How to Grow Garlic & Shallots

Planting Garlic

• 1

  Prepare the soil in a sunny location, four to six weeks before the ground freezes between September 1 and the middle of October. Amend the soil with generous amounts of organic matter. The soil should be light so the garlic can grow and not be misshapen.

• 2

  Break the garlic head apart to separate the cloves. Examine the cloves and pick out the bigger ones. Big cloves will grow into a big head of garlic, while the smaller cloves tend to yield a small head.

• 3

  Insert the flattened end of the garlic clove into the soil. The pointed end points toward the top of the hole.

• 4

  Dig holes with a dibble tool or a trowel. The depth of the garlic varies per clove, but if you live in an area where winters are severe, you'll want to bury the garlic clove 2 inches beneath the soil. In milder regions, plant the garlic 1 inch deep.

• 5

  Space the garlic 3 to 5 inches apart, and the rows 12 inches apart.

• 6

  Cover the ground with a 1-inch layer of mulch.

• 7

  Weed the garlic bed in the spring and keep the bed free of weeds. Pull the weeds carefully so you don't damage the garlic's roots.

• 8

  Water the garlic often, keeping the ground moist, but not soggy. If the soil is kept too wet, the bulbs could rot.

• 9

  Fertilize the garlic with a high-nitrogen foliar-type fertilizer every 10 to 14 days. Stop fertilizing when bulbs start to form.

• 10

  Cut off seed heads that form on top of a tall woody stalk. These will look like miniature bulbs at the top. If you leave the seed heads on, the garlic will spend its energy on forming the seed and not the bulbs below the ground.

• 11

  Dig the garlic bulbs from the ground when the plant is down to five or six green leaves. This usually happens in early June.

Planting Shallots

• 12

  Prepare the garden area in the fall, amending the soil with a generous amount of organic matter. Find a sunny location to grow shallots. Do not grow shallots in an area where garlic or onions have grown in the past three years.

• 13

  Plant the shallots in the spring four to six weeks before the last frost. This gives shallots the required 30-day dormant period that they need to grow.

• 14

  Space the shallots 8 inches apart, in rows that are 12 inches apart.

• 15

  Insert the shallot into the ground with the flat side going down into the ground and the pointed end facing upwards. Just barely cover the top tip of the shallot.

• 16

  Water the area, keeping the ground moist. Do not allow the ground to dry out between waterings.

• 17

  Pull the weeds, being careful to not disturb the shallot's roots.

• 18

  Bend the shallot stalks when they reach 16 inches tall or more. This forces the shallots to mature within three to four weeks.