Growing Guide
How to Grow Garlic
A step-by-step guide to growing full, pungent bulbs from our seed garlic — from fall planting to summer harvest. These instructions are specific for the growing climate of mid-Coast Maine & our heirloom Music variety. This is our opinion & our experience, and yours may differ!
Plant in fall
Garlic goes in the ground about 30 days before the first frost. In Maine, that's between October 15 and November 15 — try to finish before late November, when things get muddy.
Separate the bulb into cloves
Each seed garlic bulb breaks apart into roughly 6–8 individual cloves.
Set each clove, pointed end up
Plant 3-4 inches deep in a soft, organic compost blend, root plate down and pointed end up, fully covered with soil. Space cloves 8–10 inches apart. We do not recommend mulching because we want to the soil around the bulb to dry out and avoid mold and fungal growth with can cause root rot.
Watch for the first spring shoots
During the winter months, the garlic is growing its root system. This is the most important time for the garlic. The established root system keeps the garlic from uplifting in the frost. This is why we plant the garlic so deep so that the frost does not hinder the root growth.
Weed, then cut the scapes
Keep the plot weeded so nutrients go to the garlic, not the weeds. In June, plants send up curling scapes — round shoots with a bulbous top. Cut them once they curl, so the plant puts all its energy into the root bulb. Scapes are great in pesto, stir-fry, or on pizza.
Harvest around mid-July
Once at least two bottom leaves have browned, the garlic is ready to come out of the ground. If the cloves have already begun to separate inside the bulb, you've waited too long.
Cure the bulbs
We cut the stems and lay the bulbs on a ventilated greenhouse table so that they don't get the chance to mildew. We don't hang the garlic, simply because we want to dry it down fast. Move bulbs to a cool, dry place right away. Space them so they don't touch, to avoid mold or rot.
Clean and store
Trim the roots and remove the outer wrapper until the bulb is free of dirt. We do this so we can examine every bulb for possible disease or pest activity. Stored properly, garlic keeps for up to 9 months and stays tasty and pungent.