How to Grow Garlic: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting
Garlic is the crop that rewards patience more than effort. You push a few cloves into the cool autumn soil, walk away for the winter, and the following summer you pull up full heads that taste nothing like the dusty bulbs at the store. It is one of the easiest things you can grow, as long as you get the timing right.
This guide covers when and how to grow garlic, the difference between hardneck and softneck types, how to plant and care for it, and how to harvest and cure it so it stores for months. None of it is complicated, but a couple of details make the difference between fat heads and disappointing little bulbs.
Table of Contents
When to Plant Garlic
In most of the country, garlic is planted in fall, about 4 to 6 weeks before the ground freezes, usually September through November. The cloves put down roots before winter, rest through the cold, and surge into growth in spring. You can plant in early spring where winters are mild, but the bulbs are usually smaller. Fall planting is the reliable choice. In cold climates, University of Minnesota Extension suggests waiting until a week or two after the first killing frost, which keeps the cloves from sprouting up through the mulch before winter.
Hardneck vs. Softneck Garlic
There are two types, and your climate decides which to grow. Hardneck garlic is cold-hardy, sends up an edible flower stalk called a scape, and has fewer but larger cloves with bold flavor, though it stores for a shorter time. Softneck garlic suits milder climates, stores the longest, has more cloves per head, and is the type you can braid. If you have real winters, grow hardneck. If your winters are mild and you want long storage, grow softneck.
Choosing Seed Garlic
Plant seed garlic rather than grocery-store bulbs. Seed garlic is sold by garden suppliers and local farmers, comes in named varieties suited to different climates, and is grown specifically for planting. Grocery garlic is often a softneck grown in a mild climate, may be treated to stop it from sprouting, and can carry disease into your soil. Buy the biggest, firmest heads you can find, because the size of the clove you plant largely decides the size of the head you harvest, and plant the outer cloves while saving the small inner ones for the kitchen.
How to Plant Garlic
Garlic wants loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter, so work in plenty of compost before planting. A raised garden bed is ideal because it drains well and warms early.
- Break the head into individual cloves just before planting, leaving the papery skins on. Plant the biggest cloves and save the small ones for the kitchen.
- Push each clove pointy end up, about 2 inches deep and 6 inches apart, in rows 8 to 12 inches apart.
- Cover with soil and water in well.
- Mulch with 3 to 4 inches of straw or shredded leaves to protect the cloves over winter and hold down weeds.
Here is the whole planting method at a glance.
| Detail | What to do |
|---|---|
| Timing | Fall, 4 to 6 weeks before the ground freezes |
| Depth | 2 inches, pointy end up |
| Spacing | 6 inches apart, rows 8 to 12 inches apart |
| Soil | Loose and well-drained, enriched with compost |
| Mulch | 3 to 4 inches of straw or shredded leaves |
| Harvest | When the lower third to half of the leaves turn brown |
Caring for Garlic Through the Season
In spring, pull back some mulch as shoots emerge and feed with a nitrogen source like compost or blood meal to push leafy growth, since each leaf becomes a wrapper layer on the bulb. Keep the bed weeded, because garlic does not compete well, and give it about 1 inch of water a week. Stop watering 2 weeks before harvest so the bulbs firm up. If you grow hardneck garlic, snip off the curling scapes in late spring so the plant sends its energy into the bulb, and use the scapes in cooking.
How to Harvest and Cure Garlic
Garlic is ready when the lower third to half of the leaves have turned brown but several green leaves remain, usually mid-summer and about 8 to 9 months after fall planting. Loosen the soil with a fork and lift the bulbs gently rather than pulling. To cure them, brush off loose dirt and hang or lay the whole plants in a shaded, airy spot out of direct sun for 2 to 4 weeks. Once the necks are dry and papery, trim the roots and tops. Cured softneck garlic stores for 6 to 9 months in a cool, dry place, and you can preserve any extra by freezing or dehydrating it.
Common Problems When Growing Garlic
Garlic is forgiving, but a few issues come up. Yellowing leaves in spring usually mean too much water or poor drainage, so ease off watering and make sure the bed drains freely. Small bulbs at harvest point to crowding, too little sun, or planting cloves that were too small, so give each clove room and always plant your biggest ones. The most serious problem is white rot, a soil fungus that yellows the leaves and rots the base with white fuzzy growth. There is no cure, so pull and destroy affected plants and avoid growing garlic or onions in that spot for several years.
How to Store Garlic
Once your garlic is cured and trimmed, store it somewhere cool, dark, and dry with good airflow, ideally around 60 to 65 degrees. Do not refrigerate it, since the cold signals the cloves to sprout. Softneck garlic keeps for 6 to 9 months and can be braided, while hardneck stores for 4 to 6 months. Set aside your best heads to replant in fall, and for any surplus, peel and freeze the cloves or dehydrate and grind them into homemade garlic powder that keeps for a year or more.
Planning next season’s beds?
The Complete Garden Planner is a 30 page printable with bed maps, planting calendars, spacing charts, and harvest logs, so your garlic and everything after it goes in on time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Garlic
Can you plant garlic from the grocery store?
You can, but it is risky. Store garlic is often treated to prevent sprouting and may carry disease or be a softneck variety poorly suited to your climate. For the best results, buy seed garlic from a garden supplier or a local farmer.
How long does garlic take to grow?
Fall-planted garlic takes about 8 to 9 months from planting to harvest. Spring-planted garlic matures faster but usually produces smaller bulbs.
How many cloves of garlic do you get from one clove?
Each clove you plant grows into a full head of garlic, which typically holds anywhere from 6 to more than 12 cloves depending on the variety. A single head planted out can become a whole bed of garlic.
Why is my garlic so small?
Small heads usually come from planting small cloves, crowding the plants, too little sun, or cutting off water too early. Plant your largest cloves 6 inches apart in full sun, keep the bed weeded and watered through spring, and only stop watering about 2 weeks before harvest.
Can you grow garlic in containers?
Yes. Use a pot at least 8 inches deep with drainage holes, fill it with a rich, well-draining mix, and plant cloves 4 to 6 inches apart. Container garlic needs more consistent watering than garlic in the ground, since pots dry out faster, but it grows well on a sunny patio.
How to grow garlic from a clove?
To grow garlic from a clove, start with firm seed garlic, not grocery-store garlic. Break the garlic head into individual cloves just before planting and leave the papery skins on. Plant the biggest cloves pointy end up, about 2 inches deep and 6 inches apart, in loose, compost-rich soil. Water well, then cover the bed with 3 to 4 inches of straw or shredded leaves. Each clove will grow into one full head of garlic by harvest time.
How long does garlic take to grow?
Fall-planted garlic usually takes about 8 to 9 months to grow, from planting in fall to harvest in mid-summer. The cloves root before winter, rest during the cold months, then grow quickly in spring. Spring-planted garlic can mature faster, usually in about 4 to 6 months, but the bulbs are often smaller. Garlic is ready to harvest when the lower third to half of the leaves have turned brown while several upper leaves are still green.
The Bottom Line
Plant garlic in fall, mulch it, keep it weeded and watered in spring, and harvest when the lower leaves brown. Cure it well and a small patch can keep your kitchen in garlic for most of the year. It is one of the highest-reward, lowest-effort crops a beginner can grow, and a natural next step after the easiest vegetables to grow for beginners.
