Garlic adds spice to the garden and
potent flavor for your summer meals.
Fall (after the first frost) is the perfect time to plant garlic for your summer harvest. A sunny, well-drained garden amended with compost provides ideal growing conditions. Water until the weather stops you, then start again after the snow melts in the spring. Come in to Giordano’s for all your compost and topsoil needs.
Have extra garlic from the grocery store? Whether it’s bagged or full bulbs, you can start growing your own garlic with one clove! It will taste amazing when it’s home grown!
The kind of garlic you get at the store is most usually the softneck type (leafy, soft stalk). It’s white with silvery skin and keeps a long time in storage. If you like the flavor of this garlic then why not plant some!
Hardneck garlic has a sturdy stalk and larger cloves. You’ll tend to find these at farmers markets or online. There are pretty varieties with purple stripes and others with interesting names such as “Killarney Red.” It’s fun to research the options and experiment.
For better results, visit your farmers market and pick up a couple of bulbs. That garlic is more apt to sprout successfully. Separate the cloves and plant them (pointed side up) 4-6 inches apart, 1 to 2 inches deep. Cover with mulch or loose seeding mix/topsoil. Harvest next summer when the spring sprouts turn brown.