches apart.

Step 6

Leave at least 2 feet of space between rows if you plant multiple rows of garlic.

Step 7

Cover your garlic bed with a 3-inch layer of straw to prevent freezing in early winter and spring.