What is it about garlic that makes it so special? Aside from a few detractors like the late Queen Elizabeth II, who famously banished its existence from Buckingham Palace and forbade her chefs at any of her residences from cooking with it, many people love garlic for its sweet and savoury flavour, as well as for the myriad of health benefits it provides.

With the fall planting season upon us, this is the perfect time of year to introduce garlic to your garden, it being an excellent, low-maintenance plant for beginners. There are over 300 varieties of garlic that exist in the world and each one is unique. Some possess a stronger garlic taste, some are bigger, some are spicier, some do better with heat, and some do better in the cold. Beginners would be best off starting with a local variety. 

What do I have to plant?
Each garlic bulb consists of cloves, with each clove being protected by its own garlic paper. Each clove planted will produce a full garlic bulb. Larger garlic cloves tend to produce bigger bulbs when planted. It is recommended to get the biggest garlic bulbs possible when looking for seed garlic to plant. 

How do I plant it?

Garlic plants grow best in the sun, and it is recommended to select the sunniest area of your garden for planting. Do your planting in the fall, ideally between the end of October and early November, so long as the soil has not yet frozen.

Plant the cloves pointy side up, 10 cm (or four inches) under the soil, and with 10-15 cm (four to six inches) of spacing between the cloves. For organic seed garlic, only use organic fertilizer like organic chicken manure. 

Local organic Quebec garlic is often cold-hardy and will do just fine without mulching, but mulching 2.5 cm (about an inch) on top of the soil will later help with soil water retention and prevent weeds. You can use fall leaves as mulch; there is no need to buy expensive mulch from the store.  

When do I harvest my garlic?

Harvesting the garlic takes place around the end of July, once about half of the lower leaves of the plant have turned brown. 

After harvesting, the garlic bulbs will need to be left in a dry and well ventilated area for two to five weeks, with the roots and leaves intact, to dry and to store properly. After curing, the bulbs can be cleaned and sorted.

Proper storage:

Keep the garlic in a well-ventilated container, such as a box with holes on the bottom and sides. Never store garlic in a plastic bag. Garlic should stay in a dark area at a temperature between 18 and 20 degrees. A basement with good air circulation and low humidity is an excellent option. Under ideal conditions, garlic should last between 8 and 10 months.

A final bit of advice:

While it is possible to plant garlic purchased at the grocery store, it is not recommended if you want larger, more flavourful cloves. Most garlic sold in stores comes from overseas, is often not organic, and is of poor quality. It may be sprayed with a growth inhibitor to stop it from growing green shoots, is sometimes bleached to give it a more uniform white colour, and may not grow well in colder climates. 

Purchasing seed garlic from a reputable garden centre such as Pépinière des Sources Nursery will ensure a quality harvest,  a much better germination rate, and much tastier garlic.

Mootaz Refaat is the founder of the Quebec Organic Garlic Association and is an avid gardener and garlic enthusiast. To read his full FAQ about garlic, click here. You can reach him by email at quebecorganicgarlicassociation@gmail.com.