Growing guide

How to Grow Garlic

Plant in fall, harvest next summer — one of the most low-maintenance crops.

The basics

What garlic need

• Sun — Full sun
• Water — Moderate; stop watering as harvest nears
• Harvest in 8–9 months
• Difficulty — Very easy

When to plant

Time it from your frost date

• Start indoors: No
• Transplant: Plant cloves directly
• Direct sow: Plant cloves 2–4 weeks before ground freezes in fall
• Best in Zones 3–9 (hardneck); 7–11 (softneck)

How to plant

Three steps to a strong start

• 1. In fall, break a bulb into cloves and plant them 2 in deep, pointed end up, 6 in apart.
• 2. Mulch heavily for winter protection in cold zones.
• 3. In spring, feed with nitrogen as shoots emerge.

Common problem

Small bulbs

Cloves planted too late, too shallow, or crowded; or scapes left on hardnecks.

Common problem

Rotting cloves

Poor drainage — plant in well-drained soil or raised beds.

Harvest

Picking garlic right

Dig (don’t pull) when roughly half the leaves have browned but five or six remain green. Cure the bulbs in a dry, airy, shaded spot for two weeks before storing.

Gardeners ask

When do you plant garlic?

In fall, 2–4 weeks before the ground freezes, so cloves root before winter. It’s harvested the following summer.

Keep growing

Get the full Garlic guide

Planting dates for your USDA zone, spacing, companions, every common problem — free on Plants by Zone.

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