The Surprising Thing You Should Plant This Fall for a Tasty Harvest Next Spring

I’ve always been a gardener, planting daffodil bulbs and tulip bulbs in the fall and vegetables in the summer. For years, I had bright flowers to welcome spring, then the usual lineup of tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs in warmer weather. But when I moved into my new house a couple of years ago, I quickly realized it didn’t have the kind of sunny patch that made a full vegetable garden possible. Still, I wanted the satisfaction of growing something I could bring into the kitchen. That’s when I discovered garlic.

Planting garlic is something I’ve come to look forward to every year. It’s surprisingly easy, and the reward is even better than flower bulbs, since my efforts yield fragrant, flavorful cloves I can pull from the pantry and use for cooking year-round.

The great thing about garlic is that it isn’t finicky and will thrive in most soils, so anyone can give it a try — just don’t pop any old grocery store clove in the ground, if you can avoid it.

“Store-bought garlic may be treated with growth inhibitors to prevent sprouting or other chemicals to prolong its storage time, which makes it unsuitable for planting,” says Nastya Vasylchyshyna, resident botany expert at plant-identifier app Plantum. “It may also carry pathogens like fungus spores or nematodes that won’t harm you but can infect your garden and ruin your crop.” 

Instead, she recommends buying seed garlic from a garden center. There are two types to choose from, says Lotte Berendsen, an expert at PlantIn, a plant identification and care app: hardneck and softneck. Hardneck garlic is sturdier, so it’s better for cooler climates (like my zone 7a in Ridgewood, New Jersey) and has a stronger flavor; softneck garlic has a more flexible stalk, smaller cloves, a longer storage life, and does better in warmer regions, she explains. (Consult the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map if you’re not sure what’s best for your area.)

Once you’ve chosen the type of garlic that’s right for you, it’s time to plant your garlic. “Plant garlic 2 to 3 inches deep and space the cloves 3 to 6 inches apart, depending on the expected size of the mature bulbs,” says Vasylchyshyna. “Leave about 12 to 16 inches between rows to give your garlic plenty of room to grow.”

If you have healthy soil, you might be able to plant garlic straight in the ground, but it doesn’t hurt to supplement it. My yard’s soil is slightly acidic and has a balance of sand, silt, and clay that drains well yet retains some moisture, but to help my garlic crop thrive, I typically mix in a little extra compost, too. 

Like any other plant, garlic needs water to grow. “Aim for about 1 inch of water per week,” says Vasylchyshyna. “Sandy soils may require more frequent watering — about 1.5 to 2 inches per week — as they dry out faster. Clay soils, which retain more moisture, may need less frequent watering.”

You should stop watering about 10 days before you plan to harvest. “Doing this starts the process of ripening inside your garlic, which also makes it easier for you to harvest the plants,” says Berendsen. 

“You’ll know your garlic is ready for harvesting when the leaves are starting to dry out, but the top few leaves still remain green,” says Berendsen. “Wait for roughly one-third of the lowest leaves to turn brown before you dig up your bulbs.”

Hardneck garlic gives an extra clue with its curled green scape — the sprout you see above ground — which appears in spring. When you see the scapes, it’s time to dig up the bulbs. Using a small garden fork or trowel, gently loosen the soil around each bulb and lift it out, being careful not to bruise or pierce the cloves.

Once out of the ground, cure the garlic bulbs by hanging them in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated space for two to four weeks. After that, you can store them in your pantry, where they’ll last for months. That’s when the real fun begins, since you can tap into all that garlic for cooking.

I love using the heads I grew myself — roasting them, tossing chopped up cloves into whatever I’m cooking, or even blending the scapes into sauces or sautéing them. It’s such a satisfying way to bring a little piece of the garden into every meal, and home-grown garlic is so much more flavorful than any grocery store variety.

You can even save your favorite cloves — the largest, densest, and healthiest plants without any damage, blemishes, or signs of disease — to plant again next year.

“After harvesting, place the bulbs in a single layer to dry in a well-ventilated, dry spot away from direct sunlight for about 2 to 3 weeks,” says Vasylchyshyna. “Then you can put them in paper bags or envelopes and store them in a cool, dry place until planting. Avoid using plastic, as it can cause the garlic to rot.” 

I love how simple it’s been to harvest tons of garlic every year. The only thing I really need for the job is a small hand trowel to make shallow holes and enough space to place cloves about 6 inches apart. After that, it’s all about patience. With a little time and effort, you can create a crop that keeps giving back year after year.