Garlic is one of the most forgiving crops a gardener can grow, and one of the few you plant as the rest of the garden is winding down. You push a few cloves into the soil in fall, cover them with mulch, and mostly forget about them. Next summer, each clove has become a full head. It needs very little space, few pests bother it, and homegrown garlic often has a depth of flavor that is hard to find in supermarket bulbs.
The catch is timing. Garlic needs a period of cold to form proper bulbs, and it needs to grow roots before the ground freezes. Get those two things right and the rest is easy. This guide walks through when to plant for your region, how to choose the right type, and how to plant, care for and harvest it.
Why garlic is planted in fall
Garlic cloves need several weeks of cool temperatures to trigger bulb formation. Without that chill, plants often produce a single round bulb with no separate cloves, or a poorly divided head. Fall planting gives the cloves that cold period naturally through winter.
Planting in fall also gives garlic a head start. In the weeks after planting, cloves grow roots, and sometimes a little green shoot appears. The plant then sits through winter and resumes growing as soon as the soil warms in spring, long before you could plant anything else. That early start produces larger bulbs than spring-planted garlic, which has to rush through its growth before summer heat signals it to stop.
When to plant garlic
The traditional advice is to plant garlic a few weeks before the ground freezes, often expressed as roughly four to six weeks before freeze-up. That gives cloves time to grow roots without producing so much top growth that it gets damaged by severe cold.
| Region | Typical planting window |
|---|---|
| Northern states and mountain areas (zones 3–4) | Mid-September to early October |
| Upper Midwest, Northeast, Northwest (zones 5–6) | October to early November |
| Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic (zone 7) | Late October to mid-November |
| Deep South, Gulf Coast, low desert (zones 8–10) | November to December, sometimes into January |
These are broad ranges. A good local signal is soil temperature: many growers aim to plant when soil at planting depth has cooled to around 50°F. If you are unsure, your state Cooperative Extension service usually publishes garlic planting dates for your area.
Planting a little late is usually better than very early. Cloves planted in warm soil can sprout tall green growth before winter, which is more easily damaged by hard freezes.
Hardneck or softneck?
Garlic comes in two main groups, and choosing the right one for your climate makes a real difference.
Hardneck garlic
Hardneck types grow a stiff central flower stalk, called a scape, in early summer. They usually have fewer, larger cloves arranged in a single ring around the stalk, which makes them easy to peel. Many gardeners consider them the most flavorful. Hardnecks are well suited to cold winters and are the usual choice in northern states. Their main drawback is shorter storage life, often several months rather than most of a year.
Softneck garlic
Softneck types have a soft, flexible stem with no scape, which is why they can be braided. They produce more cloves per head, in several layers, including small inner cloves. Softnecks tend to do better in mild winters and warm climates, and they usually store considerably longer than hardnecks. Most supermarket garlic is softneck.
As a rule of thumb, gardeners with cold winters do well with hardnecks, gardeners in the South and mild coastal areas do well with softnecks, and gardeners in between can grow both. Within each group there are many named varieties, and seed suppliers usually note which do best in which regions.
What about elephant garlic? Despite the name, elephant garlic is more closely related to leeks. It produces huge, mild cloves and is grown in much the same way, but with wider spacing.
Where to get garlic to plant
Buy seed garlic from a garden center, a seed company or a local grower. It is sold specifically for planting, often as varieties suited to your region, and is less likely to carry diseases.
Supermarket garlic can work, but it is a gamble. It is often a variety bred for a different climate, it may have been treated to reduce sprouting, and it can carry diseases into your soil. If you have garlic from a local farmers market that grew well in your area, that is a much better bet.
Order early. Popular varieties often sell out by late summer.
Preparing the bed
Garlic needs full sun and loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. It sits in the ground for eight or nine months, so it is worth preparing the bed properly.
- Choose a sunny spot that gets at least six hours of direct sun.
- Avoid wet ground. Cloves can rot in soil that stays waterlogged over winter. Raised beds are ideal.
- Add compost. Work an inch or two of compost into the top few inches of soil. The compost calculator works out the amount.
- Rotate. Avoid planting garlic where onions, leeks or garlic grew in the last few years, to reduce the risk of soil-borne diseases that affect the onion family.
How to plant garlic, step by step
- Break the heads apart just before planting. Separate the cloves a day or two before planting at most, so they do not dry out. Leave the papery skins on.
- Choose the biggest cloves. Large cloves grow large heads. Use the small inner cloves in the kitchen instead.
- Plant pointed end up. The flat end, where the roots grow, goes down.
- Plant about 2 inches deep. Measure to the base of the clove. In very cold regions, some growers plant slightly deeper for extra protection.
- Space cloves about 6 inches apart. In rows, leave about 12 inches between rows. In a raised bed, a grid of 6 inches in every direction works well, which is 4 cloves per square foot.
- Water once. Water the bed after planting to settle the soil, unless rain is due.
- Mulch. Cover the bed with several inches of loose straw or shredded leaves. The mulch insulates the soil, prevents frost heaving and suppresses weeds in spring.
To work out how many cloves to buy, use the plant spacing calculator with garlic selected, or the square foot gardening calculator at 4 per square. A 4-by-4-foot bed at 6-inch spacing holds 64 cloves. Our plant database lists garlic spacing alongside other common crops.
Caring for garlic through winter and spring
Over winter, garlic needs almost nothing. Leave the mulch in place and let the cloves rest. In cold regions, you may see green shoots poke up in fall or during mild spells. That is normal and does not harm the crop.
In spring, as the soil warms and growth resumes, garlic becomes a little more demanding.
