As the chilly temps and shorter days of autumn bring the end of our summer gardens, there’s one very useful root vegetable we can plant in the fall for a plentiful July harvest: garlic.

This kitchen essential is one of the easiest plants to grow, and a few large bulbs can produce enough homegrown garlic to supply your cooking needs for many months.

Start out by purchasing garlic seed from a reputable local or mail-order nursery. Nursery garlic is available in a wide range of hardneck and softneck varieties, but hardneck choices are generally recommended for Ohio’s cold winter climate.

Planting the bulbs from organic garlic sold at your neighborhood market can also work, but do not use regular garlic from your grocer because it may have been treated to prevent sprouting.

Find a well-drained garden spot in full sun — garlic is ideal for planting where other vegetables grow well in mid- to late-summer. A large pot is another possibility, if placed in a sunny location. Ohio State University horticulture experts recommend a soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0 that is enriched with plenty of compost, manure and root crop fertilizer.

Plan to plant in the fall, four to six weeks before the first hard frost is predicted. That’s usually between Halloween and Thanksgiving for gardeners in the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys.

Separate the cloves carefully from the bulbs, planting only the largest cloves and saving the smaller and medium-sized ones for cooking. Plant two inches deep with the pointed side of the clove up, pressing firmly so the cloves stay upright when the soil is replaced. Space them four to six inches apart and in rows spaced 12 inches apart.

Mulch the planting bed with two to four inches of straw or chopped up leaves and water every three to five days at first. The plants will produce roots and a few leaves may emerge before they go dormant. Check for leaves sprouting in the spring and clear any remaining mulch away to accommodate the new plants.

In May, hardneck garlic will start to produce long, edible flower stalks called scapes which must be removed to improve bulb size. When they start to curl, clip the scapes only, not the leaves. Scapes have a mild garlic flavor and can be used in soups, salads, stir-fries and other dishes.

Provide about an inch of water per week starting in June. When the lower leaves start turning yellow with just a few green leaves left at the top, it’s time to stop watering and dig up the garlic. Brush off the dirt but do not wash the garlic heads and do not remove the papery covering. Trim off the leaves, leaving about eight inches of stem attached to each bulb, and lay or hang them in a cool, shaded and airy spot to be cured for about a month.

Garlic can be eaten fresh right after digging, but the curing process allows it to keep for several months. Once cured, store your garlic in net bags or open containers, never in plastic bags.

For more details on planting and harvesting garlic, visit https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1627.

Hixenbaugh is an Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in Mahoning County.