Garlic is an easy-to-grow crop. Beyond its intense flavor and culinary uses, “the stinking rose” is also good in the garden as an insect repellent and has been used for centuries as a home remedy. Unlike many crops, garlic is usually planted in autumn—and then harvested in midsummer. See our Growing Guide to Garlic for planting, growing, and harvesting tips.
Growing Garlic
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Garlic
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Garlic
Planting
When to Plant Garlic
The dates to plant garlic vary widely. To grow big garlic bulbs, we typicall plant the cloves in late autumn. Garlic roots develop during the fall and winter—before the ground freezes—and by early spring, they start producing foliage. Then, you’ll harvest in the summer.
The aim is to allow a long enough period before the ground freezes for the plant to develop good roots, but not enough time to for it to form top growth before freezing temperatures set in.
- In cooler climates, planting is usually between September and November.
- If you have a long growing season, you can also plant the cloves in the spring as soon as the ground can be worked. However, we still prefer fall planting because the heads grow larger.
- If you live in the South or Southwest, plant the cloves anytime from the fall through early spring (March). Plant early because garlic doesn’t do well once the weather gets hot.
Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site
- Select a sunny spot.
- Garlic likes fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.5 to 7. If your soil is on the thin, sandy side, add healthy additions of compost, plus aged manure or 5-10-10 fertilizer. (Don’t use fresh, unprocessed animal manure, as it can transfer diseases.)
- For an easy and large harvest, garlic grower Robin Jarry of Hope, Maine, suggests using heavily mulched raised beds, especially in heavy soil. “I plant in raised beds for good drainage, and then mulch with about six inches of old hay after the ground freezes. I never water my garlic—I like low-maintenance vegetables!” Raised beds should be two to three feet wide and at least 10 to 12 inches tall.
- Lime the soil if you haven’t done so recently. Before planting cloves, work a couple tablespoons of 5-10-10 complete fertilizer, bone meal or fish meal into the soil several inches below where the base of the garlic will rest.
How to Plant Garlic
- Get cloves from a mail order seed company or a local nursery.
- Do not use cloves from the grocery store for planting. They may be unsuitable varieties for your area, and most are treated to make their shelf life longer, making them harder to grow.
- Select large, healthy cloves, free of disease. The larger the clove, the bigger and healthier the bulb you will get the following summer.
- Break apart cloves from the bulb a few days before planting, but keep the papery husk on each individual clove.
- Place cloves 2 to 4 inches apart and 2 inches deep, in their upright position (the wide root side facing down and pointed end facing up).
- Plant in rows spaced 10 to 14 inches apart.
See how we plant garlic in the fall.
Check out this video to learn how to plant garlic.
Care
How to Grow Garlic
- Northern gardeners should mulch heavily with straw to ensure proper overwintering. Read our mulching guide for more info!
- Mulch should be removed in the spring after the threat of frost has passed. (Young shoots can’t survive in temps below 20°F / -6°C on their own. Keep them under cover.)
- In the spring, as warmer temperatures come, shoots will emerge through the ground.
- Cut off any flower shoots that emerge in spring. These may decrease bulb size.
- Fertilize garlic in the early spring by side dressing with a nitrogen-heavy fertilizer such as blood meal, chicken manure, or a store-bought pelleted fertilizer.
- Fertilize again just before the bulbs begin to swell in response to lengthening daylight (usually early May in most regions).
- Weeds should not be a problem until spring. However, keep the planting site well weeded. Garlic doesn’t do well with competition—it needs all available nutrients!
- Garlic is a heavy feeder which requires adequate levels of nitrogen. Fertilize more if you see yellowing leaves.
- Water every 3 to 5 days during bulbing (mid-May through June). If May and June are very dry, irrigate to a depth of two feet every eight to 10 days. As mid-June approaches, taper off watering.
Pests/Diseases
Garlic has very few problems with pests in the garden (in fact, its a natural pest repellent), and also very few problems with the diseases that plague other veggies. White rot is one concern, but you should also keep an eye out for the same pests that plague onions.
- White Rot is a fungus that may attack garlic in cool weather. Not much can be done to control or prevent that problem except rotating your crops and cleaning up the area after harvesting. The spores can live in the soil for many years. The fungus affects the base of the leaves and roots.
Harvest/Storage
How to Harvest Garlic
- Harvest from fall plantings will range from late June to August. In Southern climates, it will depend on your planting date. The clue is to look for yellowing foliage. Harvest when the tops just begin to yellow and fall over, but before they are completely dry.
