How to Grow Tuscan-Type Garlic

Prepare your planting area and plant your garlic in fall. Choose a sunny area where the soil has adequate drainage. Add 1 to 2 lb. of balanced fertilizer with an N-P-K ratio to every 100 square feet of area where you will be growing your Tuscan garlic. Also, add 1 part organic compost to every 4 parts soil and mix thoroughly.

Build rows 15 to 18 inches apart with a shovel. Raised beds work well for garlic.

Break off the cloves from one or more heads of Tuscan garlic. Select the firmest, plumpest cloves and plant them 4 to 6 inches apart and 1 to 2 inches deep.

Cover the soil surface with a 3- to 4-inch layer of mulch, such as straw. Leave the mulch in place through winter, but remove it after you see growth emerging in spring.

Water your Tuscan garlic sparingly. According to the University of Illinois Extension website, water garlic only when a drought occurs and not at all as it approaches maturity toward the end of summer.

Fertilize with a soluble fertilizer once or twice in early spring and again in midspring.

Snip off flower stalks with clippers when they begin to form to increase the size of forming bulbs.

Harvest your Tuscan garlic when four to six green leaves remain and before the upper foliage completely dies back. Hang entire plants to dry them; do not dry them in the sun, but use a dark, dry, well-ventilated area such as a garage or storage shed. Allow garlic to dry for four to six weeks, and then store in a cool, dry area.