Purchase garlic seed cloves from your local garden center or nursery in late winter. Choose firm, dry bulbs that show no signs of moisture, softness or rot.
Prepare a soil bed for garlic cloves in fall, after the first killing frost. Plant in December or January in warmer climates. Garlic needs a bit of winter's chill in order to germinate and grow strong shoots.
Turn a bed in your garden with a shovel. Amend clay soils with equal parts peat and sand for a loose, rich mix, 8 inches in depth.
Separate cloves from the garlic bulb no more than 48 hours before planting to avoid dehydration of the cloves.
Plant garlic cloves, one at a time, 6 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart, at a depth of 2 to 3 inches. Plant individual cloves, because planting a double clove will result in a two fused bulbs. Plant them pointed side up, or shoots will be warped, twisted and weak.
Mulch with 3 to 4 inches of weed-free straw to insulate the soil from deep winter cold and wide fluctuations in temperature. Remove the straw in mid-April. Mulch is not necessary in warmer climates.