Garlic & Shallot Planting in 2 Easy Steps + Video Tutorial!
Garlic and shallots are one of THE easiest things to grow in your garden! Simply plant the seed (cloves) in the fall and harvest in about June. Here's two easy steps plus some planting tips to make sure you get the biggest and best harvests.
Got Seeds? Get your garlic and shallot seed from me! I carry locally grown, organic certified garlic and shallot seed available to preorder in September.
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When to plant garlic and shallots
In the Puget Sound area I plant my garlic around Halloween, ensuring the outdoor temperatures have cooled and preventing the likelihood of the garlic seed sprouting as soon as you plant it. This causes the clove/bulb to use energy. It will likely be ok if this happens, but trying to prevent it will ensure your cloves have enough energy come spring to grow into mature heads.
Step 1: Divide the cloves from the head
Try to keep as much of the paper around each clove as possible. For shallots, just divide the individual bulbs from each other.
For garlic: Be sure to only use the biggest cloves for seeding. The little tiny cloves in the center can be used for dinner.
Step 2: Plant the cloves
Plant root side down, pointy end up!
Dig your holes about 4" deep or double the size of the clove. If they are too close to the surface they are more susceptible to frequent changes in temperature, freezing, etc. and may rot.
Space them about 6" apart
Video: Planting seed garlic. I love using my hori-hori for this job! Dig a hole twice as deep is the height of the garlic clove, plant the colve pointy end up and cover with soil.
PRO TIP - Space saving and multi cropping your beds: Plant your garlic and shallots along the edge of your garden beds! They fit nicely along the edge where you likely don't have anything growing anyway. This allows you room in the beds for your fall, spring and summer crops.
Mulch:
This is an optional step but I mulch all of my beds with fall leaves, but some folks swear by mulching with straw. But organic straw is expensive so don't waste your money! Mulching the soil helps protect it from frequent temperature changes AND provides great habitat for overwintering insects. I use a combination of cover crops and leaf mulch - such as the fava beans you see in this video.
Spring feeding:
Another completely optional step depending on your soil fertility. I grew garlic for years without ever fertilizing in the spring and had great harvests. However, I always top dress with fresh Cedar Grove compost in the spring, which helps to feed the soil organisms thereby feeding the plants. Annual top dressing about 1/4 to 1/2 of compost should be plenty.
Harvesting questions?
Check out my Garlic and Shallot Harvesting post about how to harvest and cure your garlic! You can also contact me for more information or to discuss your garden goals and learn more about garden coaching or consultations.
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