Oregonian - Garlic, German Extra Hardy.JPG

the best time to plant garlic, like this German Extra Hardy garlic, in our area is from late September to mid-October, depending on where you live.

(Southern Exposure Seed Exchange)

Heirloom garlic awaiting harvest in the field at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

Most of us have at least one jar of garlic salt, garlic powder or other dehydrated garlic product in our kitchen cupboard or pantry. And while all these dehydrated garlic products are convenient and better than having no garlic at all, their flavor is arguably inferior when compared to garlic that is fresh.

The flavor that fresh garlic can bring to any dish is unsurpassed, with a complexity of characteristics that are quite distinct. Flavor profiles range from mildly spicy with a pleasant finish, to deep and mild with a fiery finish, to full-bodied flavor that mellows out, to rich and robust from start to finish. And since garlic has the ability to keep until the next harvest season, that specialty flavor is always right at hand.

By growing heirloom garlic, you can choose from a wealth of varieties with the specific balance of flavors and pungency that best suit your tastes. Heirloom varieties not only offer some historical connection with cultures from different parts of the world, but most are also very easy to grow. And the best time to plant in our area is from late September to mid-October, depending on where you live.

Know your garlic type

Garlic is comprised of two main categories: hardnecks (Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon) and softnecks (Allium sativum var. sativum).

Most hardneck varieties thrive where winters are cold and springs are cool. The cloves are typically larger, more flavorful and easier to peel than softneck types. Four choice hardneck varieties are German Red, Chesnok Red, Music and Northern White.

Softneck varieties have tight skins, which makes them harder to peel. But their tight skins also makes them long on storage, with some varieties keeping up to a year. Four highly productive and easy to grow favorites include Nootka Rose, Inchelium Red, Lorz Italian and Italian Late.

Growing guidelines

Garlic is easily grown in most any climate and fairly neutral soil with a pH between 6.5 to 7.0. For the plumpest and tastiest bulbs, grow garlic in a sunny location and loose, fertile and evenly moist soil that's well-drained. Though garlic will grow in a range of soil types, your yields will vastly improve if you pay close attention to the soil structure.

"Roots need air as much as they need water," says

, a Central Virginia Master Gardener and worker/owner of the cooperatively managed

where she coordinates variety selection and seed grower contracts. "Whether you have heavy clay or loose, sandy soil, the most important thing is to add lots of organic matter."

According to Wallace, amending your soil with compost, aged manure, well-rotted sawdust or peat moss before planting will improve your soil, give roots the air they need and ultimately grow better and more productive crops. The added organic matter will also help regulate soil sulfur levels, thereby improving its taste.

Garlic needs a steady supply of nutrients; nitrogen for leaf growth, and especially potassium and phosphorus for bulb and root development. Good sources include greensand, kelp meal or hardwood ashes for potassium, and rock phosphate or colloidal phosphate to supply phosphorus. (Some growers dust their garlic cloves with wood ash for potassium, and/or bone meal for phosphorus before planting.)

Feeding these favored nutrients via a 1 to 2 inch layer of aged manure is especially vital as leaf growth resumes in early spring. That said, if the leaves look yellowish come early spring, give your garlic a boost by side-dressing with a natural high-nitrogen source such as fish meal or aged manure.

Planting pointers

Inchelium Red Garlic, a softneck variety

A bulb (head) of garlic consists of many individual cloves. When planted, each clove will grow into a new garlic bulb. Choose the largest, firmest heads, then use only the largest outer cloves for planting as these will produce the biggest bulbs. (Wait until planting time to separate cloves from bulbs.) Save the rest of the head for cooking. You can purchase planting stock from a local grower, specialty grower, farmer's market or via online or mail-order source.



Plant individual unpeeled cloves flat end down and pointed tip up and about 4 to 8 inches apart with approximately 1 to 2 inches of soil over the top of each clove in mild winter areas, and 3 to 4 inches over each clove's top where winters are cold.



Growing on

Once the cloves are planted, cover the bed with several inches of loose straw to protect garlic beds through winter. Mulching also helps prevent competing weeds and keeps soil moisture levels more even, which is essential to growing bigger bulbs.



When it comes to moisture, Wallace advises that the soil be kept moist during the entire period of active growth. "If the soil is allowed to dry out just once, growth will be arrested, resulting in smaller bulbs and reduced yields," she explains.

The exception is the last two to three weeks before harvest when the leaves begin to brown in summer. At that time it's best to cease watering and remove any mulch.



Harvest tips

Garlic is ready to harvest from July to August--depending on the variety and growing climate--when about 50 percent of the leaves have turned yellow and withered.

Each bulb should be full with bulging cloves, with the somewhat dry outer papery wrapper still intact. "Do not wait until the tops fall over and turn brown, because by then the outer bulb scales will have decayed and the bulbs will be more difficult to clean," Wallace says.



She also recommends to lightly water garlic beds the night before harvesting if the soil is very dry. The day of harvest you want to carefully loosen the soil under the bulbs using a digging fork, then pull the bulbs up, roots and all, leaving the stem attached. "Gently remove excess soil and keep them out of the sun until you can bring them indoors," she adds.



Curing garlic

After the harvest, garlic needs to be seasoned--a process known as curing--for three to eight weeks, depending on the weather and drying area. This "curing" process helps to improve the flavor and hardiness of the bulbs.

Any dry, airy and shady location will do. Simply bundle garlic by their stems in groups of 10 to 20 and hang to dry; or individually lay bulbs flat on stacked screens, allowing space between bulbs. Using one or more electric fans will help circulate the air and speed the drying process.

Once garlic has cured, trim the roots and cut the stem to within 1 inch of the bulb. Store bulbs in a cool (50 to 65 degrees F), dry and well-ventilated area. Leave the cloves intact within the bulb until you are ready to use them.

Properly cured, hardneck varieties can keep from four to six months; softneck varieties can be stored for six to 12 months.



--Kris Wetherbee



