You Can Plant Grocery Store Garlic, But Here's Why You Shouldn't

Planting grocery store garlic (Allium sativum) may seem like an easy and cheap way to grow more of these pungent cloves. The draw is understandable: the hack is as convenient to get off the ground as gardening gets. But if you're on the cusp of succumbing to the temptation of "just grabbing a bulb" on your next Sunday food shop, hold fire. Many store-bought garlic bulbs contain weakened or poor-quality cloves, which are unsuitable for planting. Often, these bulbs are chemical sprayed to inhibit sprouting and lengthen shelf-life. Eating sprouted garlic is not dangerous, but may be more bitter. If you're a DIY gardener, however, this treatment meant to improve long-term garlic flavor may stunt growth. Chances are, that Walmart garlic clove won't yield the best results.

Aside from risking a poor harvest, store-bought garlic might also introduce diseases like white rot to your soil. And since most supermarkets retail softneck garlic — notoriously feeble in cold weather — there's the danger of contaminating soils only to find the cloves perish anyway. Plus, it takes a long time for garlic to grow and mature — six to eight months. With all warnings considered, it's no wonder experts are hazarding shoppers to be wary of this hack. Don't waste that time; set yourself up for success. 

That "plant one clove and get twenty bulbs" trick? It might be better pulled off by visiting your local gardening center. There are better ways out there to grow garlic for a great harvest of this tasty, beloved bulb plant.

Store-bought garlic cloves aren't the best choice for home-growing bulbs. Hardneck garlic grows better in colder climates, and produces bigger (but fewer) bulbs. They tend to be hardy in zones 1 through 7. Softneck garlic tolerates warmer weather, and produces smaller cloves in hardiness zones 6 through 12. It's worth knowing which type would grow best in your climate, and then going from there. Even within the hardneck and softneck categories, however, there can be big differences, so make sure you talk to the experts at your local gardening center about which cultivar would grow best in your region or yard. These are the sorts of questions and considerations that you likely can't address at your local grocery store. 

But if your heart is set on trying to grow store-bought garlic, you can still make an attempt. Since it will likely be a softneck variety, you'll need to grow garlic indoors if you live in a colder area. Starting in the fall, place individual cloves (keep the papery part on them) in well-draining soil, amending with sandy or loam if you have heavy clay content. Bury each clove 4 to 6 inches under the ground, spaced about 7 inches apart. Cover with soil, soak with water, and then spread mulch. If you don't get regular rain, water deeply. Use a balanced fertilizer in the spring. Then wait to see if you get garlic bulbs!