Vegetable / Cool season
Garlic
Plant it in fall, then mostly leave it alone
Fall sow byNov 17zone 6
- Family
- Onion (Amaryllidaceae)
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ h)
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Days to harvest
- 240-280 days
- Spacing
- 5 in apart, rows 12 in
- Pot size
- 3 gal pot (fine in pots)
- Frost
- Hardy
- Start
- Direct sow
- Water
When to plant
Showing .
Averages for a typical garden in the region. Your local frost dates may differ by 2-3 weeks, check a local source.Plant now
In zone 6, sow again for fall Sep 22 to Nov 17. Average last frost Apr 20, first fall frost Oct 20.
Units
Garlic is the crop for people who forget things. You push cloves into the soil in fall, pile straw on top, and walk away until spring. I plant mine the same weekend I put the hoses away, which helps me remember. Few pests bother it. The hard part is the wait. From planting to digging takes around nine months, and that patch of bed is tied up the whole time.
Timing depends on where you live. A common rule is to plant about a month before your first frost, so roots form before the ground freezes. Some northern extension offices say one to two weeks after the first killing frost instead. Set each clove pointy end up, about 2 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. Use the biggest cloves, since they grow the biggest bulbs. Skip grocery store garlic. It is often treated to stop sprouting and may carry disease.
Shoots poke up as the ground thaws. Feed them now and then and give about an inch of water a week while the bulbs fill out. Around the start of summer, hardneck kinds send up a curly flower stalk called a scape. Snap it off so the plant puts more into the bulb, then fry the scapes with eggs. Leave one or two standing if you like, since a scape that uncurls and stands straight means harvest is close. Ease off watering a couple of weeks before harvest. Dig when the lower third to half of the leaves have browned.
Things to consider
- The bed stays busy from fall to midsummer. Plan your tomatoes and squash for a different spot this year, or follow garlic with a quick late crop like bush beans after you dig.
- Wet, heavy soil invites rot over winter. A raised bed or a spot that drains well after rain makes a big difference to how many cloves come through winter.
- Plant a few varieties the first year so you learn which one likes your yard. Avoid ground where wireworms or nematodes caused trouble before, since both damage the cloves underground.
Good neighbours
Keep apart
Pests to watch for
WirewormsNematodes
Questions about growing garlic
How thick should the winter mulch be?
In cold areas, many growers lay 5 to 8 inches of seedless straw once the soil has cooled. In zone 7 and warmer, 1 to 2 inches is enough to protect the cloves. Pull some back in spring if shoots struggle to get through, and leave the rest in place to hold moisture and block weeds.
Hardneck or softneck garlic?
Hardneck does best in cold winters, gives you scapes and has large cloves that peel easily. Softneck suits warm climates, is the kind you can braid and keeps longer in storage, about 8 months against roughly 5 for hardneck. Many growers plant some of each and eat the hardneck first while it is fresh.
How do I cure garlic after digging?
Hang bunches or lay them flat in a cool, shady, airy place for 3 to 4 weeks. Then trim the roots to about a quarter inch and the stems to an inch or two. Set aside your biggest, cleanest bulbs to break apart and plant next fall, so your own stock gets a little better each year.
Save this crop
Pin it to a garden board so it is there when planting time comes round.
Similar crops
Sources
General guidance for home gardens. Frost dates are averages for a zone or region; check a local source (in the US your county extension office) for local timing.