How to Grow Garlic from Cloves
Growing Big Garlic Heads Starts with Smart Clove Choices
When you’re ready to plant garlic in the fall, the most important decision you’ll make is choosing the right size of cloves. In my own garden, I once ran a little experiment by planting one row of small cloves and another with the largest ones I could find. Everything else was kept the same—same location, soil, and sunlight. Nine months later at harvest, the largest cloves yielded nearly double the weight per head, averaging 71 grams, while the smallest came in at just 29.2 gr. The impact of clove size was undeniable. My tip? Save the small ones for your next kitchen meal, and grow those honkin’ big bulbs instead.
To make your garlic truly thrive, get your cloves into the ground before it starts to freeze for winter. The best window to plant is anytime from early October to mid-November, depending on your growing zone. For colder areas, aim for earlier dates to let roots establish. If you’re in a warmer region, garlic might still do well later in the season. Make sure to choose a full-sun location—I always give garlic a prime spot in the sunniest part of my real estate where I grow other favorite crops. Garlic requires energy from the sun to fully produce healthy bulbs, especially if you want the biggest returns.
No matter the types of garlic you choose to grow, whether softneck or hardneck, the planting method holds true. Use only the largest healthy cloves for planting; smaller ones won’t give you the same results. Garlic is a cold-loving plant that benefits from a chilling period—so if you’re planting in spring, you can pre-chill your cloves in the fridge beforehand to make sure they form proper bulbs. Proper planting habits, like spacing, full sun, and soil care, go a long way in influencing the average bulb size, total yield, and overall garlic quality throughout the growing season.
Final Tips on Growing Garlic from a Clove
Can I grow garlic from a garlic clove? Absolutely! Just separate a clove from a healthy bulb, leave the papery skin on, and plant it about 2 inches deep in well-draining soil with the pointy end up and the flat end down, ideally in a sunny location. How long does it take to grow garlic from a clove? It takes a full cycle—typically planted in the fall and harvested in summer, needing cold weather for at least six weeks to form a mature bulb. Can you grow garlic from a grocery store clove? You can, but your chances of success are better if you use organic garlic rather than conventional ones, which may be treated to prevent sprouting. For best results, choose the largest individual cloves. And what’s the 10-minute garlic rule? It’s a simple cooking technique: after chopping or crushing garlic, let it sit for 10 minutes—the waiting triggers an enzymatic reaction that boosts allicin, the compound responsible for garlic’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and health benefits, before heat can degrade its properties.
