Nicole Johnsey Burke shows how to plant garlic cloves in fall for winter growth. Break bulbs into individual cloves, plant the largest ones tip-up in 4-inch-deep holes, space about nine per square foot, and cover gently with soil.
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Here's a step-by-step to grow your own organic garlic at home. First up, prep the soil. Remove any spent plants from last season and feel free to add a little bit of organic compost. Not much is needed though. Then make some nice straight lines. Use a dibber to make perfectly shaped holes about 4 inches down, shallower in hot areas and deeper in cold. I aim to grow about 9 bulbs of garlic per square foot with this spacing. Now it's time to prep your garlic. Take an organic bulb of garlic and gently break it into individual cloves. Keep the skin on each clove. Now choose the biggest cloves— these are the ones you're going to plant— and begin to place one in each hole. Be sure the flat end goes down and the tip stays up. Once all your cloves are in, turn your rake upside down and gently cover up all those cloves. And that's exactly how you grow your own garlic at home.