Extension

Shelby Mendoza, Assistant Manager for the OSU Student Farm

It is almost time to plant garlic! Garlic is a cool-season crop that is typically grown in Oklahoma from mid-October through June. If you are cleaning out your summer vegetable garden and looking for something else to plant, garlic may be the crop for you.

Garlic grows best in well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Although garlic overwinters in the garden, it still requires full sun.

When you go to buy garlic, there are two main types to choose from: hardneck and softneck. Sofneck garlic produces medium-sized outer cloves and small inner cloves. Softneck varieties can also be braided after harvesting, which makes them a popular choice for gardeners wanting to dry and store their harvest. However, softneck varieties are generally less winter hardy than hardneck varieties.

Hardneck garlic produces larger cloves around the outside of the bulb and does not produce the smaller inner cloves found in softneck garlic. Before the bulbs are ready to harvest, hardneck varieties will produce a flower stalk called a scape. Garlic scapes are edible and often harvested to use in the kitchen.

Garlic is considered a heavy feeding crop that requires good soil fertility to produce quality cloves. Before planting, prepare the planting area by incorporating compost or applying a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer, such as feather meal or blood meal.

When you are ready to plant, you will plant an individual clove leaving the papery covering, or tunic, on each clove. Plant each clove with the rounded end, the root end, pointing down. Plant each clove 3-4 inches deep leaving 6 inches between cloves.

Applying mulch after planting can help garlic perform better by reducing weed pressure, protecting the cloves from cold damage, and helping to maintain consistent soil moisture.

If you are new to growing garlic in Oklahoma, hardneck varieties that have performed well in the state include German Extra Hardy and Chesnok Red. With the right variety, good soil preparation, and proper planting, garlic can be a relatively easy addition to the home garden.