When to Plant Garlic in Northwest Ohio

If you want garlic next summer, now is the time to plant it. In Northwest Ohio, garlic goes in the ground from mid-October to early November, a few weeks before the ground freezes.

We grow hardneck garlic from certified organic seed stock. Hardneck does well in cold winters like ours, and in June it sends up scapes, the curly flower stalks, which are good to eat too.

How to plant it

Split the bulb the day you plant. Leave the papery skin on the cloves and plant the biggest ones. Big cloves grow big bulbs.

Pointy end up, about 2 inches deep and 6 inches apart, in rows about a foot apart.

Pick a sunny spot that drains. Our ground is heavy clay, so work in compost first. A raised bed works well too.

Mulch it. Once the ground starts getting cold, cover the bed with 3 to 4 inches of straw or shredded leaves. It keeps the cloves from heaving out when the ground freezes and thaws.

Water it in, then mostly leave it alone. A few green shoots before winter are fine.

Next year

In spring, pull the mulch back a little as it warms up, keep the bed weeded and give it a feeding. Cut the scapes in June so the plant puts its energy into the bulb. Harvest when about half the leaves have turned brown, usually in July.

One more thing: skip grocery-store garlic for planting. It's often treated to keep it from sprouting and may not be a type that handles our winters.

More tips are in our Vegetable, Herb & Garlic Care guide.