Why You Should Grow Garlic in Your Garden

If you’re a home cook you likely start many dishes by throwing chopped garlic and onions into a pan with olive oil. It’s the foundation of many, many meals! If you plan ahead this season you can grow garlic and have your own year round supply of with little effort.

Lots of people ask me about my favorite vegetable to grow in my garden. Although it’s difficult to narrow it down to just one, garlic is definitely up there!  I plant around 220 bulbs every fall and harvest them in July.

My garlic stores in my basement for the whole year, so I never buy garlic from the grocery store and haven’t for many years.

If you live in a colder climate like mine in Wisconsin (zone 5a/b), you should plant your garlic between mid-October and mid-November depending on the fall weather. You have to plant before the ground freezes. I like to wait until I get a hard frost in my garden so I can clean out some garden beds to make room for growing garlic.

(If you live in a warmer climate, read this and this for tips about growing garlic in your region.)

To get you excited to grow garlic in your garden, I’m sharing the reasons why I love it so much and think you should add it to your fall garden to-do list.