Growing Garlic

The Process

Determine your growing zone by looking at the USDA Plant Hardiness Map.
Depending on the zone, planting should take place in the fall from September through November or 6 weeks before the soil freezes.
Test your soil’s pH balance.
Ensure soil has good drainage, is well fertilized and fully exposed to sunlight.

Improve soil quality in the spring by adding fertilizer, composted manure, humus, compost or other products high in nitrogen.
Adjust pH balance to 6 or 7 by using agricultural limestone (not hydrated lime) or wood ashes,

Separate garlic bulb into cloves but do not peel.
Choose cloves that have the thinnest skin.
Plant with the large, root end down towards the soil and the tip facing the sky.
Plant an an inch deep or more depending on you planting zone.
Plant with 6-8 inches between cloves.
Cover with soil.

When the bottom leaves of the garlic start to yellow or brown, your garlic should be ready. The browning of leaves indicate that the cloves are beginning to separate from each other, thereby losing some of the protective skin covering unique to garlic.
As the protective covering begins to fall, the garlic rises.
Use a garden fork to help loosen the soil around the garlic bulb.
Shake off excess soil.
Once garlic is unearthed, it should be moved out of direct sunlight.
Do not wash bulbs.

Curing

Dry or cure before storing.
During drying process, leave bulbs and stalk attached.
Using twine yarn, etc, tie 8-10 stalks together, hang them in a cool and dry place. You can also lay them flat on a screen.
Check to see if hard-neck varieties are getting soft.
Cure the bulbs for 3-4 weeks out of sunlight. You can also use a mesh back to cure garlic.
Soft-neck garlic can be stored for 6-8 months. Hard-neck varieties can be stored for 3-4 months..

Freezing

Drying