- Thin the mulch. In cold areas, pull back some of the mulch once hard freezes are over so the soil warms, but keep enough to suppress weeds.
- Weed carefully. Garlic has narrow leaves and shallow roots, so it competes poorly with weeds. Weed by hand or with a gentle hoe.
- Feed in early spring. Garlic is a fairly heavy feeder. A nitrogen-rich fertilizer or a side dressing of compost as growth begins helps leaf growth, which drives bulb size. Most growers stop feeding by late spring, as bulbs begin to form.
- Water steadily. Aim for about an inch of water a week during active spring growth, from rain or irrigation. The garden watering calculator converts that into gallons.
- Stop watering before harvest. Reduce watering in the final couple of weeks before harvest, so bulbs firm up and store better.
Harvesting garlic scapes
Hardneck garlic sends up a curling flower stalk in late spring or early summer. Most growers cut these scapes off once they have curled, which directs the plant’s energy into the bulb rather than the flower. Many growers report larger bulbs as a result.
Scapes are a delicious bonus harvest. They have a mild garlic flavor and can be grilled, stir-fried, chopped into salads or blended into pesto. Cut them at the base of the curl with scissors or pruners.
When and how to harvest garlic
Garlic is usually ready in early to midsummer, depending on your climate and the variety. Timing the harvest well matters. Dig too early and the bulbs are small and do not store well. Dig too late and the wrappers split, leaving the cloves exposed and short-lived.
Watch the leaves. Each green leaf corresponds to one of the papery wrappers around the bulb. A common rule is to harvest when the lower third to half of the leaves have turned brown, while several upper leaves are still green. That leaves enough intact wrappers to protect the bulb in storage.
To harvest, loosen the soil beside the plants with a garden fork and lift the bulbs gently. Pulling by the stem can snap it off or bruise the bulb. Brush off loose soil, but do not wash the bulbs.
Curing and storing garlic
Freshly dug garlic needs to cure before storage. Curing dries the outer wrappers and the neck, sealing the bulb against rot.
- Keep the leaves and roots attached for now.
- Hang or spread the plants in a shaded, dry, well-ventilated spot, such as a garage, shed or covered porch, out of direct sun.
- Leave them for two to four weeks, until the outer skins are papery and the necks are dry and tight.
- Trim the roots and cut the stems an inch or so above the bulb, or braid softneck stems together.
- Store somewhere cool, dry and dark with good air flow. Avoid the refrigerator for long-term storage, as cold, humid conditions can encourage sprouting.
Well-cured hardneck garlic typically keeps for several months, and softneck often keeps well into the following spring.
Saving your own seed garlic
One of the pleasures of growing garlic is that you can replant your own. Set aside the largest, healthiest heads at harvest and store them for fall planting. Over the years, saving your best bulbs gradually adapts your garlic to your own garden and climate. It also means you only need to buy seed garlic once.
Common garlic problems
- Small bulbs: often caused by planting small cloves, late planting, crowding, weed competition or too little water and nutrients in spring.
- Single round bulbs: usually a sign the cloves did not get enough cold, which is common with spring planting or in very mild winters.
- Rotting cloves: usually caused by waterlogged soil. Improve drainage or plant in raised beds.
- Yellow leaf tips in spring: can be cold damage, water stress or a lack of nitrogen. A spring side dressing often helps.
- White rot and other soil diseases: serious fungal diseases of the onion family. Buy clean seed garlic, rotate beds and remove any affected plants promptly.
How much garlic should you plant?
Start from how much garlic your household uses. If you cook with about one head a week, you need roughly 50 heads for a year, plus a few extra to replant next fall. Each clove you plant becomes one head, so that means planting about 55 to 60 cloves. A head of hardneck garlic often has around four to eight large cloves, and softnecks usually have more, so a pound or two of seed garlic is often enough for a household garden. Check the supplier’s estimate of cloves per pound for the variety you buy.
At 6-inch spacing, those 60 cloves fit comfortably in a 4-by-4-foot bed, which holds 64. If you are short on space, even a single 2-by-4-foot strip of 32 cloves gives you a generous supply of homegrown garlic.
Growing garlic in containers
No bed? Garlic grows well in containers, as long as they are deep enough and do not dry out. Choose a pot at least 8 to 10 inches deep with good drainage, fill it with a quality potting mix blended with some compost, and plant cloves at the same depth and spacing as in the ground. A pot about 18 inches across holds roughly eight to ten cloves.
Containers are more exposed to cold than the ground, so in cold regions move them against a sheltered wall or into an unheated garage once the soil freezes, or wrap them for insulation. Water occasionally over winter if the mix becomes completely dry, and treat them like garden garlic once growth resumes in spring.
Frequently asked questions
When should I plant garlic?
In fall, a few weeks before the ground freezes, often about four to six weeks before. That ranges from September in the coldest regions to November or December in the South.
How deep do you plant garlic cloves?
About 2 inches deep, measured to the base of the clove, with the pointed end up. Space cloves about 6 inches apart.
Can I plant garlic from the grocery store?
It may grow, but it is risky. Store garlic may be a variety unsuited to your climate, may have been treated to slow sprouting, and can carry disease. Seed garlic from a garden center or local grower is more reliable.
Can I plant garlic in spring?
You can, but bulbs are usually smaller, and without enough cold they may not divide into cloves. Fall planting gives much better results in most of the US.
How do I know when garlic is ready to harvest?
When the lower third to half of the leaves have turned brown and several upper leaves are still green. That usually happens in early to midsummer.
Should I cut off garlic scapes?
Yes, for hardneck garlic. Removing scapes once they curl helps the plant put energy into the bulb, and the scapes are good to eat.