Plant Garlic From Grocery Store

While there are many benefits to growing your own garlic, the simplest reason is this: you will eat better. Garlic isn’t just a flavor enhancer in soups and salads or on meats; it’s also a superfood that fights cancer, lowers bad cholesterol, regulates blood pressure and boosts your immune system. It’s even antibacterial and antiviral. And while garlic can be purchased with relative ease at the local grocery store or farmer’s market, I find that—as with most things—it tastes best when it comes from my very own garden. The good news is that you don’t have to invest in a lot of space or spend months prepping for a successful garlic crop. In fact, much like you used to grow basil from clippings in elementary school science class, you can grow new bulbs of garlic from those harvested in stores (or even those left over from cooking!). Here’s how!

You can plant garlic bulbs from the store and get a whole new crop of your own.

Garlic is best grown in fall, but it can be planted anytime between October and April. Garlic is a hardy crop that doesn’t require much care or maintenance.

To plant garlic from grocery store bulbs, simply separate the cloves from the bulb and plant three to four inches apart with pointy ends facing upwards. Plant each clove 1-2 inches deep in soil that has been enriched with manure or compost for best results.

It’s easy, it’s incredibly cheap and you’ll be the envy of your neighbors.

It’s easy, it’s incredibly cheap and you’ll be the envy of your neighbors.

Garlic is a member of the onion family and there are many types to choose from: softneck, hardneck and elephant garlic (which is actually not a true garlic). The most common grocery store variety is softneck garlic. If you want to try growing softneck bulbs next year, buy some now at the grocery store or farm stand.

Most softneck varieties are planted in fall but can also be purchased as green tops in spring for planting later in summer. When planting your cloves, choose an area that has full sun and well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0-7.5 (don’t worry if you’re not sure what this means). To plant more than one clove per spot, space them apart as they grow into separate plants; these plants will need about 12 inches of space between them when mature so plan accordingly!

All you need is some soil, a sunny spot in your garden, good drainage and quality organic garlic bulbs.

Garlic is a hardy plant, growing in a wide range of soil types and conditions, but it does have some specific needs. Garlic prefers full sun and good drainage. You’ll also want to plant your garlic bulbs at the same time as you would winter squash, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. This gives all of these plants the chance to grow together and give each other support through their first season in your garden. If you’re planting garlic in the fall, be sure that you choose bulbs that are firm with no soft spots or signs of mold or mildew on them.

Make sure the garlic bulbs are not blemished or sprouting.

Make sure the garlic bulbs are not blemished or sprouting.

Check to make sure the bulb is not too large or too small. The size of the bulb should be something you can easily hold in your hand without feeling like it might break, and it should fit comfortably into a pot of soil when you plant it.

The next step is to inspect each clove individually for signs of life. The cloves should look dark brown or black, but not green—if they’re green, throw them away!

Break up the bulbs into individual cloves, making sure to leave the outer husk on each clove.

We are not going to be splitting the cloves or removing the outer husk, so you can use a sharp knife for this part. If you have a garlic press, that’s perfect! But if not, don’t worry—you’ll get it done anyway.

The goal is to break up each bulb into individual cloves and leave the outer husk on each clove. If you’re using a knife, just cut about ¼” off the top end of each bulb and peel away some of the papery skin (but not too much). The amount of skin removed varies by variety; sometimes there is no papery layer at all! Next cut through each clove until it separates from its outer shell without splitting apart or pulling off too much of its wrapper (this part gets easier with practice).

Plant them with the pointed end up about one inch deep into moist soil.

Put the cloves in a sunny spot. The soil should be moist, but not soggy, and have good drainage. Plant them with the pointed end up about one inch deep into moist soil.

The spacing between cloves should be about 6 inches apart.

Plant the cloves about 6 inches apart. If you’re growing a lot of garlic and want to maximize your space, you can plant them further apart (but not too far). If you’re planting only a few cloves, then they can be planted closer together.

Water regularly and keep an eye out for weeds.

Watering is a must for any plant, but especially garlic. Without consistent water, the roots will become dry and brittle and will start to die off. Be sure to water your garlic regularly and keep an eye out for weeds—if there aren’t any around, you can skip this step!

If it’s too wet in your garden, you’ll want to cut back on watering or put some mulch around the base of your plants (this will help prevent excessive moisture). If it’s been dry out and you’re noticing that your soil is getting too dry, go ahead and give them some TLC by watering them twice as much as usual.

You can do this!

You can do this! You have everything you need right now, and it’s a great time of year to plant garlic.

Garlic doesn’t take up much space, so if you have an apartment or city garden plot, don’t worry about not having room for it. It also isn’t expensive to grow; in fact, the grocery store garlic cloves are actually more expensive than buying them from a local farmer at your local farmers market or grocery store with produce that is in season.

Additionally, once you get good at growing your own garlic you will be able to save money on future purchases by planting large amounts at once instead of small amounts over time.

You can do this! All you need is some soil, a sunny spot in your garden, good drainage and quality organic garlic bulbs. Make sure the garlic bulbs are not blemished or sprouting. Break up the bulbs into individual cloves, making sure to leave the outer husk on each clove. Plant them with the pointed end up about one inch deep into moist soil. The spacing between cloves should be about six inches apart. Water regularly and keep an eye out for weeds.