- Before digging up your whole crop, it’s time for a sample! Lift a bulb to see if the crop is ready. We often dig up a bulb before the tops are completely yellow (in late June or early July) as some garlic types will be ready earlier. The garlic head will be divided into plump cloves and the skin covering the outside of the bulbs will be thick, dry and papery.
- If pulled too early, the bulb wrapping will be thin and disintegrate.
- If left in the ground too long, the bulbs sometimes split apart. The skin may also split, which exposes the bulbs to disease and will affect their longevity in storage.
- To harvest, carefully dig (don’t pull!) up the bulbs with a spade or garden fork. Lift the plants, carefully brush off the soil, and let them cure in an airy, shady, dry spot for two weeks. We hang them upside down on a string in bunches of 4 to 6. Make sure all sides get good air circulation. Be careful not to bruise the garlic or it won’t store well.
How to Store Garlic
- The bulbs are cured and ready to store when the wrappers are dry and papery and the roots are dry. The root crown should be hard, and the cloves can be cracked apart easily.
- Once the garlic bulbs are dry, you can store them. Remove any dirt and trim off any roots or leaves. Keep the wrappers on—but remove the dirtiest wrappers. Remove the tops and roots.
- Bulbs should be stored in a cool (40°F / 4°C), dark, dry place, and can be kept in the same way for several months. Don’t store in your basement if it’s moist! Do not store garlic in the refrigerator, either.
- The flavor will increase as the bulbs are dried. Properly stored, garlic should last until the next crop is harvested the following summer.
- If you plan on planting garlic again next season, save some of your largest, best-formed bulbs to plant again in the fall.
Recommended Varieties
What type of garlic should you plant? There are two main types of garlic: Softneck and Hardneck.
- Hardneck varieties are extremely cold hardy so opt for these if your winters are harsh. They produce “scapes” or flower stems which must be removed to encourage the bulbs to reach their full potential. The scapes themselves are an early summer treat, delicious as chopped into salads or added to stir-fries. Hardnecks grow one ring of cloves around a stem, there is not a layer of cloves as there is in softneck varieties. While they are cold hardy, hardnecks do not store as well or long as other varieties. Flavor is milder than softnecks. Common hardneck types include ‘Korean Red’, ‘Duganski’, ‘Siberian’, ‘Music’, ‘Chesnok Red’, ‘German Red’ and ‘Spanish Roja’. These varieties produce tiny bulblets at the end of a tall flowering stalk in addition to a fat underground bulb of cloves.
- Softneck varieties, like their name suggests, have necks that stay soft after harvest, and therefore are the types that you see braided. Softnecks are especially recommended for those in warmer climes, as it is less winter-hardy than other types. They have strong, intense flavor and tend to grow bigger bulbs because energy is not being diverted to top-set bulblets like hardnecks. Softneck varieties include ‘Silverskin’, ‘Inchelium Red’, ‘California Early’ and ‘California Late’.
While not a true garlic, the enormous Great-headed (Elephant) garlic behaves like a hardneck type. Despite its size, it has quite a mild flavor. Most types are about 90 days to harvest, once growth starts.
- Great-headed (Elephant) garlic is not recommended if you’re looking for a garlic taste. It’s less hardy, and more closely related to leeks than other varieties. The flavor is more like onion than traditional garlic. Bulbs and cloves are large, with about 4 cloves to a bulb.
Wit & Wisdom
- Rub raw garlic on an insect bite to relieve the sting or itch. Find out more uses for raw garlic and more about garlic’s long history of healing.
A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat.
–Yiddish proverb
Recipes
Cooking Notes
- You can also harvest just the green scapes of hardneck garlic varieties. Harvest when the scape begin to curl (often around mid-June). This doesn’t hurt the bulb; in fact, the plant can put more energy into bulb formation. Use the scapes in cooking the same way you would garlic bulbs. We like to stir fry scapes the way we cook green beans—similar, with a spicy kick! Note that they get more fibrous and less edible as they mature.
- Learn how to make your own garlic powder to easily spice up a recipe.
- Roasted garlic bulbs are also a favorite of ours!
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Reader Comments
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Volunteer Garlic "sprouts"
I discovered a dried garlic stalk with a dried "bloom" while trimming hedges last month. Now its mid November and I've got a dozen garlic plants popping up maybe 10 inches tall. I'm out West Tx way and cold weather is not in the forecast. I'd like to be able to harvest the bulbs at the appropriate time, but none of the comments I've read here fit my situation. Please clue me in.
garlic in west Texas
It’s not really clear what your question is, Tom. Not sure what a dried “bloom” is; do you mean bulb? If so, it’s past its prime, esp if it was in the ground through the hot summer. The others may be similarly shot (dried). Pull one up and see. It also occurs to me that because you just discovered these (you did not plant them), that they are wild onions. They send up green shoots…and multiply by the dozens. Or it could be wild garlic: Both have thin, green, waxy leaves: those of wild garlic are round and hollow, while those of wild onion are flat and solid. Leaves of wild garlic are hollow and branch off the main stem. Leaves of wild onion are flat, not hollow, and emerge from the base of the plant. Either way, you can eat them, greens and bulb. Pull one or two up; the onions would have a small white bulb; the garlic should show cloves. Hope this helps.
