Quantcast
Garlic: How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Garlic Bulbs | The Old Farmer's Almanac

Order Your Almanac Today!

Garlic

Botanical Name
Allium sativum
Plant Type
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Hardiness Zone
3
4
5
6
7
8
No content available.

How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Garlic

Print Friendly and PDF

Growing your own garlic is always exciting. This pungent bulb adds flavor to countless recipes—and is so healthy! Just plant cloves in the fall, and you’ll be rewarded with a bountiful garlic harvest after winter! Before you plant, it’s important to know which variety is a match for your climate—and your cooking!

About Garlic

Garlic is one of the few crops that you plant in the fall!  You simply plant a clove from this year’s head of garlic, cover with mulch, and harvest in summer during the middle of the vegetable garden season. After you harvest and clean out the bed, you can plant another crop in the same bed!

You can also enjoy garlic leaves or “scapes” which appear in early spring. They’re delicious stir fried or in salads.

In addition to having an intense flavor and many culinary uses, the “stinking rose” also serves as an insect repellent in the garden, and it has been used as a home remedy for centuries.

Can You Plant Store-Bought Garlic?

We do not recommend this. Most grocery store garlic heads have been treated. Plus, most commercial garlic comes from large-scale farming areas with mild climates (such as California), so the garlic may not be suited for growing in your own climate and may carry pests or diseases with it as well.

If you want big bulbs, use “seed” garlic from a local nursery, farmer’s market, or online seed supplier. Or, keep some of your best heads of garlic from your harvest to replant! But before you plant garlic, make sure you know the difference between the two main types of garlic: hardneck and softneck garlic – and which type will grow best in your climate. See Recommended Varieties below.

Planting

Garlic does best in full sun, so select a planting site that receives 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day. A couple weeks or so before planting, prepare the soil by mixing in a healthy helping of compost or aged manure.

If your garden soil is poorly draining or high in clay, garlic grower Robin Jarry of Hope, Maine, suggests growing in heavily mulched raised beds instead. “I plant in raised beds for good drainage, and then mulch with about 6 inches of old hay after the ground freezes. I never water my garlic—I like low-maintenance vegetables!” Raised beds should be 2 to 3 feet wide and at least 10 to 12 inches deep.

Spacing for Garlic

When to Plant Garlic

Garlic is most often planted in the fall (between late September and November). In areas that get a hard frost, plant garlic cloves 6 to 8 weeks before the first fall frost date, before the ground freezes.

Garlic does best if it can experience a “dormancy” period of colder weather—at least 40˚F (4°C)—that lasts 4 to 8 weeks. By planting garlic bulbs in the fall, they have time to develop healthy roots before temperatures drop and/or the ground freezes, but not enough time for the garlic to form top growth. Then, by early spring, the bulbs “wake up” from their dormancy and start rapidly producing foliage, followed by bulbs, before the harshest heat of summer stops their growth.

In mild climates, you can plant garlic cloves as late as February or March, but the resulting bulbs won’t be as large. However, you can still enjoy the garlic scapes during the summer. (Scapes are the plant’s tender green shoots and have a mild garlic flavor. Enjoy on eggs, in salads, as a pizza topping, or in stir-fries!) If you plant in the spring, wait to do so until after the soil can be worked and it crumbles apart easily.

Planting garlic cloves. Photo by Yuriy S / Getty Images
Photo by YuriyS/Getty Images

    How to Plant Garlic

      • Immediately before planting, work a couple tablespoons of 5-10-10 complete fertilizer, bonemeal, or fish meal into the soil several inches below where the base of the garlic cloves will rest.
      • 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.
      • Plant cloves 4 to 8 inches apart and 2 inches deep, in their upright position (with the wider root side facing down and pointed end facing up). 
      • Plant in rows spaced 6 to 12 inches apart. A single 10-foot row should yield about 5 pounds of the fragrant bulbs, depending on the variety.

      In this short video, Ben shares his tried and tested techniques for planting a truly spectacular crop of garlic.

