Since we’ve been talking about getting our fall garden crops in the ground, there’s one crop we can plant now that will overwinter in the soil to give us a harvest next year, and it’s easy to grow. I’m talking about garlic.

Most of us have some form of garlic in our panty or refrigerator. If you don’t have actual garlic in the fridge, you likely have either garlic paste or garlic powder. But wouldn’t you rather have some fresh, homegrown garlic instead?

The good news is there’s not many crops that are as easy to grow as garlic. It’s essentially hand’s off and then you get to harvest home grown garlic next June. Plus, garlic keeps a pretty long time in the refrigerator. I call that a win-win.

The one thing to remember is that since you won’t be harvesting your garlic until June next year, don’t plant it in an area you plan to plant your spring vegetables. As for me, I’m going to put mine in a grow bag.

If you are not familiar with grow bags, they are containers (typically round) that are constructed out of a flannel like material and come in a variety of sizes. I really like them for growing potatoes, but you can grow just about anything in a grow bag. Plus, you can move them around if needed which you cannot do with an in-ground garden or raised beds. So, it’s grow bags for me and my garlic.

Now, some of us are going to have garlic in the refrigerator that has been there longer than it should as evidenced by it’s starting to grow. These little ones are just begging to get out and into the ground.

If you don’t have any of these, you’ll need to get some garlic to plant. Most garden centers should have a variety of garlic available for planting, or you can always order online.

One of the interesting things about garlic is that there are so many varieties with so many subtle flavor differences. Those who have grown garlic for several years are probably narrowing in on their favorite. I am not picky when it comes to garlic, so I tend to grow one of the basic varieties. If you are a beginner, OSU recommends German Red, Spanish Roja, Inchelium Red and Silver Skin. These are all varieties that are known to do well in Oklahoma so they would be a good place to start.

If you plan on repurposing some of that garlic in your fridge that is springing to life, just know that you likely don’t know what variety it is or if it will grow well in Oklahoma, but it’s always worth a shot in my book.

Planting time for garlic in Oklahoma is now through about mid-October. We plant garlic in the fall because to grow properly, garlic needs at least 30 days of temperatures between 32 and 50 degrees. Those days will probably be here sooner that we know.

As far as planting locations, you’ll want a location that gets full sun with well-drained soil. Before you plant, you’ll want to work a little nitrogen into the soil.

Once you get your garlic to plant, you need to break apart the bulb into cloves. Use the larger cloves for planting. To plant, dig a hole about 2 inches deep and place the garlic clove into the hole with the large side down. You should space garlic about 4 inches apart.

Once you place them in the hole, cover them up with soil and then add a couple of inches of mulch. Fairly soon, you’ll likely see some small green shoots rise up, but underground will be where most of the action is. If you are planting your garlic in the ground, you might want to put out a marker as a reminder, so you don’t disturb them with spring plantings. After that, about all you need to do is keep them watered like any other plant.

You’ll be able to harvest your garlic in late June or early July. It’s time to harvest when you notice the leaves starting to turn brown at the bottom. That’s your signal that it is done and it’s time to harvest.

You can harvest your garlic using a trowel or garden fork. After harvesting, you want to let the garlic “cure” for 4 to 6 weeks in a dry, shady area. For most of us, this will be in our garage.

After the curing process, remove the stalks, but leave the outer cover of the garlic in place. You can then place your garlic in the refrigerator and have fresh garlic for several weeks. Growing something you can use in your kitchen doesn’t get much easier than that. See you in the garden!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: Sylvanna Botelho