S E alaska growing
i leave for winter in sept which i think is too early to plant so what i do is come back in march and chip holes in the frozen dirt and plant.i know its a bit unorthodox but works great every year.
Garlic
I have grown garlic for many years. Especially when I lived in the more Northern parts of Pennsylvania, now that I'm in the more Central part of Pennsylvania my garlic doesn't grow quite as well. It could very possibly be the soil. I'm in a more wooded area now, BUT I'll keep trying.
GREAT ARTICLE you have on Garlic
USING GARLIC SCAPES IN COOKING - RENFREW, ONT. CANADA
When it comes time to using my garlic scapes, I make a pesto out of them.
1 cup GARLIC SCAPES - CUT INTO 1" PIECES
1/2 cup FRESH BASIL LEAVES
1/3 cup SLICED ALMONDS OR CHOPPED WALNUTS
1/2 cup EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
1/2 cup GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE
1/2 teaspoon LEMON JUICE
SEA SALT and CRACKED BLACK PEPPER, to taste
METHOD:
1) In a food processor, process the garlic scapes and basil for 30 seconds.
2) Add the nuts and process for another 30 seconds.
3) Slowly drizzle in the olive oil as you continue to run the food processor.
4) Add in the parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix and taste, adjusting salt and pepper, as desired.
- I use this pesto when making a pasta salad, with mayo and add warm jumbo shrimp, REALLY GOOD!
- Use the pesto when adding a topping to pizza
- As a favourite, I mix this pesto with feta cheese, and fried sausage and use this combination to stuff large mushroom caps, DELICIOUS!
- Mix this pesto with ground beef and make really yummy burgers!
Whatever you do, with the scapes, it's a real treat, before you get your main harvest! Just enjoy all the work you put into your gardens. Lots of trials and tribulations but we will learn from the whole fun of the hobby, or lifestyle. There will be rewards of your dirt, sweat and tears, if you keep trying and be patient with yourself and the mistakes you make, along the way. I still have lots to learn, but as long as I'm able to work the soil, I will continue to enjoy, whatever shows green and produces. Have fun!
Growing garlic
This is my first year growing garlic, I cut my scapes and chew on them when I weed a my garden, hope the bulbs are as good as the scapes!
How to grow Garlic.
The page is very helpful for beginners! Looking forward to learn more from you. Thanks.
Cut the scapes, harvest on time
I planted a couple dozen cloves in the Fall 2018 and they all grew very vigorously last spring. Unfortunately I left the scape on them which diminishes proper formation of the bulb, and I left them in the ground too long which disintegrated the paper skin. I was still able to salvage some but it was definitely a learning lesson. Last fall 2019 I planted about 4 or 5 dozen cloves of various varieties and am looking forward to a prolific harvest this summer. Very excited.
Garlic
We planted garlic last year for the first time and it was suggested we keep the garlic in the ground for one more year to grow larger bulbs. Is this a viable suggestion?
I CAN SEE YOU!
What would happen if you let the flowers matures? What happens? Do they form a new garlic bulb, not a clone but a sexual offspring?
Planting garlic from garlic
I live in northern Nevada, about 4200 elevation. I thought I would try to grow some garlic this year. I bought a large head of organic garlic and planted 2 cloves in late May, within a week, they were sprouting, it is now July 9, about 90 degrees out and they are about 10” tall. They have numerous (leaves) on them. Can you tell me what those are? All the mature garlic I have seen has only one stem. When would I be able to harvest them?
Thank you.
garlic harvest time
I’m not sure what the numerous leaves are – usually garlic has one stem, but many leaves that form off of that, upwards along the stalk. Sometimes multiples shoots may form if the bulb or shoots were exposed to temperatures that were too cold (around 10 degrees F or below) in early spring. If yours have cold damage, I’m not sure what that means for the harvest. In colder climates, spring planting usually yields smaller bulbs, versus fall planting, so you might not get bulbs as plump as you might expect anyway. Depending on weather and bulb variety, the harvest time may vary. In general, when the leaves of the plant are about ⅓ to ½ brown, the bulbs are usually ready. Check a bulb or two; if the cloves fill the skin, your crop is likely ready.
