2 Things EVERY Garlic Grower MUST Do & 1 Bonus For Zones 9 & 10

We're recording this on Halloween, and we always love to plant garlic around this time of year. Because we're in zones 9 and 10 and don't get a frost, we don't have to wait until the spring to get our cloves in the ground, but there is an extra step that we DO have to do. We'll talk about that and two other keys to success when growing garlic.
We have a full garlic guide that you can find below, so this video highlights 3 things that are a little unusual when it comes to growing garlic:
• Want to Grow Garlic? A...
0:36 VERNALIZATION
This is all about simulating winter and tricking your bulbs into thinking they just made it through winter and are ready to go in the ground. Because we're planting garlic in the fall, we're bumping up the timeline a few months. That means you want to be making this fake winter start in July, August, or September.
You want to vernalize for a MINIMUM of 6-8 weeks. 10-12 is ideal, but you can even do more than that, especially if you want to make sure to secure the (brown paper) bag before your favorite garlic source sells out.
2:29 PLANTING
Like most plants, garlic needs well-draining soil with organic matter. Fluffier is better! It only needs about an inch of water per week, and more than that can lead to the bulbs rotting out. Here in San Diego, winters are wetter, but we're lucky to get an inch of rain per month on average. That means we're relying on our drip irrigation to do the job. That's especially handy towards the end of the season.
Garlic is planted 2-4 inches deep and 4-8 inches apart. The bulb should be fully covered up and have enough room to beef up a little bit. Make sure you plant your cloves on the right side up!
11:20 WATERING
Not only does garlic use less water than other plants, it needs to dry out before harvest. This usually takes about about two weeks before you pull them. The lower leaves might be brown, and the others might be yellowing. At this stage, the bulb is done. You want to turn off the water so the papers can dry out, and the bulbs don't rot.
12:50 CURING
When you harvest your garlic, it's ready to eat right away. If you end up with more than a bulb or two, though, you're going to want to cure your garlic. This is an easy process that will allow you to enjoy them for months to come.
Snip off the roots and store the bulbs (some people braid the leaves) upside down in a cool, dry place with good airflow.
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[@Vicfric]

I in zone 9B. Santa Clarita, CA. I never put my garlic in the fridge and they grow great. Maybe that is just for hard neck? I plant Italian soft neck garlic. I plant in November and harvest sometime in July. I get beautiful garlic heads every year so far.

[@judysocal8682]

Agree, I've only seen vernalization recommended for hardneck.

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

Whew! So glad to hear that!

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

​@@judysocal8682 correct. It's supposed to be helpful for soft neck varieties but crucial for hardneck

[@natashawilliams2575]

Phew! So glad I’m not the only soft-neck grower who’s in 9b and never chills the cloves

[@rey82rey82]

Winter helps with that

[@tomodutchie6142]

BTW, I ordered and received SanDiego Seed garlic in Sept and stuck them in the fridge right away when I got them in the mail. I just planted them last night (Nov 26) and I was pleasantly happy to see the quality of the garlic seed. Other seed garlic I’ve gotten from other companies didn’t look as good. SD Seed Company garlic looked so nice I almost didn’t want to stick them in the ground. I got the Ivan, Duganski and California Early. I also like that I can buy only 2 bulbs and not forced to buy by the pound. Let’s see how well they do next year. In my area, OC Ca, I usually harvest around May -June time. Thank you San Diego Seed Co. love your videos and products!

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

Awesome! So glad to hear that and can't wait to hear how they grow!

[@sazaragarden]

Thank you for sharing the video, I like it

[@sharongullikson2121]

QUESTION: How and where do we store them once they are cured? How long do we hang them upside down for? And then how and where do we store them so we can eat them all year? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO.

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

Store them inside in a cool, dry place. Cure them for at least a week outdoors with shade and airflow.

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

I'm in coastal CA zone 10a, and I grew big beautiful hard-neck garlic year and I didn't vernalize the bulbs. It shouldn't matter that I'm in NorCal, right? I suspect your garlic will be just fine. I've got 20 cloves of that homegrown (originally from the farmer's market) in the ground right now so I'm testing that theory too. I've got 60 Music cloves in too...looking forward to that!

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

Fingers crossed. -Jeff

[@karend8575]

Ok. Right off the bat…I thought we could not grow hard neck garlic in zone 10. I wanted to so bad because I wanted the scapes, but only planted soft neck. (First year growing). Is this the rule of thumb?

[@SanDiegoSeedCompany]

It's generally grown in cooler climates, but that's where vernalization comes into play