Garlic

Enjoy Premium Garlic Bulbs for Planting from Gurney's

Garlic is one of the easiest and most rewarding crops to grow in the garden. It takes up little space and requires little maintenance--and your reward is zesty, complex flavors and varieties that you won't find at just any grocery store. Gurney's has provided generations of gardeners with garlic bulbs and offers a wide selection of garlic bulbs for sale. We grow garlic seeds in our test gardens and only offer the top varieties in terms of taste and garden performance.

Choosing the Right Garlic Bulbs to Plant

Want to buy garlic bulbs, but aren't sure where to start? Here are some basics about selecting garlic for the garden. Choose from two different types of garlic: hardneck and softneck. Hardneck has a central stalk or scape and performs best in northern climates. Softneck performs best in southern regions, is best for braiding and produces more cloves than hardneck varieties. Garlic bulb flavors can range from mild to zesty to fiery--and many gardeners like to grow several different varieties.

Getting Started with Garlic Bulbs

While some gardeners start garlic from seeds, Gurney's offers plump, garlic bulbs for sale and delivers them right to your door. Before buying garlic bulbs, determine where you plan to plant them.

Garlic is a popular Allium that has seasoned dishes for thousands of years. Long cultivated for its pungent flavor and purported medicinal properties, garlic is primarily propagated by cloves (bulbs) which are typically planted in the fall for harvest the following summer. Relatively easy to grow, garlic also stores well. Making it a popular choice for gardeners who want to enjoy the fruits of their labor all year long.

How to Plant Garlic Bulbs

In most areas of the country, garlic is planted into the garden or raised bed.

How To Plant Garlic Bulbs Indoors

While garlic can be grown indoors, it will not form the large bulbs that it does when grown in the garden and experiencing the chilling temperatures. If you grow garlic in pots indoors, you'll likely get green shoots that are milder than garlic cloves. Not only will they brighten the indoors, they add a wonderfully mild, garlicky flavor to recipes. When planting garlic indoors, just add several cloves to a pot filled with potting soil and water. Green shoots will appear within a week or two. The shoots can be trimmed and added to recipes.

How To Plant Garlic In The Fall

To successfully grow garlic in the fall, start by selecting a sunny location with well-draining soil. Break apart garlic bulbs into individual cloves, ensuring the papery husk remains intact. Plant each clove 2-4 inches deep with the pointed end facing up, spacing them about 6 inches apart in rows that are 12 inches apart. After planting, water the cloves thoroughly and mulch with straw or leaves to shield them from winter conditions. Adding a layer of compost or fertilizer at planting time will benefit the garlic. As spring arrives, remove the mulch to allow the new shoots to emerge.

When to Plant Garlic Bulbs

Garlic is usually planted in the fall after the first frost. Garlic can also be planted in early spring. Growing Tip: If you're planting your garlic bulbs in the fall, it's going to usually be one to two weeks after the first killing frost. Garlic needs at least six to eight weeks of cool weather to grow properly.

When to Harvest Garlic Bulbs

To harvest garlic bulbs, wait until mid to late summer when the lower leaves have browned, but the upper leaves are still green, typically around 7-8 months after planting. Carefully loosen the soil around the bulbs using a garden fork or shovel, ensuring not to damage them. Lift the bulbs from the ground, brush off any excess soil, and allow them to cure in a warm, dry, and well-ventilated area for two to three weeks. Once cured, trim the roots and cut the stems to about an inch above the bulbs. Store the garlic in a cool, dry place with good air circulation.