Hardneck garlic varieties tend to form fewer cloves per bulb than softneck varieties, but those cloves are often a bit larger. Hardneck garlic grows better in colder climates because it requires prolonged exposure to cold weather of at least 40 days at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less. This process is called vernalization.
Porcelain garlic typically has bulbs with thick, bright-white skin. Bulbs have at least four cloves that are bold in flavor when raw or cooked. Porcelain garlic is cold-tolerant and stores for about eight months.
Purple Stripe garlics include glazed purple-stripe, marbled purple-stripe, and standard purple-stripe subgroups. Off-white bulbs have some degree of purple striping and deep-purple to red clove wrappers. This garlic type excels when baked or roasted.
Other types of hardneck garlic include Rocambole, Marble Purple Stripe, Glazed Purple Stripe, Asiatic, Turban, and Creole.
Softneck garlic varieties excel in milder climates, growing better in environments with warmer winters because they do not require cold exposure to make bulbs (whereas hardneck garlics do). They also mature more quickly than hardneck varieties, don’t form scapes, and generally contain several small cloves per bulb.
Garlic is a favorite ingredient in cuisines around the world, Growing your own garlic allows you to enjoy fresh homegrown flavor while saving money at the grocery store
One of the easiest ways to grow garlic is by saving seeds from heads you purchase at the store or your own garden. With just a little preparation, you can grow garlic for years to come.
Harvesting Garlic for Seeds
The first step is harvesting garlic bulbs for seed saving Wait until the plants are fully mature before digging them up Look for yellowing foliage that starts to dry out and fall over.
Carefully dig up entire plants with a garden fork, keeping the bulbs intact. Gently brush off excess soil, but leave skins on for now.
Select your largest, healthiest bulbs for seed garlic. Avoid any with signs of disease, bruising, or damage. Set aside smaller bulbs for eating and preserve the best for planting.
Curing Bulbs
Before storing for seed, garlic bulbs need to cure. Curing helps dry them out for longer storage.
Start by cutting off roots and leaving a 1-2 inch stem attached to each bulb. Tie bundles of bulbs together by their stems and hang in a dry, shaded spot with good airflow.
Cure bulbs for 2-3 weeks until the wrappers are papery and outer skins feel crisp. Stems should be dried out and shriveled.
Storing Conditions
Proper storage conditions are vital for seed garlic. Cool temperatures between 32-50°F and low humidity around 65% keeps bulbs dormant.
Avoid storing seed garlic anywhere too warm like near appliances or in the kitchen. Heat causes sprouting which shortens shelf life. Don’t refrigerate either, as the cold also encourages sprouting.
Keep bulbs in a dark spot protected from light. Sunlight can cause bulbs to sprout and degrade faster. An unheated basement or garage works well for seed storage.
Storage Containers
Breathable containers are ideal for storing seed garlic. Options include:
- Brown paper bags
- Mesh bags or baskets
- Cardboard boxes with ventilation holes
- Trays layered with newspaper
The goal is to allow air circulation while keeping light out. Don’t use sealed plastic bags or airtight containers.
Garlic Seed Shelf Life
With proper curing, storage conditions, and containers, seed garlic lasts 6-9 months on average. Some varieties may stay viable for planting up to a year later.
Check bulbs every few months and remove any that show signs of sprouting or decay. Use those right away and preserve only the firmest, healthiest cloves for planting.
Discard any leftover seed garlic that doesn’t get planted within a year. Old garlic won’t be as vigorous or productive.
Planting Garlic Seeds
In the fall, break seed bulbs into individual cloves for planting. Separate the papery skins around each clove, but keep skins intact.
Plant cloves root-side down, 2-3 inches deep and 6 inches apart in rows. Space rows 12-18 inches apart. Cover with soil and mulch heavily for winter.
Seed garlic needs exposure to winter cold before it will form bulbs. The vernalization period triggers bulbing once planted in spring.
With properly cured and stored seed garlic, you can grow your own sustainable garlic crop after crop. Saving seeds takes only a small amount of preparation but provides an ongoing harvest.
When and How to Harvest for Food Consumption
Harvest after 3 or 4 leaves have died back and there are still 5 or 6 green leaves remaining on the plant—sometime in June or July, depending on the year and your climate. Do not wait too long or the bulbs will begin to separate in the ground.
