Growing Garlic in Zone 7b

I purchased some garlic at a nearby farmers’ market recently, and the seller apologized for the price, and explained it was due to the fact that “garlic is so hard to grow in Jersey.” Is it, though? IDK. I have grown it a few times with no problem. Of course, growing 12 plants is not the same as successfully growing a whole field of it.

You can purchase garlic for planting from many online vendors. You could also simply buy some from the farmers’ market. Supermarket garlic isn’t a good choice because you don’t know what kind it is and if it is suited to grow in NJ. Plus, I believe I’ve read that supermarket garlic is treated to inhibit it from sprouting. I also have read that garlic that is not specifically sold for growing could carry diseases.

If memory serves, I have grown Music, Chesnok Red, and German Extra Hardy. These are all “hardneck” garlic. You can grow softneck garlic here as well, but hardneck seems like a safer choice given that our winters can get pretty cold. Hardneck garlic will also give you garlic scapes in the spring, which are fun, and edible.

You are supposed to wait until after our first killing frost of the fall to plant garlic. This might happen in October; it might not happen until November. Generally, if you get it in the ground sometime in late October through November, you’re good. The garlic just needs to get a jump on growing before true winter kicks in.

To plant, break the bulb into individual cloves and plant them pointy end up, one to two inches deep, spaced about 6 inches apart. Cover with a few inches of mulch. In the fall, I like to use fallen leaves that I’ve run over with the lawnmower as mulch. The mulch stays on until spring.

You should see the sprouts emerge in the fall. That said, I’ve had years where some cloves didn’t come up until spring. Those bulbs probably ended up being smaller.

You can grow garlic in containers. The roots are fairly shallow. I haven’t done it, but I’ve grown onions in containers with no issues. However, containers will dry out faster, so you’d have to remember to keep it watered over the winter. For that reason alone, I’d just stick with planting garlic in the ground. Plant it and forget it. Unless we have a very dry fall or winter (like 2024-25), the usual seasonal rains should be fine.

Location-wise, garlic does need full sun. Fertilizer: yes. Provide some kind of fertilizer when planting and then in the spring, every few weeks until the scapes appear or the bulbs start to swell. Watering in the spring/summer: ’bout the same as the rest of the garden, which is about every other day, more if it’s very hot, less if it rains a lot.

In the spring, you look out and see your garlic sprouts and get to pat yourself on the back for already having something growing. Seriously, it’s a great feeling!

Garlic is ready to harvest around July, when about half of the leaves of the plant die back. Stop watering a week or two before you pull it. When pulling them, do so very carefully — dig around the roots to loosen them. The plants can then be laid out in a dry, breezy, shaded area to cure for a few weeks. I have used a front porch and currently use the kids’ old playset. You can also just use some of it fresh, without curing.

If you grow enough garlic, you can save some of those bulbs for planting, and basically never have to buy seed garlic again.