Plant garlic in fall, about 4 to 6 weeks before the ground freezes. Break bulbs into cloves, plant them pointy end up, 2 inches deep and 6 inches apart in rich, well-drained soil, then mulch with 4 to 6 inches of straw in cold areas. Harvest next summer when about half the lower leaves have turned brown.
Garlic might be the most satisfying crop for the least effort. You plant it in fall when the rest of the garden is winding down, forget about it through winter, and the following summer you dig up a basket of fat bulbs worth far more than the few cloves you started with. It also takes up almost no space: a single 4 by 8 foot raised bed holds around 100 plants.
The secret is timing. Garlic needs a cold winter period to divide into a proper bulb of cloves, which is why it goes in the ground in fall rather than spring.
When to plant garlic
The goal is to plant early enough that cloves grow roots before the ground freezes, but late enough that they do not send up lots of green leaves before winter. A good rule is 4 to 6 weeks before your ground usually freezes.
| Where you live | When to plant |
|---|---|
| US zones 3–5 (northern states, Canada) | Mid-September to mid-October |
| US zones 6–7 (Midwest, mid-Atlantic, Pacific Northwest) | October to early November |
| US zones 8–9 (South, California) | November to December |
| UK and Ireland | October to November (late winter also works) |
| Australia (southern states) | March to April (autumn) |
Not sure of your zone? The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map shows it by ZIP code.
In warm-winter areas (zones 9–10), garlic may not get enough cold. Choose softneck varieties and store the cloves in a paper bag in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 weeks before planting to give them a “fake winter”.
Hardneck or softneck garlic?
- Hardneck varieties (like Music, German Extra Hardy, Chesnok Red) grow a stiff central stalk and a curly flower stem called a scape, which is delicious. They are hardier in cold climates and usually have fewer, bigger cloves with intense flavor. They store for about 4 to 6 months.
- Softneck varieties (like Inchelium Red, California Early, Silver White) have no stiff stalk, more cloves per bulb, and store for 8 months or more. They are what you usually buy in supermarkets and the type you braid. They prefer milder winters.
Cold winters: start with hardneck. Mild winters: start with softneck.
Buy seed garlic, not supermarket garlic
It is tempting to plant a bulb from the grocery store, and sometimes it works. But supermarket garlic is often a softneck variety grown far away in a different climate, and some is treated to stop sprouting. Seed garlic from a garden center or specialist grower is chosen for planting, disease-free, and adapted to growing regions. The biggest cloves grow the biggest bulbs, so it pays to start with good stock.
How to plant garlic, step by step
- Choose a sunny spot. Full sun, at least 6 hours a day, with soil that drains well. Garlic rots in waterlogged ground.
- Prepare the soil. Loosen it to about 8 to 12 inches and mix in 2 to 3 inches of compost. Raised beds are ideal.
- Separate the cloves a day or two before planting. Keep the papery skin on each clove. Plant the biggest ones and cook with the smallest.
- Plant pointy end up, flat root end down, about 2 inches deep (measured to the base of the clove). In very cold areas, go 3 inches deep.
- Space cloves 6 inches apart, in rows about 8 to 12 inches apart.
- Water once to settle the soil.
- Mulch. Once the ground starts to get cold, cover the bed with 4 to 6 inches of straw or shredded leaves in cold climates, or 2 to 3 inches in mild ones. Mulch protects against freeze and thaw cycles and smothers weeds.
Planting upside down will not kill garlic, but the shoot has to curl round to find the surface and the bulbs come out smaller and misshapen. Pointy end up, every time.
Care through winter and spring
- Winter: nothing to do. Green shoots may poke through the mulch in fall; that is fine.
- Early spring: pull back mulch slightly in very cold areas once hard freezes are over, and feed with compost or a nitrogen-rich organic fertilizer as growth takes off.
- Water: about 1 inch a week in spring if it does not rain. Stop watering about two weeks before harvest so bulbs firm up.
- Weed: garlic hates competition. Keep the bed weeded.
- Cut the scapes (hardneck only): when the curly flower stalks loop once in early summer, snap them off. The plant puts its energy into the bulb instead, and scapes make a wonderful pesto.
When and how to harvest
Usually early to mid summer. Watch the leaves: harvest when the lower third to half of the leaves have turned brown while the top ones are still green. Each green leaf becomes a protective wrapper around the bulb, so waiting until the whole plant is brown leaves bulbs that split and store poorly.
Loosen the soil with a garden fork a few inches away from the plant and lift gently. Do not pull by the stalk.
Curing and storing
Brush off loose soil (do not wash the bulbs) and hang them in bundles or lay them on a rack somewhere shady, dry and airy for 2 to 4 weeks. When the necks are tight and dry and the outer skins are papery, trim the roots and stalks and store in a cool, dark spot with good airflow. Save your biggest bulbs to plant next fall and you will never need to buy seed garlic again.
What you need for garlic
Prices change often, so check the store for today's price.Organic seed garlic (hardneck or softneck)
Bulbs grown for planting give bigger, more reliable harvests than supermarket garlic. Choose hardneck for cold winters and softneck for mild ones.
- Chosen for planting
- Varieties for your climate
- Biggest cloves mean biggest bulbs
- Downside: Sells out in early fall, so order ahead
How to use it: Plant the largest cloves 2 inches deep and 6 inches apart, 4–6 weeks before the ground freezes.
Straw mulch bale or bag
A thick blanket of straw keeps garlic from heaving out of the ground in freeze-thaw cycles and keeps weeds down in spring.
- Protects cloves over winter
- Suppresses weeds
- Breaks down into organic matter
- Downside: Buy weed-free straw, not hay, which is full of seeds
How to use it: Spread 4–6 inches over the bed once the soil starts to get cold.
Digging fork
Lifting garlic with a fork instead of pulling the stalks prevents snapped necks and bruised bulbs that will not store.
- Loosens soil without slicing bulbs
- Useful all year in the garden
- Lasts for decades
- Downside: Choose a forged steel fork
- Downside: cheap ones bend
How to use it: Push it in a few inches away from the plant and lever gently to loosen the soil before lifting.
FAQ
Can I plant garlic in spring?
Yes, but the bulbs are usually smaller, often single round “rounds” without separate cloves. Fall planting gives much better results.
How many garlic cloves should I plant?
Each clove grows one bulb. If you use about one bulb a week, plant around 50 cloves.
Can I grow garlic in containers?
Yes, in a pot at least 8 inches deep with drainage. Space cloves about 4 inches apart and protect the pot from hard freezes.
What can I plant after garlic?
Garlic comes out in early summer, leaving time for a quick crop of beans, lettuce or fall brassicas in the same bed.