Garlic is an interesting vegetable. In some ways it’s incredibly easy to grow. Just grab a clove of the stuff you get at a supermarket or a farmers market, stick it in the ground, and see what happens. You may or may not want to peel away the papery covering first. You’ll probably want to dig a whole a little deeper than the length of the garlic clove itself. And the pointy end should be pointed up.
In a few days, you’ll start to see some greenery, and after a few weeks it will look something like this:
I think that’s more garlic than I started with, but not much. I’ll try again this fall and see if letting the plants hang out through a winter makes them hardier in the spring and provides a larger yield.
What I did harvest smells wonderful, and once it’s done drying out, I’m sure it’ll taste great. But I think I might need to space the garlic out further and figure out the right mix of shade and sunshine next time.
Matthew says
Brad did you end up giving this another go in the fall? If so how are things now that it's spring time/early summer?
Brad Linder says
Hey Matthew. I've been pretty awful about updating the blog, but it turns out the garlic I planted in the fall is doing great. I think.
The green bits above the ground look very strong and healthy. But I won't know how the garlic is doing under the ground until I dig it up in a few weeks/months.
I'll try to post an update with new pictures soon.
The strawberries I planted last spring are also doing great this spring.
I also planted some leafy greens which are starting to come in strong, and some edamame and tomatoes… it's too soon to tell how those last two are going to turn out.