      Growing
      • Gardeners in areas where the ground freezes should mulch garlic beds heavily with straw or leaves 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 arrive, shoots will emerge through the ground.
      • Cut off any flower shoots that emerge in spring. These may decrease bulb size.
      • Garlic is a heavy feeder. In early spring, side-dress with or broadcast blood meal, pelleted chicken manure, or a synthetic source of nitrogen such as a pelleted fertilizer.
      • Fertilize again just before the bulbs begin to swell in response to lengthening daylight (usually early May in most regions). Repeat if the foliage begins to yellow.
      • Keep the planting site well weeded. Garlic doesn’t do well with competition—it needs all available nutrients!
      • Water every 3 to 5 days during bulbing (mid-May through June). If May and June are very dry, irrigate to a depth of 2 feet every eight to 10 days. As mid-June approaches, taper off watering.
      Garlic shoots growing out of soil. Photo by YuriyS/Getty Images
      Photo by YuriyS/Getty Images
      Recommended Varieties

      Before you choose a variety of garlic, you need to consider your climate which determines whether you plant a hardneck or softneck variety. Then you need to consider your cooking because different varieties have different taste profiles from mild to sweet to bold to spicy!

      • Hardnecks are the best choice for Northern gardeners. They are extremely cold hardy for harsh winters. These grow one ring of fat cloves round a hard stem, with fewer but larger cloves per bulb than softnecks.

        Bonus! Hardnecks produce flower stems, aka “scapes,” which must be cut to encourage the bulbs to reach their full potential. The scapes themselves are an early summer treat, delicious if chopped into salads or added to stir-fries.

        Popular hardneck varieties: ‘Music’ (on the mild side yet rich and mellow); ‘Chesnok Red’ (mild and sweet, creamy texture when roasted); ‘Early Italian’ (sweeter flavor that won’t overpower dishes); ‘German Red’ (robust, classic garlic flavor which cooks love); ‘Spanish Roja’ (strong and hot, heirloom with classic garlic flavor)
         
      • Softnecks are more common with Southern gardeners, growing well in warm climates with warm winters. They have more intense flavors and tend to grow bigger bulbs with smaller cloves per bulb because energy is not being diverted to top-set bulblets like hardnecks.

        They do not have scapes, but they store better than hardnecks. Like their name suggests, have necks that stay soft after harvest, and therefore are the types that you’ll see braided together.

        Popular softneck varieties: ‘California White Early’ (classic moderate garlic flavor, most popular grocery store type, harvest in spring); â€˜California White Late’ (harvest in summer); ‘Inchelium Red’ (wonderful but mild garlic flavor, superior storage life); ‘Silver White’ (classic garlic, great storage, excellent for beginner); â€˜Lorz Italian’ (hot and zesty heirloom, popular with cooks).
         
      • Elephant garlic isn’t a true garlic but it is grown similar to hardneck varieties, requiring a long cool growing season in zones 3 through 9. Most types are about 90 days to harvest, once growth starts. Despite its size, it has quite a mild flavor more similar to onion and shallots than traditional garlic. Bulbs and cloves are large (up to one pound each!), with just a few cloves to a bulb.

        See our complete video that demonstrates how to grow and how to harvest garlic!

      Harvesting
      • Harvest from fall plantings will range from late June to August. If you planted in the spring, calculate your approximate harvest date based on the “days to maturity” of the garlic variety you planted.
      • In general, the clue is to look for yellowing foliage, but this isn’t the case for all garlic varieties. 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 a good idea to sample one bulb. 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 easily 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 or yank stems by hand) up the bulbs using a garden fork. Avoid damaging the roots and especially the root-plate (where they attach to the bulb). Lift the plants and carefully brush off surplus soil, but do not remove any foliage or roots before putting them to dry thoroughly.
      Harvested garlic bulbs. Photo by Nikolaeva Elena/Getty Images
      Photo by Nikolaeva Elena/Getty Images

      How to Store Garlic

      • Let garlic cure in an airy, shady, dry spot for about 2 weeks. Hang them upside down on a string in bunches of 4 to 6 or leave them to try on a home-made rack made from chicken wire stretched over posts. Make sure all sides get good air circulation.
      • After a few weeks, the garlic should be totally dry and ready to store.
      • 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. Brush off (do not wash) dirt, remove only the dirtiest wrappers, trim roots to ÂŒ of an inch, and cut tops to 1 to 2 inches.
      • Bulbs should be stored in a cool (55°F / 13°C), dark, dry place, and can be kept in the same way for several months. Don’t store in your basement if it’s humid. Do not store garlic in the refrigerator, either, as it will be too cold and too humid.
      • 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.

      Garlic

      Wit and Wisdom
      • Rub raw garlic on an insect bite to relieve the sting or itch. Find out more uses for raw garlic.

      • Old-time gardeners swear that garlic “learns” because it adapts to your growing conditions and improves each year.

