How to Plant Garlic in Zone 7

Prepare a sunny patch of well-drained soil. Chop up large chunks of soil as you loosen it with a pitchfork.

Perform a soil test to check the pH of your soil using a soil test kit. Soil pH varies from region to region and locations in zone 7 are no exception. You may need to amend if your soil does not fall within the garlic's favored pH of 5.5 to 7.

Add lime if your soil pH is below 5.5. If the soil pH is above 7, add peat moss. Follow the instructions on the packaging label when you add the lime or peat moss.

Press individual garlic cloves 3 inches into the soil, tips facing up. Space each garlic clove 3 inches from the next. Space rows of garlic 3 feet apart.

Spread 3 inches of mulch around the garlic cloves. A layer of bark chips or straw will suppress weeds and improve water retention. Mulching will also serve as a protective blanket during the winter chill, which can dip to 0 degrees Fahrenheit in zone 7.

Water the soil around the garlic after planting. Wrap a soaker hose around the planting area and soak the soil to a 1-inch depth. Maintain this level of moisture up until the first frost. Less supplemental watering will be necessary on rainy weeks than dry ones. Since rainfall varies in zone 7, it is necessary to check the soil for moisture before running the soaker hose.

Allow the garlic to go dormant in the winter. During this time, it will not require any maintenance. Resume watering in the spring, after the final frost of zone 7, which falls anytime between March 30 and April 30.

Harvest the garlic when the above-ground foliage begins to dry out. In zone 7, this is usually mid to late summer. Simply pull the garlic out of the ground by the neck. Handle the garlic carefully or it may bruise.