Also, heads of garlic can last for a long time when properly cured and stored, so they can be used in the kitchen and enjoyed for months longer than many other vegetables from the garden.And that fresh scape is a delicious treat that you can enjoy many weeks before the garlic head is ready to cook with.You can mince garlic scapes to make pesto, grill them, saute them, mix them in with stir-fry — or even use them in soup.Most varieties of hardneck garlic fall into one of three categories: Rocambole, porcelain and purple stripe, but there is even more diversity than that, including Creole and Asiatic.Meanwhile, elephant garlic, which is particularly large, is a different species altogether and can be grown successfully in the North or South.The garlic that you find at your local grocery store is almost always from China or California and, though it depends on where you live, there is a good chance it is not suited to grow in your region.Either way, garlic will grow best and produce the biggest heads when planted in soil that drains readily and is rich in organic matter.But do not add fertilizer at planting time, as it may stimulate vigorous growth early on that will be damaged when winter weather sets in.If you wish to fertilize, knowing the nutrient makeup of your soil first is always a good place to start.Nitrogen, on the other hand, is a nutrient that is utilized quickly and does not persist in the soil as phosphorus does.Nitrogen is an important nutrient for garlic, especially in spring for foliage health, which is the main lifeline to bulb development below ground.Fruition Seeds Company offers such a product that they claim to have perfected over the years to emphasize bulb development in the fall and foliage growth in spring.This is best done by pulling the head apart with your fingers, taking care not to damage individual cloves.Take a trowel and dig parallel furrows 2 inches deep and 1 foot apart.Space garlic cloves in the furrows 4 inches apart and cover them with soil so the surface is level once again, and then water in.If you are working in an irregularly shaped space, don’t worry about creating neat furrows.Instead, while being conscious of the spacing requirements between cloves, make 2-inch-deep holes with your fingers in any pattern you choose.Either immediately upon planting or soon before frost is expected, protect the garlic with a generous application of mulch.Loose straw makes for a great, fluffy, insulating mulch, should be applied in a 6-inch layer.In warmer climates where the ground doesn’t freeze, all that’s needed is 2 inches of organic mulch to block weeds and retain moisture.Changing up where garlic is grown (an example of crop rotation) is important for avoiding allium pests and diseases.When garlic is approaching maturity, the leaves running up the stalk turn yellow then brown, starting at the bottom of the plant and moving up.When at least half of your garlic plants reach this stage, cease watering for a week, then perform a test by pulling up one bulb.The cloves of garlic bulbs left in the ground for too long will begin to separate and the protective skin may crack.In a house or well-ventilated garage and out of direct sunlight, garlic plants can be placed on wire racks or hung, roots up.Storing at a relative humidity of 60 to 70% with good airflow is ideal to prevent the accumulation of moisture.Sign up to receive gardening resources, eBooks and email updates on the joegardener podcast and more.None of the items included in this list have any bearing on any compensation being an influencing factor on their inclusion here.The selection of all items featured in this post and podcast were based solely on merit and in no way influenced by any affiliate or financial incentive, or contractual relationship.At the time of this writing, Joe Lamp’l has professional relationships with the following companies who may have products included in this post and podcast: Rain Bird, Corona Tools, Milorganite, Soil3, Park Seed, and Exmark.The inclusion of any products mentioned within this post is entirely independent and exclusive of any relationship