🧄 How We Grow, Cure & Store Garlic — From Clove to Bulb 🌱
Simple, sustainable, and incredibly effective
If you eat a lot of garlic, even a small garden can produce everything you need for the year. This walkthrough shows the full garlic cycle — planting, growing, harvesting, curing, storing, and saving seed — using low-cost, organic methods.
🌿 Garlic Varieties
Hardneck vs softneck
Cold-hardy options like Music, Siberian, Spanish Roja
When (and why) to grow each type
☀️ Growing Conditions
Full sun (partial shade tolerated)
Well-drained soil with compost
No store-bought fertilizers or chemicals
🌱 Planting & Care
Fall planting for best results
Cloves planted pointy-side up
Heavy leaf mulch for winter protection
Minimal watering, compost-only feeding
✂️ Harvesting
Harvest scapes to boost bulb size
Pull garlic when leaves yellow or tops flop
Harvest on dry days for best curing
🧺 Curing & Storage
Air-dry in a shaded, ventilated space
Trim stems and roots after curing
Store in breathable containers (mesh, baskets, paper bags)
Cool, dark, dry storage = months of garlic
🌾 Saving Seed Garlic
Save the largest, healthiest bulbs
Leave bulbs intact until planting time
Over time, garlic adapts to your local climate
🌎 Why This Matters
This approach focuses on:
Growing a lot of food on a little land
Keeping costs and labor low
Building soil health with compost and mulch
Long-term self-reliance, year after year
Garlic is one of the easiest, most rewarding crops to grow — and once you start saving your own seed, you’re truly closing the loop.
🧄 If you grow garlic, what varieties have worked best for you?