We love Garlic! We started growing garlic in October of 2017 with just 25 lbs of garlic which we purchased from an organic farm in Maine. Since our first planting, we have steadily increased the amount of garlic we plant and have been experimenting with new varieties as well. In October 2023, we planted over 600 lbs of hardneck garlic!

Here is how we grow our Garlic and manage our fields!

Cover Crops

The last few years we have experimented with planting different cover crops of Rye and Vetch, Clovers, and buckwheat. In 2021 we started a new cover crop management practice. When a garlic crop comes off the field that area is planted in mixed clovers and grasses that are mowed down once a year in the fall. The spring before the garlic will be planted in that area again, we plant Teff grass (warm season/annual grass). We allow it to grow up, then we till it back in 3 weeks before garlic planting. We test the soil mid-summer and then amend the soil with organic composts/fertilizers right before garlic planting. 

Garlic Planting

Garlic is planted 6 weeks before the ground freezes hard. We always plant around October 10 here in Northwestern Michigan. The field is tilled, fertilized (organic fertilizer), and we make raised beds with a bed shaper. Once the beds are shaped, holes are punched 8 inches apart with 3 rows to a bed. The garlic bulbs are split into individual cloves by hand. Then they are placed in mesh bags and dipped into fish emulsion for 8-12 hours. After soaking, the cloves are placed into rubbing alcohol for appr. 15 min. to kill bacteria that may be lingering on the garlic cloves. After this, we plant each clove pointy end up appr. 2 in. below the soil surface. Once the garlic is planted we lay oat straw appr. 4 in. thick over the top of the rows. The Oats may sprout in the fall but the seeds will die in the winter and will not re-seed,  in our cold northern climates, in the spring. However, beware of rye straw. If you lay rye straw your beds will be a weedy mess in the spring.

Growth Stage


By the end of April, the garlic is growing strong. We leave the straw on and overhead spray an organic fish emulsion/kelp mixture every 2 weeks for 6 weeks. Our last spray is usually about the 1st of June. Three weeks before harvest we harvest the garlic scapes off of the garlic plants to encourage them to grow bigger bulbs. We weed rows as necessary and overhead water as needed. Field prep and straw thickness make a huge difference in the amount we have to weed and water. Garlic hates weeds so stay on top of them as much as you can! 

Garlic Harvest

Garlic harvest happens early to mid-July depending on the variety. Harvest when there are only four green leaves left. The leaves should be brown halfway up the garlic plant with only four green leaves left on the upper half. Every leaf is a paper wrapper around your garlic bulb. Therefore, with four green leaves, you are harvesting your garlic with four wrappers around your garlic bulbs protecting your garlic cloves. Once they are harvested, get them out of the sun as soon as possible and place them in a shaded area with good airflow. They need appr. four weeks to dry. You can hang them in bunches or place them on drying racks. The area must be shaded, dry, and have good air circulation for your garlic to dry properly. Once the four weeks are up, brush off all the extra dirt, clip the garlic stems and roots, and place them in a cool dry place so that they can be used for months to come. Enjoy!