Where to Buy Garlic for Planting & How Much to Plant

Growing gourmet garlic part 1, the first in a 5-part series of blogs on the process and issues involved in plating gourmet garlic.

Reader Contribution by Andrea Cross
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by Adobestock/alicja neumiler

Part 1 discusses options for where to buy garlic for planting and information regarding calculating the amount of seed required.

It is nearing the time of year when people begin asking me about the best way to plant and grow gourmet garlic. In the following series of blogs, I will address various issues involved with growing the best garlic you can. I will also share what we do at Calling Quail Farm, where we have been successfully cultivating and selling gourmet garlic for three seasons. Each season we have experimented with different aspects of garlic cultivation and processing; some of these trials have been a success, some less so. The basic requirements of each season remain constant, however, and each season begins with planting.

Gourmet Garlic Seed Stock

Whether you are a seasoned or beginner grower of garlic, the first issue at hand for planting is your seed stock. The ideal source of seed stock for growing gourmet garlic is your own seed. If you are already growing garlic it is a straightforward process to “save back” a quantity of your own bulbs. Replanting your own healthy stock is your best option because you can be assured both that a particular cultivar is adapted to your growing area, and that your seed is free of disease. If you want to significantly increase your planting stock for free, or you have a great bolting (scape-producing) garlic that you want to proliferate, you can save back and plant the bulbils. It will take between 2-5 years (depending on the strain) to receive full-sized bulbs with this method, but you should eventually be rewarded with sizeable amounts of robust, healthy stock.

  • Updated on Sep 7, 2023
  • Originally Published on Oct 22, 2013
Tagged with: Andrea Cross, British Columbia, garlic, gourmet garlic, growing garlic, Reader Contributions
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