How should I prepare garlic bulbs prior to planting?

Question

To add to the recent garlic posts, I thought I'd make my own.

I noticed that some store bought garlic was starting to sprout in the fridge, and so took some out to see if they might be viable for planting now that it's close to winter. Now, this garlic is imported from China, and is supposed to be fumigated and treated to prevent sprouting.

but what I found when I split it open was that it was full of onion aphids. I'm guessing that some eggs were laid inside the bulb at some stage and then hatched after we bought them from the store.

So, my question is, what are the recommended cultural practices for planting garlic cloves that are bought, and how to prevent pests and diseases being imported into your garden?

Answer 1

I'd start with "consider the source" and leave this stuff at the store. Importing pests to the garden from doubtful seed sources is a learning experience you should not need to go through personally to learn from.

Either buy certified, inspected seed (cloves, of course, not actual seeds, but it's referred to as seed garlic in the trade), or get garlic from a reputable local grower (need not be certified, or even a farmer) - a gardener I know and trust gave me some of "grandma's garlic" that their family has been growing for at least 3 generations, from the garden right here. The less you know and trust, the more you need some sort of certification.

While some folks do seem to enjoy trying to make garlic from the grocery store shelves, it's a poor and dangerous seed source - poor because the varieties may be ill-suited for your local area, and dangerous since it's not held to the same standards that seed is.