🧄
Garlic
Music
Alliums
☀️
Sun
full sun
💧
Water
Every 7 days
🌱
Germination
14 days
🕐
Days to harvest
240 days
📏
Planting depth
2 inches deep
↔️
Row spacing
12 inches
When to Plant
Plant in fall (Oct–Nov)
Growing Guide
Soil: well-drained loamy · pH 6.0–7.0
Loosen soil 10 inches deep and work in 2–3 inches of finished compost. Garlic rots in waterlogged soil — raised beds with sharp drainage are ideal. Avoid fresh manure which promotes soft rot.
- Break bulbs into cloves just before planting — do not peel
- Plant pointed end up, flat basal plate down, 2 inches deep
- Space cloves 6 inches apart in rows 12 inches wide
- Mulch with 4–6 inches of straw after the ground has frozen in late fall
- Remove mulch in spring once shoots emerge through the soil
Care
💧 Water every 7 days
🌿 Fertilize every 21 days
📐 Spacing: 6 inches apart · 12 inches between rows
Recommended sub-rows: 3
Harvest & Storage
Ready in 240 days with a harvest window of 21 days.
- Harvest when 3–4 lower leaves have turned yellow-brown (usually late June–early July in zone 5)
- Loosen soil with a garden fork first — yanking stems breaks them
- Brush off excess soil; do not wash until ready to use
- Cure in a warm, dry, ventilated space (a covered porch or airy shed) for 3–4 weeks
Storage
Store cured bulbs in mesh bags or braids at 60–65°F with good airflow. Avoid the refrigerator — cool damp air triggers sprouting. Music garlic stores 6–9 months.
Companion Planting
Grows well with:
beetcarrotlettucetomato
Keep away from:
beanpea
Essential Tools
- Garden fork (harvest without breaking stems)
- Trowel (planting individual cloves)
- Straw mulch (winter frost protection)
Pests & Diseases
- White rot (Sclerotium cepivorum): white fungal growth at bulb base — avoid replanting alliums in infected soil for 20+ years
- Onion maggot: row covers immediately after planting prevent egg-laying
- Rust: orange pustules on leaves in humid summers — improve air circulation and avoid overhead watering