Growing garlic is a great way to maximize garden space, especially if your goal is to grow food for storage. Garlic plants grow from cloves planted in the fall or winter, stay in the ground for around nine months, and can store for up to a year!
This guide covers everything you'll need to know to grow a successful garlic crop. Read on for info on choosing a garlic variety, growing garlic in containers, raised beds, and rows, and harvesting and storing garlic.
Skip Ahead: Types of garlic • When to plant • Planting garlic • Growing garlic • Spacing • Plant care • Harvesting • Storing garlic • FAQ
Types of garlic
There are two types of garlic: hard neck and soft neck. Hardneck garlic grows better in colder climates and is often more flavorful, but requires 2-3 months of vernalization at around 40-45ºF. Softneck garlic grows well in mild and warm zones, is best for storage, and can get by with a shorter, more mild vernalization (cold exposure) period. Gardeners in zones 8-10 should simulate vernalization by putting their soft neck garlic bulbs in paper bags in the crisper drawer of a fridge for six to eight weeks.
When to plant garlic
The best time to plant garlic is just before the coldest part of the year in your zone. This gives garlic time to set roots before going dormant for the winter and sending up shoots in the spring.
For growers in northern zones, this puts garlic planting season in the early fall to early winter. Growers in warmer zones can plant their garlic cloves as late as December. Planting garlic in the early spring is an option for those in very warm zones, but it will likely result in smaller bulbs.
Here's when to grow garlic (and which type to grow) depending on your USDA hardiness zone:
- Zones 1-3: Hardneck-- plant in September
- Zones 4-5: Hardneck-- plant in late September to October
- Zone 6: Hard or softneck-- plant in October
- Zone 7: Hard or softneck-- plant in late October or November
- Zones 8-9: Softneck-- plant in December
How to plant garlic
Planting garlic is quick, easy, and satisfying, as they're usually the first 'seeds' to go into next year's garden. Here's how to plant garlic in raised beds, containers, or garden rows:
- Prepare the soil so that it's loosened up, allowing the bulbs to grow without interference.
- Separate the cloves, keep the unblemished ones, and leave the papery skin around them.
- Plant the garlic cloves with the pointy (top) side facing up and the flat root plate facing down. Planting depth varies slightly by zone; plant them about 3-4" deep in cold climates, or 2" deep in warmer ones.
- Space the cloves 6-8" apart in rows spaced 8-10" apart. Give more space to larger varieties and garlic grown for storage.
- Mulch the cloves with wood chips or straw to insulate them in cold climates, or to protect them from the heat in very warm climates.
- Water them in to encourage contact with the soil and trigger root growth.
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How to grow garlic from a clove
Garlic is a low-maintenance plant that can thrive for most of its growing season with minimal help, given the right conditions. In fact, growers with cold winters can ignore their garlic crop for the first few months after planting. Once the temperatures start to rise in the spring, here's how to grow your garlic to harvest:
- Cover with a cloche or floating row cover over the winter if you have a period of very hard frosts. This is especially relevant if your garlic cloves have already sprouted; the sprouts won't survive hard frosts.
- Water the garlic regularly-- every few days-- starting in midsummer. Once days start to lengthen in May, the cloves will start bulbing and will need more consistent watering.
- Keep weeds out. Garlic doesn't like sharing space, so it's particularly important with this plant to weed regularly.
- Harvest the scapes. Hard neck varieties will produce tall flower stems called 'scapes,' which should be removed to encourage the plant to prioritize producing a bulb.
- Stop watering when foliage begins to yellow. This signifies that the bulb is nearly ready to harvest.
Garlic spacing
Space garlic 6-8" apart in rows spaced 8-10" apart. Larger varieties like elephant garlic will need even more spacing: 8-10" between each clove and 10-12" between rows. Keep in mind that the closer they're planted, the smaller each bulb will grow.
If you're planting garlic in containers, aim for four to six cloves per square foot. Some gardeners will advise growing nine garlic cloves per square foot, more with an eye toward maximizing space and minimizing time spent weeding than to maximizing yields.