Garlic
I plant with seeds?
Great group on facebook to join is Kenosha Garlic collectors.
Kenosha Garlic collectors is a great group to discuss garlic planting, and varieties. Global group for anyone interested in growing.
Garlic
I want to know more about garlic
Dividing and Re-planting Volunteer Garlic
I discovered garlic sprouting in a bed from last year. It's sporadic and cloves are clumped together. It's April in Central Oregon and soil is workable. Can I pop them out, divide and replant? Other than small bulb size, any risks to this? Also, is it true if you clip the greens, the bulbs will get bigger or does that apply mostly when it gets to the scape phase? Thank you!
Garlic in intertropical weather
Hi,I’m brazilian and I live in the countryside...I started my garlic plantation in the end of my summer(now it’s autumn season),owing to my in unawareness of the seasons importance :(
Now I know that garlic should be planted in places that are colder than my city,how should I proceed with watering and harvesting and everything?I live in Presidente Prudente,which I believe the hot season is about 6,2 months and the medium temperature is 30 celsius.I beg your pardon for my english,it’s been about a year I don’t write anything.I appreciate a lot this site and I hope you can help me!Thank you since now!Bye!
Garlic
Planted my garlic and mulched. My garlic is 6 inches above the mulch and temps are forecasted for single digits? Will it hurt the garlic?
garllic poking up
The greens that are poking up with be frozen and die back but that should not affect the bulbs long term. Mulch more! Several inches—6!—is not too much. You can use fallen leaves; the mulch doesn’t have to be fancy (storebought).
Garlic growing in tropical claiment
Am a Ugandan in tropical claiment and my land is not far from the crossing of equetor.... Some season tend to be hot in some years and some time the rain normalises to it's normal meaning that some time a need to irrigate arises.but the soil is black and firtile for serial crops and legumes. Then also coffee and some fruits works better only that today coffee is not dependable due to some deseases which affected the production. I need to start a new crop which accoding to me ,garlic can work fompr me...
Please advise. Thank you!
I peeled my garlic before I planted it.
I know now it was a mistake. Will they grow? Should I dig up 70 plantings? I have had three years of fabulous garlic. This year one came out of the skin. I asked my sister if it’s ok to plant without skin and she said it was. I wasn’t thinking when I peeled them all and planted.
skinless cloves
Your garlic may get a chill sooner than “normal” without its skin but there is no reason to think it will not grow into nice heads.
Forgot to mention
I am in Manchester. North West England.
Garlic
I planted my garlic just this week. I am in Manchester. It is already throwing up shoots. Is this OK? Will I lose my garlic? My over wintering onions are the same. Hope you can help.
Thanks.
throwing up shoots
Spread a few inches of mulch over your garlic. Presumably, if you get a reasonable facsimile of winter (not familiar with usual conditions), your garlic will do just fine. When spring comes in, push off the mulch.
Do the same for the onions.
Watering Garlic
Hi! Thanks for this article! Very helpful. I am very new to gardening and will start my garlic this weekend (zone 8) I do container gardening. I just have one question: once I plant my garlic do I water it then and not again until spring?? Fertilize with seaweed fertilizer and not again until May? Any help? Thanks!
container garlic
Set it into the container and put the container outside, buried in soil to rim level, if possible. If it’s not buried, and there is a freezing rain in Jan or Feb, the bulbs might freeze and never sprout. You can water it; it won’t now if the water came from you or the sky. You can skip the fertilizer until spring. Just get the container outdoors, in the ground, if possible. If you try to grow it indoors, it might 1) rot 2) dry up.
GARLIC HARVESTING
Thanks for the message.After harvesting,it is advised to cure the bulbs in a shade for 2 weeks,also the bulbs are supposed to hang them top down.Now,how and what simple tools are used in hanging the bulbs and what are the side effects if I fail to hang the bulbs/garlic?
Worms in garlic
When harvesting this Spring (I live in Louisiana), I found tiny white worms in two bulbs (one in each bulb.) I had a good harvest, so I discarded those bulbs; but, I've wondered what type of worm would be a pest in garlic! Do you have any idea?
garlic pests
Sometimes garlic can get the same pests as onions do, such as the onion maggot, which, in larval stage, is a white tapered maggot about ¼ inch long. The adult looks sort of like a small gray housefly. Perhaps that was the pest you saw? Usually, they aren’t a serious pest of garlic, but you can discourage them by rotating crops, using row covers, and cleaning up plant debris in fall.
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