Minnesota Grown Premium Garlic
Seed and culinary garlic are now available at my produce stand.
Seed garlic (for planting) is also available in my online store.
Premium Hardneck Garlic
​​​I grow premium garlic with complex flavor - it's not your local supermarket garlic!
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Other garlic is usually grown in California or out of the country and can be several months old by the time of your purchase. (No shame here - it's just not local and it lacks flavor.)
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It's music to my ears that several of my customers have said they can't buy garlic from the grocery store anymore!
Garlic in the stand now. Ready for pickup!
Pick up beautiful bundles of garlic today at my self-service produce stand. Open daily sun-up to sun-down.
Different stages of growing garlic
Garlic in the spring
Garlic is planted in the fall! And it's one of the first plants to appear in spring! This is what my garlic bed looked like last spring. My beds are 4' wide with garlic every 8" or so; aisles are only about 2' wide.
Curing
Curing is the slow drying process that prepares garlic for long-term storage. It allows you to enjoy the flavor of your summer harvest well into winter! Curing takes 2 to 4 weeks depending on temperature and humidity. The process is complete when the outer skins are dry and crispy and the neck is constricted.
Garlic for sale
I sell my garlic in mesh bags to help store for longer periods of time. I bag by both single type and multiples variety packs. I'm growing five varieties this season! I also sell seed garlic (the larger bulbs) to those who would like to grow their own garlic. Did you know?! - each variety of garlic has its own flavor and heat profile!
Preparing the beds
Garlic needs to be rotated into new ground each year. The beds can be planted again with garlic every fourth year. Preparing the beds requires amending the soil with manure and tilling it in to a depth of 8-10 inches. The above photo shows the beds ready to be raked and planted!
Garlic scapes
Hardneck garlic sends up a flower stem that is known as a garlic scape. Scapes are cut off a month or so before the garlic is harvested. Grill them, use them in stir fry, or add them to any dish where you want to add mild garlic flavor.
Cleaning and sorting
Once the garlic is fully cured, it's then time to prepare it for sale. The top is cut off, the roots are trimmed to about 1/4", and the outer layer of skin is removed to reveal the clean bulb.
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Saving bulbs for planting
Each year, I save some garlic bulbs to replant in the fall. One clove is planted and it grows into a full bulb by the following summer! The number of cloves per bulb (4-12) depends on the variety. I save enough garlic bulbs so that when its split, I have enough cloves to fill my garlic beds. The above photo shows cloves ready for planting.
Planting the cloves
I plant my garlic in 4' wide beds and use a string and planting template to make sure cloves are planted with the proper spacing. With help from a friend, I planted over 15,000 cloves last fall!
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Harvesting garlic
Around mid-July, garlic is ready to be harvested! I pull it from the ground, bundle it, and hang it for drying. It usually takes me about a week to harvest and hang all my garlic.
Preparing for sale
The cleaning process is time consuming and I always appreciate help! This photo shows my father-in-law, Tom, helping do some final cleaning before the bulbs are bagged and ready for sale. Thanks, Dad!
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Breaking the bulbs
It takes several days to split all the bulbs I need to fill my garlic beds! I usually split for a few hours at a time while being entertained by whatever Netflix series we are currently watching!
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Getting help - thank you!
Growing garlic is fun! ... And it's a lot of manual labor. I am so thankful for help from friends and family during garlic season! They are so appreciated! Thank you again!
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