      A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat.
      –Yiddish proverb

      Pests/Diseases

      Garlic has very few problems with pests in the garden (in fact, it’s a natural pest repellent), and very few problems with the diseases that plague other veggies. Keep an eye out for the same pests that bother onions.

      Garlic Pests and Diseases
      Pest/Disease Type Symptoms Control/Prevention
      Onion maggots Insect

      Limp, yellow, or stunted plants; larvae feed on roots/bulbs/stems and may spread bacteria

      Use row covers; harvest on a timely basis; monitor adults with yellow sticky traps; weed, especially wild onions; destroy crop residue; rotate crops
      Onion thrips Insect

      Leaves, especially in folds near base, have white patches or silver streaks; brown leaf tips; bulbs distorted or stunted; curling or scarring

      Remove plant debris; choose resistant varieties; add native plants to invite beneficial insects; use row covers; use straw mulch; monitor adults with yellow or white sticky traps; use sprinklers or other overhead watering
      White rot Fungus

      Leaves yellow, wilt, and die, starting with oldest; white, cottony growth at stem base or on bulb, later with black, poppy seed–like particles; roots rot

      Destroy infected plants; choose disease-free cloves/sets; destroy crop residue; disinfect tools; solarize soil; rotating crops on 5-year or longer cycle may help
      Recipes
      Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
      Creamy Garlic Dressing
      Basil & Garlic Stuffed Quail
      Cooking Notes
      • Learn how to make your own garlic powder to easily spice up a recipe.
      • Roasted garlic bulbs are also a favorite of ours!
      • Around the time of the summer solstice (late June), hardneck garlic sends up a seed stalk, or scape. Allow it to curl, then cut off the curl to allow the plant to put its 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.
      Garlic scapes. Photo by Mikhail Naumov/Getty Images
      Garlic scapes. Photo by Mikhail Naumov/Getty Images.
      Garlic

      More Like This

      Gardening Calendar

      Comments

      Paul Tashner (not verified)

      3 weeks 2 days ago

      Thank you for a clear guide to growing garlic! Very helpful. I bought 5 heads from our local farm feed & seed store, separated them, put the cloves in a bowl with a few teaspoons of water, roots started to emerge in about 2 days, then I planted them in a prepared raised bed. I’ll wait for a frost (Central Virginia has pretty mild winters) and then cover with hay mulch. Thank you again.

      Cecilia (not verified)

      1 month 4 weeks ago

      Friends,
      Gentleness with one another, please. We all just want to learn about growing garlic. : )
      And a thought meant kindly for all of us-
      I can understand that converting might be frustrating, and if you send an email to the customer service department and ask them to list both types of measurements I bet they’ll be happy to do it.
      Happy planting, all! Can’t wait to harvest and braid mine!
      - C

      Barbara (not verified)

      2 months 2 weeks ago

      Re your comment: "Bulbs should be stored in a cool (40°F / 4°C), dark, dry place...Do not store garlic in the refrigerator, either." I live in Houston, where it is hot and humid 5 months out of the year, and warm and humid another 6 months out of the year. It is mid-October, and until yesterday the high temperature every day has been in the 90s since early May. Even my garage doesn't stay at 40 degrees consistently over several months...so where do I store garlic that is 40 degrees but not a refrigerator? It may sound like I am jesting, but I am asking this question in all seriousness. Thanks.

      That was a typo on our part! Garlic bulbs should be stored at around 55°F. Even up to 60°F would be suitable. A refrigerator is generally too cold and humid to store garlic bulbs well. 

      David (not verified)

      5 months 1 week ago

      Inches only... WHY ?
      I'm 51 years old and grew up in an educational system that only used decimalised systems. I have used litre, metre, centimetre, millimetre, nanometer and centigrade my entire life. It is really annoying when US websites refuse to give both measures, the rest of the world has no idea what an inch is. It is very irritating trying to study something when you have to constantly leave the page to find out what US imperial measures are. Is it asking too much to supply the information in a format that everybody in the world understands? The rest of the world has been metric for many decades (over half a century in some countries) for good reason. And, before some clown says "we put man on the moon"... News flash... NASA was founded by Von Braun, a European German that used metric his entire life.
      It is so bad in America that nobody even knows what size a US Cup measure is in metric. I have seen it as anything from 100ml (!!!) to as high as 275ml. (250ml is the closets any American guessed it). A gallon is a gallon right ? ... No, "Gallons" change volume pending which country e.g. US G = 3.75 litre but an old UK G = 4.5 litre, then other nations had their "gallon" versions too. 1 litre is the same in every nation in the world. Important when refueling an airliner right ?