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 -30°C
Plant Family
Amaryllidaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
Also grows well as
How to Start It
Split a bulb and plant the individual cloves in fall, pointy-end up.
Save your biggest bulbs to replant each year. Hardneck types also make bulbils you can grow on over a couple of seasons.
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
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).
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~240
Days to Maturity
60 cm
Mature Height
15 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
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.
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