You might be surprised that all this cold weather is perfect for planting garlic. Here's how to do it.

When most of your garden is winding down , it’s time to start garlic. This hardy, flavorful bulb is one of the few crops you can plant in late autumn. In fact, the newly planted cloves of garlic will thrive in the cold winter soil. What I love the most about these plants is how easy they are to grow. You just need a few organic garlic cloves from a reputable grower online or locally. They don't take up a lot of space and can grow in containers, so they're the perfect cold weather garden project no matter how big or small your garden is!

You may have heard that homegrown produce tastes better than store-bought, but that is especially true for garlic. There are two types of garlic: hardneck and softneck. The hardneck varieties that grow in our climate taste better. They produce fewer but much larger cloves and prefer to be planted in autumn so the bulbs can rest in our cold winter soil. Softneck varieties transport better and grow better in warm climates, which is why it's the predominate variety you'll see available at stores. But for the purpose of this article, we're talking about those tasty hardneck garlic that you can plant right now.

We visited the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Demonstration Garden in East Meadow, New York, where dedicated volunteers, part of the Cornell Master Gardener Program, were busy tucking garlic cloves into the soil for spring. Every vegetable grown here is donated to feed Veterans visiting the Nassau County Veteran Food Pantry in East Meadow. The garden is part of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s mission to connect research-based agricultural education with local communities, promoting sustainability, food security, and service to others. Charles Kemnitzer is a Master Gardener and Award Winning Garlic Grower with more than 20 years of experience. He has a few tips that make planting garlic a fun afternoon project anyone can do!

You don't need to deal with finicky seeds. Break apart a bulb and select the largest cloves (smaller cloves will yield smaller bulbs). It's better to buy these at online or local nurseries (or use garlic you buy from local farmers markets).

Garlic is typically planted a few weeks before the ground freezes solid. In our climate, you can plant in October or November, but lately our weather is mild enough to get away with planting garlic into December. The goal is to let the cloves establish roots before deep winter sets in, but will not sprout before spring.

Garlic prefers well-draining, fertile soil enriched with compost or aged manure. Plant each clove about 3 inches deep and 6 inches apart. After the bulbs are tucked away, mulch the plantings with straw or even fallen leaves to suppress weed growth and keep the cloves evenly moist.

Garlic may begin to sprout before winter arrives, but the real growth doesn’t happen until March. This early growth is a sure sign your garlic has successfully overwintered. In June, garlic will sprout a curly flower stalk. Cut this off to the base so the bulbs focus on getting big and tasty. In July, the leaves will start to die. When half the leaves have browned it’s time to harvest.

When half the leaves have browned in midsummer, gently loosen the soil with a garden fork and lift the bulbs up. It’s best not to pull by the stalks. You’ll need these for the next step.

It’s a fancy way of saying the garlic bulb needs to dry. This will give time for the garlic to develop its flavor, and it will extend the storage life. It’s easy to do.

You can either lay or hang the bulbs in a well ventilated and dry area out of direct sunlight. A garage, shed or porch is perfect. Leave them be for two to three weeks.

When the outer skins are papery, they are ready to store. Trim off the roots entirely, but leave a few inches of stalk.

These can be stored in a cool or dry fridge or shelf. Don’t forget to save a few of the fattest cloves for the autumn - you can replant them.

Planting garlic in late autumn is like magic. You tuck the cloves into chilly soil just as the rest of the garden sleeps. Just when you totally forget about their existence, they sprout back up and are ready to reward you!

Reach out to your county's cooperative extension for hyperlocal gardening tips from experts invested in your community. Happy gardening!