Loosen the soil with a shovel or pitchfork and then dig the garlic carefully. Do not pull the stalk or it will separate from the bulb. Gently brush most of the dirt off.
Tie plants in a bundle of 6-8 plants and hang in a shaded, dry, well-ventilated shed or garage. Leave plants hanging for 4-6 weeks so that bulbs can cure.
Garlic is a good complement to many dishes, and is often used in stir-fries and Italian dishes.
After thoroughly drying, trim off the roots and cut the stalks off about 1 ½ inches from the bulb. Store in net bags. For optimum storage, hang in an area with 45-55 percent humidity and a temperature of 50-70 degrees F. Hold back your nicest bulbs for replanting.
How to Grow Garlic
This culinary staple is rarely propagated from seeds. Instead, a few aromatic bulbs of garlic are saved from the harvest and replanted the following year.
Plant garlic in the fall, usually between September 15 and November 30, after the first light frost of the year.
Keep bulbs intact until right before planting. Break bulbs into individual cloves and plant the largest, healthiest looking cloves with the basal plate—the point where the cloves attached to the bulb—down and the pointed shoot-end up, 6-8 inches apart. Cover with 2 inches of soil and a 6-inch layer of mulch.
Cloves may begin to sprout through the mulch in 4-8 weeks, depending on the variety and the weather conditions in your region. Do not be concerned. The plants may suffer some frost or a light freeze and still survive the weather.
Garlic plants must be vernalized (overwintered) in order for their bulbs to develop. Do not remove mulch in the spring; it helps control weeds, preserve moisture, and provide nutrients as it decomposes.
When garlic shoots begin to emerge in early spring, ensure even soil moisture by supplying 1 inch of water per week throughout the growing season. Garlic does not compete well with weeds, so keep weeds under control early to ensure a bountiful harvest.
Scapes are the curly flower stems that often form as the garlic matures. Cut or break scapes off after they are 10 inches long and reserve them for eating.
How to save seed from garlic and shallots
FAQ
How to save garlic for seeds?
Storage Conditions
Temperature plays a huge factor in how long your seed garlic will last in storage. Bulbs stored in a dry, unheated room that is about 47 to 65°F will usually last long enough to be planted. Photo by Kristine Lofgren. Anything below 47°F will shorten its lifespan, and freezing will kill it.
What to do with garlic that has gone to seed?
If they only form rounds, you can just leave them in place and they’ll grow into bulbs next year, or you can just use the rounds as large garlic cloves.
Can you plant garlic seed heads?
Most seed garlic available for purchase is simply a head of garlic that you break apart into individual cloves. Plant the cloves pointy end up in furrows or holes, and they will grow into a whole head. You can then save some of your garlic heads after harvest to be “seed” for next year.
How do you dry wild garlic seeds?
If lots of petals have risen to the top you can push down the seed heads and remove the petals with a sieve or slotted spoon. Lay out tea towels on your worktop and spread the wild garlic seeds evenly allowing them to dry completely.
Can you save garlic seed instead of seed?
Growing garlic from seed can be more rewarding than using seed garlic. While an heirloom hard neck garlic variety may only produce 4 to 8 large cloves for seed, it will produce somewhere between 20 and 100 little bulbils if the scapes are left intact. Using these bulbils as seed pays back in huge dividends.
How should one take powder garlic?
Garlic powder can be used in the preparation of foods such as broths, soups, chicken, fish, meat, beans, pates, sauces and in the most varied types of recipes.
How should you store garlic seed?
To store garlic seed, first break the bulbils apart and let them dry in a protected, well-ventilated area for a few days. After drying, store them in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight until the fall. Planting garlic seed is a bit different than seed garlic cloves.
Why should garlic seeds be planted separately?
Garlic seeds should be planted separately because they’ll take extra time to mature and you’ll be disappointed if you accidentally harvest them with your garlic crop the summer following planting. Start by planting garlic seeds in the fall at the same time as your regular garlic bulbs.
Can you grow garlic from seeds?
Garlic is vegetatively propagated rather than grown from seeds. To regrow garlic, keep bulbs intact until no more than 1-2 days before replanting, then simply pull apart garlic bulbs and plant individual cloves as described above.
How do you keep garlic fresh for a long time?
Proper storage is key to keeping garlic fresh and flavorful for an extended period. Garlic bulbs should be cured and stored in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight. The storage area should have good airflow and moderate humidity levels, ideally between 60-65% relative humidity.