Garlic Growing Guide
Growing Garlic is easier than you think. This guide walks you through everything you need — from planting your first seed to harvesting.
At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -23°C
Plant Family
Amaryllidaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
Also grows well as
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Break a bulb into cloves and plant the largest 3–5cm deep, pointy-end up, about 15cm apart in autumn. Each clove grows into a whole new bulb by the following summer.
Garlic is grown from cloves, not seed: split a bulb and plant the biggest cloves pointy-end up in autumn. It needs a spell of winter cold (vernalisation) to split a single clove into a full bulb, so autumn planting beats spring. Plant disease-free 'seed garlic', not supermarket bulbs, for the best results.
When To Start
First Chance to Plant
Fall — 4–6 weeks before the ground freezes (Oct–Nov in most zones)
Last Chance to Plant
Before a hard freeze; spring planting gives smaller bulbs
When should you plant Garlic?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Garlic Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Garlic Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Plant garlic cloves (autumn, pointy-end up)
30 days before your first frost· every year
Lift garlic when the lower leaves yellow
90 days after your last frost· every year· optional
The Journey Ahead
Garlic's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Split a bulb into cloves at planting and set each one pointy-end up, 5 cm deep.
- 2Plant in fall so roots establish before winter, then mulch heavily.
- 3On hardneck types, snip the curling scapes in early summer — it redirects energy into the bulb (and the scapes are delicious).
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~240
Days to Maturity
60 cm
Mature Height
15 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
14 days
When to Pick
Harvest mid-summer when the lower 3–4 leaves brown; cut scapes earlier to size up bulbs
How to Harvest
- 1Stop watering a week or two before harvest.
- 2Lift bulbs (don't pull by the stem) with a fork when several lower leaves have yellowed but five or six green ones remain.
- 3Cure the whole plants in a dry, airy, shaded spot for 2–3 weeks before trimming.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
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