Garlic plant care
After planting in the fall or winter, garlic can be protected and left alone until the threat of frost has passed. In the spring and summer, garlic's growing requirements change slightly as the plants develop.
Here's an overview of the soil, sun, and watering that garlic plants need:
- Full sun: Garlic plants want 6-8 hours of sun daily.
- Rich, well-draining soil: Prepare your soil for garlic by amending it with compost or composted manure. Soil should also drain well; if you're planting into clay soil, take care to dig it up and amend it well to ensure the developing bulbs don't rot. If your plants show signs of nutrient deficiency, you can fertilize them by simply top dressing with compost.
- Watering: Garlic plants need regular watering beginning in the spring, when shoots appear. Once the plants flower, they've begun the bulbing process and will need watering every two or three days. It's time to stop watering garlic when the leaves begin to turn yellow and die back.
Harvesting garlic
Garlic is ready to harvest between late May and July, depending on the variety and your hardiness zone. For hardneck varieties, harvest when half of the leaves have died back. Softneck varieties can stay in the ground a little longer, but can be ready to harvest when half or three quarters of the leaves have died back.
Here's how to harvest garlic for storing:
- Wait for a dry day. The best time to harvest is when the soil is dry and there's no risk of rain.
- Lift one bulb. As a test, dig up one bulb with a small fork and your hands, being careful not to damage the roots or root plate. If the bulb has thick, papery skin and has divided into cloves, the rest of the crop is ready to harvest.
- Gently dig up the garlic. Though hardneck garlic can often handle being yanked up by its stem, carefully lifting the bulbs with a fork will help avoid damaging the bulb. Ultimately, this will help the garlic to keep well into the winter and even next summer.
- Wipe off the soil and set them out to dry. It's not necessary to remove 100% of the soil at this stage-- just enough that the skin can cure. Without removing the roots or leaves, set the garlic in a dry, shady spot with good airflow to cure for a few weeks.
Storing garlic
Cured garlic is ready for storage when the skin is dry and thick, the roots have completely dried out, and the root plate has hardened. At this stage, here's how to prep the garlic for storage:
- Gently clean off any remaining soil without using water.
- Trim the roots and stem. Cut the roots down to about ¼" and cut the stem down to about an inch above the tops of the cloves. With softneck varieties, you can keep the leaves and braid the garlic together for hanging.
- Store somewhere cool, dry, and dark. Temperatures between 35-60º will work, with somewhere in the 50's being ideal. Garlic won't keep well in the fridge, which is too humid an environment. Instead, store garlic in an unheated garage, pantry, or basement. Placing them in a dark space will prevent the bulbs from sprouting prematurely.
- Let them breathe. Don't store garlic in plastic bags, as this will encourage mold growth. A paper bag in a pantry or garage, or even an open basket in a basement work beautifully.
Cured and stored properly, hardneck garlic can keep for six months and softneck garlic can keep for a full year.
How long does it take to grow garlic?
Garlic takes eight or nine months to grow, depending on the variety and your climate. Generally, garlic cloves are planted in the late fall or winter, send shoots up in the spring, and will flower and begin to develop large bulbs in mid-summer.
How tall does garlic grow?
Garlic plants reach 18-24 inches tall, with hardneck varieties sending up particularly long scapes (flowering stalks). Though the plants' foliage doesn't require much space, the bulbs developing in the soil need at least 6" of space.
How much sun does garlic need?
Garlic is a full sun herb, meaning that it requires six to eight hours of daylight. It can be grown in part-shade, though this will likely result in smaller bulbs.
Can you grow garlic from garlic bought at the store?
Growing garlic from store-bought garlic cloves isn't advisable for a few reasons. The garlic we buy at the store is treated to prevent sprouting, and it's also typically a variety adapted to warm climates. For untreated, reliable seed garlic that's well suited to your needs and zone, it's worth heading to your local nursery or ordering online.