How to Plant Garlic in Fall for a Big Summer Harvest

Garlic is one of the most satisfying crops a home gardener can grow. It takes up little space and has few pest problems. Plus, homegrown bulbs taste better than anything you’ll find at the supermarket. The catch is that you have to plan ahead. In most of North America, you plant garlic in fall and harvest it the following summer.

If you’ve never grown it, now is the perfect time to start. Here’s how to plant garlic, choose the right type for your climate, and care for it until harvest.

Hardneck vs. Softneck Garlic

There are two main types of garlic, and picking the right one for your region makes a big difference.

• Hardneck garlic is the best choice for cold winters, roughly USDA zones 3 to 7, including most of Canada. It produces fewer, larger cloves that are easy to peel and a curly flower stalk called a scape in late spring. Popular varieties include ‘Music’, ‘German Extra Hardy’, and ‘Chesnok Red’. Hardneck garlic typically stores for four to six months.
• Softneck garlic is better suited to mild winters, roughly zones 7 to 10. It has many smaller cloves, no scape, and flexible stems you can braid. It also stores longer, often eight months or more. ‘California Early’ and ‘Inchelium Red’ are common choices.

Buy seed garlic from a local nursery, farmers market, or a seed company rather than planting grocery-store garlic. Supermarket garlic may carry disease or contain a sprout inhibitor. It also often comes from a very different climate than yours. The University of Minnesota Extension has more on varieties for very cold regions.

When to Plant Garlic

The goal is to give cloves enough time to grow roots, but not enough to send up much top growth before winter. Aim to plant two to four weeks before your ground freezes, after the first light frost.

• Zones 3 to 5: Mid-September to mid-October
• Zones 6 to 7: Mid-October to mid-November
• Zones 8 to 9: Late October through December

Gardeners in zone 10 and parts of zone 9 can still grow softneck garlic. However, they may need to chill bulbs in the refrigerator for a few weeks before planting. Fall is also the time for planting tulips and daffodils, so you can do both jobs at once.

How to Plant Garlic

1. Prepare the Bed

Garlic needs full sun, at least six hours a day, and loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Work 2 to 3 inches of compost into the top several inches of soil. Raised beds are ideal if your soil is heavy clay, since waterlogged soil can rot cloves over winter. Avoid planting where onions, leeks, or garlic grew in the last few years to reduce disease.

2. Separate the Cloves

Just before planting, break the bulbs apart into individual cloves, leaving the papery skin on each one. Use the biggest, healthiest cloves; small cloves grow into small bulbs. Save the little ones for cooking.

3. Plant Pointy End Up

Push each clove into the soil with the flat root end down and the pointed tip up. Plant it about 2 inches deep, measured to the top of the clove. In zones 3 and 4, plant up to 3 inches deep for extra protection. Space cloves 6 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart, or plant in a grid in a raised bed.

4. Water and Mulch

Water the bed well. In cold climates, cover it with 4 to 6 inches of loose straw or shredded leaves once the soil starts to freeze. Mulch protects cloves from freeze-thaw cycles that can push them out of the ground. In mild climates, a lighter 2-inch layer will help with weeds and moisture. Shredded fall leaves are free, and our fall yard checklist explains how to make the most of them.

Caring for Garlic in Spring

You may see green shoots poke through the mulch in late fall or very early spring; that’s normal. Once the danger of hard freezes has passed, pull back some of the mulch to let the soil warm, leaving enough to suppress weeds. Garlic doesn’t compete well with weeds, so keep the bed clean.

Feed with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, such as blood meal or fish emulsion, once in early spring and again a few weeks later as leaves grow. Water about 1 inch per week if spring is dry. However, stop watering around two weeks before harvest so the bulbs can firm up.

Cut the Scapes

In late spring or early summer, hardneck garlic sends up a curly flower stalk called a scape. Snip it off once it forms a loop so the plant puts its energy into the bulb instead of flowering. Don’t toss them: garlic scapes are delicious in pesto, stir-fries, and on the grill.

How to Harvest and Cure Garlic

Most fall-planted garlic is ready to harvest in early to midsummer, usually June or July depending on your climate. The best signal is the leaves: when the lower three or four leaves have turned brown but five or six upper leaves are still green, it’s time. Each green leaf represents a protective wrapper around the bulb, so waiting too long leads to bulbs that split and don’t store well.

Loosen the soil with a garden fork and gently lift the bulbs; don’t pull them by the stems. Brush off loose soil, but don’t wash them. Hang them in bundles or spread them on a screen to cure. Choose a shady, dry, well-ventilated spot and leave them for two to four weeks. Once the skins are papery and the necks are dry, trim the roots and stems and store in a cool, dry spot. Set aside your biggest bulbs to plant again next fall.

FAQ

Can I plant garlic in spring?

You can, but spring-planted garlic usually produces smaller bulbs because it misses the winter chill and the long root-growing period. Fall planting gives much better results in most climates.

Can I grow garlic in containers?

Yes. Use a container at least 8 to 10 inches deep with drainage holes. In cold zones, protect containers over winter by placing them in an unheated garage or burying the pot in the ground. Once you harvest in early summer, the same pot is ready for growing tomatoes in pots.

Why are my garlic bulbs small?

Small bulbs usually come from planting small cloves or planting too late. Crowding, weeds, and too little sun or nutrients also play a role. Removing scapes on hardneck garlic also helps bulbs size up.