10/12/2026
🧄 GARLIC CHECK-IN: In the Ground 👽
TLDR for skimmers: Mine goes in the ground this weekend. Planting morning: split cloves (plant the biggest, eat the runts), pointed-side-up, 2–3" deep, 6" apart. Water in, mulch 4–6" of straw or leaves. Fall: water weekly without rain. Winter: let the snow do the work. Full foolproof guide below. 👇
The Botanical Interests bulbs that landed earlier this week — Nootka Rose, Sicilian Artichoke, Montana Zemo, and Inchelium Red — are going in the ground this weekend — and if you've been putting it off, take this as your nudge. Mid-October through early November is Denver's window, and a storm's rolling in mid-week, so dry, workable soil this weekend is about as good as it gets.
I'm doing this the foolproof way, because garlic is one of those crops that rewards laziness in all the right places. Whole playbook:
Morning-of: break the bulbs apart. Don't split cloves days ahead — exposed cloves dry out. Plant the biggest, fattest cloves (big clove = big bulb), and the runts go in the dinner pan. Garlic has no ego about this.
Depth & spacing. Pointed-side-up, 2–3 inches deep, 6 inches apart. The pointed end is where the sprout comes from — plant it upside down and the sprout takes the long way around. Water everything in; those roots need to grab soil before the ground freezes.(Closest fabric pot shows tips barely poking out. Middle pot i threw compost over the top to give the extra depth)
Mulch like you mean it. 4–6 inches of straw or shredded leaves. Highest-leverage step in the whole guide. Denver winters swing hard, and mulch is the blanket that keeps freeze-thaw from heaving your cloves right out of the bed. (fartheset pot shows after mulching. Tip keep your bagged leaves, or take your neighbors. Free, Natural, works amazingly well, doesn't lure mice like straw.)
Fall watering: weekly if there's no rain. The goal right now is roots, not tops — the clove needs to establish before winter. Once the ground starts freezing, stop.
Winter: let the snow do the work. Garlic wants the cold — that's what tells it to split into cloves come spring. In a normal Denver winter, snowfall is your irrigation. But last winter was our record-low snow year, so here's the exception rule: if we get another dry one and there's a warm thaw with unfrozen ground, water lightly. Dry cold is the enemy; moist cold is the point.
Don't panic, in either direction. Green sprouts in November? Normal — leave them alone. Everything brown and flat in January? Also normal. It's sleeping, not dead.
Spring & summer, briefly. Top-dress with compost when things wake up, water regularly until about June, then ease off — stop watering roughly two weeks before harvest so bulbs cure in the ground. Harvest when the bottom 3–4 leaves are yellow-brown (July here). Dig, don't pull. Cure 2–3 weeks in shade with airflow before storing.
Haven't ordered yet? Hardnecks (stiffnecks) love cold climates and send up scapes in early summer — cut the scapes and the bulb gets bigger (and scapes are delicious). Softnecks store longer and braid. Either way, buy seed garlic, not grocery-store garlic — grocery bulbs can carry disease and aren't adapted to our winters.
And the self-reliance payoff: save your biggest bulbs from the harvest as seed garlic next year. One purchase becomes a permanent supply. That's the whole ethos, right there.
Garlic wants the cold, not your attention. I'll report back in July, flops included. 👽
Mine this year: Nootka Rose, Sicilian Artichoke, Montana Zemo, and Inchelium Red — all from Botanical Interests (affiliate link in comments). What's going in the ground for you — and first-timers, drop your biggest garlic question below. 👇
U.F.O. is a Botanical Interests affiliate. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
