GROWING GARLIC AS A PERENNIAL

A rising trend in sustainable gardening is skipping annual garlic harvesting. Join us as we explore the benefits and details of growing garlic as a perennial.

You can grow garlic as a perennial. If you leave garlic in the ground, it will divide and form clumps over time, producing new plants each year. This creates a continuous crop without replanting annually.

A perennial plant, lasting more than two years, sprouts anew every spring. Learn about the underground dynamics and above-ground care needed for thriving perennial garlic yields.

THE WHYS AND HOWS OF GARLIC CLUMPING

One garlic bulb left in the ground long term will eventually divide and produce multiple bulbs. These will continue to grow and spread underground. Over time, this will lead to a clump of garlic plants that will increase in size with each year if untended.

If this clumping reminds you of a clumping of tulip bulbs, you’re not alone. When you leave your garlic, or other bulb plants such as tulips, in a clump, over time the bulbs and flowers will become smaller and smaller because of nutrient and sunlight competition. This is why we separate clumps of tulip bulbs. Clumping is not good for genetic improvement over successive generations of plants.

If you plant the garlic bulbils from the scape and want to end up with large garlic bulbs, you will need to separate the garlic bulbs from the clump over the 2-3 years it will take for the bulbs to mature. See more about planting garlic bulbils in our article, When Garlic Bolts: Managing and Using Garlic Scapes.

CRAMPED AND MISSHAPEN GARLIC BULBS

You might notice that the garlic bulbs you separate from the clump are misshaped from growing in cramped conditions. This is normal. Misshapen garlic bulbs can occur because clumped garlic plants are too close together, leading to competition for nutrients, water, and space. Along with being oddly shaped, clumped garlic can often be smaller because of that same competition. Plus, in the garlic bulb clumping area, lack of circulation and odd shaping could create a microenvironment that promotes disease, rot, or fungus.

There are plentiful benefits to splitting up clumping bunches of bulb plants. When the bulbs are separated they no longer need to compete with each other for sunlight and soil nutrients. They will have room to spread out and grow larger.

SEPARATING CLUMPING GARLIC

When you notice your garlic clumping, you should:

Use a trowel or shovel near the base of the garlic plants to loosen the soil around the bulbs so you can pull the clump of plants out of the dirt. Be careful not to damage the bulbs with your garden tools.
Gently work the garlic bulbs apart from each other, being careful not to damage the leaves or papery skins.
Plant the bulbs back in the ground, giving them the space they need to thrive.

Since you’re disturbing the soil to divide your garlic clump anyway, now is the perfect time to amend your soil with nutritious compost.

BEST TYPES OF GARLIC FOR PERENNIAL GROWING

When choosing perennial garlic, local varieties suited to the climate, soil types, and pests of your geographic area will perform best. Creole garlic is a good softneck perennial grower in a variety of climates. Asiatic, Rocambole, Turbans, and Purple Stripe garlic are viable hardneck choices for perennial growing.

ADVANTAGES OF PERENNIAL GARLIC

Continuous Harvest: Growing garlic as a perennial allows for a steady supply of garlic leaves and scapes throughout the growing season.
Natural Propagation: Garlic can naturally propagate and spread, creating more plants.
Soil Health: Healthy garlic is rich in potassium and phosphorus, which helps neighboring plants grow and keep their leaves, fruits, and flowers healthy.
Pest Resistance: Garlic left in the ground can develop stronger resistance to pests and diseases over time. It can also act as a companion plant, helping to deter pests, like fruit tree borers and other hungry plant munchers in nearby crops.
Flavor Development: Older garlic plants can develop richer and more complex flavors, enhancing culinary uses.
Diverse Harvest: Perennial garlic allows for harvesting bulbs of different ages, providing a variety of sizes, maturities, flavors.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR PERENNIAL GARLIC

If you let garlic grow as a perennial and don’t harvest it, several interesting things can happen over the years:

Clump Formation: One garlic bulb left in the ground long term produces multiple bulbs, creating clumps of garlic bulbs.
Scape Production: Perennial hardneck garlic will produce scapes that yield bulbils (small garlic cloves). Left unattended, bulbils can drop to the ground and grow into new garlic plants. Softneck garlic produces fewer bulbils, which are hidden in the leaves.
Bulb Size: If left undivided, the clumped bulbs tend to be smaller than cultivated garlic because the plant’s energy is distributed among more bulbs in the clump.
Self-Sowing: Bulbils from the flowering scapes fall to the ground and sprout. This self-sowing process regenerates your garlic supply spontaneously if the bulbils fall into fertile soil. See more about growing garlic from bulbils in our article, When Garlic Bolts: Managing and Using Garlic Scapes.
Hardiness: Garlic grown as a perennial can become very hardy and well-adapted to its environment. It can withstand cold winters and return strong in the spring, provided the soil conditions remain favorable.
Pest and Disease Resistance: Over time, perennial garlic may become more resistant to pests and diseases through natural selection. Yet, if not properly managed, it can also serve as a potential host for diseases.

IN SUMMARY

Growing garlic as a perennial offers numerous benefits for sustainable gardening enthusiasts. By allowing garlic to remain in the ground year-round, you can enjoy a continuous harvest without the need for annual replanting. This method supports natural propagation and the development of robust flavors. Choosing garlic varieties suited to your local climate and soil conditions will yield the best results. Whether you’re interested in enhancing your garden’s biodiversity or enjoying a steady supply of fresh garlic, exploring perennial garlic cultivation can enrich your gardening experience.

The best video we found on this topic is from Wandering Star Farmhouse: “How to Grow Perennial Garlic.”