Time to Plant Garlic! A Guide to Growing Garlic in Central Texas
Have you ever wanted to grow your own garlic? Fall is the perfect time to get started! In Central Texas, our relatively mild winters allow us to plant cool-season vegetables in the fall and harvest them in the spring. Garlic is one of these easy-to-grow crops.
The best time to plant garlic in Central Texas is October and November. With the right garlic variety and a little preparation, you can enjoy homegrown garlic by late spring. Once you see how easy it is to grow, you may wonder why you didn’t plant it sooner!
Choose the Right Garlic for Central Texas
Garlic grows best in rich, organic soil with good drainage. Before you plant, choose a variety that suits our Central Texas climate.
Garlic comes in two main types: hardneck and softneck.
- Hardneck garlic needs a longer period of winter chilling to develop properly, which makes it less suitable for our area.
- Softneck garlic develops bulbs with the amount of winter chilling we typically experience in Central Texas, making it a better choice for local gardeners.
When you purchase garlic bulbs from Backbone Valley Nursery, separate each bulb into individual cloves. Choose the largest cloves for planting, and save the smaller ones for cooking.
Garlic Varieties to Try in Central Texas
Backbone Valley Nursery features garlic varieties that offer different flavors, bulb characteristics, and growing qualities. Here are two varieties to consider for your garden.
Organic Early Italian Purple Garlic
Early Italian Purple produces large bulbs with numerous cloves wrapped in white skin with purple stripes. These vigorous plants adapt well to different growing conditions and tolerate heat relatively well. The bulbs also store well and work nicely for braiding.
Organic Inchelium Red Garlic
Inchelium Red originated on the Colville Indian Reservation near Inchelium, Washington.
This variety produces bulbs with light purple markings. Each bulb typically contains 12–16 cloves, with larger outer cloves and smaller cloves clustered in the center.
Inchelium Red also has a notable reputation for flavor. The Rodale Institute rated it the best-tasting garlic in a 1990 evaluation.
How to Plant Garlic
Follow these simple steps to plant garlic in your garden:
- Prepare the soil. Choose a sunny location with rich, organic soil that drains well.
- Separate the cloves. Break apart the garlic bulb, keeping the papery skin around each individual clove intact.
- Plant the cloves. Space the cloves 4–6 inches apart.
- Position them correctly. Place each clove with its pointed end facing up.
- Cover with soil. Plant the cloves about 1–2 inches deep.
- Add mulch. Cover the bed with mulch, compost or another suitable organic mulch to help retain soil moisture.
Water the bed thoroughly after planting.
How to Care for Garlic During Winter
Water your garlic regularly and keep the soil moist but never soggy. Your garlic should begin growing in about two weeks, then continue growing slowly throughout the winter.
You don’t need to cover your garlic during typical Central Texas freezing temperatures.
Continue monitoring soil moisture throughout the growing season. Good drainage is especially important because overly wet soil can encourage bulb rot and other problems.
If your garlic produces flowering stalks, called scapes, check the recommendations for your variety. Gardeners commonly remove scapes from hardneck garlic to encourage the plant to direct more resources toward bulb development.
When to Harvest Garlic in Central Texas
Your garlic should be ready to harvest in May or June, depending on the variety and growing conditions.
Watch the leaves as harvest time approaches. When several of the lower leaves begin turning yellow, check whether your bulbs have developed fully.
Follow these steps to harvest and prepare your garlic:
- Reduce watering. Stop watering about a week before your expected harvest to allow the soil to dry and the bulbs to begin curing.
- Loosen the soil. Use a garden fork or shovel to loosen the soil around each bulb.
- Lift the bulbs carefully. Dig around the garlic rather than pulling the plants from the ground. This helps prevent damage and improves storage quality.
- Remove excess soil. Gently brush away loose soil without damaging the bulbs or their protective skins.
- Cure the garlic. Lay the harvested plants in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location away from direct sunlight. Allow the bulbs to dry thoroughly before storing them.
Proper curing helps garlic store longer and develop the protective outer layers you want to see on a healthy bulb.
How to Store Homegrown Garlic
Once your garlic has dried thoroughly, you can prepare it for storage.
If you enjoy a traditional look, braid the softneck garlic leaves while they’re still flexible enough to work with. Alternatively, trim the dried leaves to about 1 inch above the bulb.
Store your cured garlic in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location.
Save your largest, healthiest bulbs for planting next fall. By selecting your best bulbs each year, you can continue growing garlic in your Central Texas garden season after season.
Plant Garlic This Fall!
Growing garlic in Central Texas is a rewarding way to make the most of your fall garden. Plant softneck garlic in October or November, give it well-drained soil and consistent moisture, and look forward to harvesting your own bulbs in late spring.
Visit Backbone Valley Nursery to explore garlic varieties and get your fall vegetable garden growing. With a little preparation now, you can enjoy the satisfaction of harvesting homegrown garlic in just a few months!
