Garlic
Allium sativum
In a typical UK garden, plant out early October to late November, and harvest mid-June to mid-August.
When to sow, plant and harvest
Last frost around 20 April, first frost around 31 October.
- Plant out
- early October to late Novemberearly February to mid-March
- Harvest
- mid-June to mid-August
Growing facts
- Spacing
- 15 cm apart, rows 30 cm apart
- Square foot
- 9 per square (30 cm squares)
- Sowing depth
- 2.5 cm
- Ready in
- 140 to 170 days from sowing
- Grows to
- 60 cm
- Hardiness
- Hardy to about -15 °C
- Sun
- Full sun
- Crops for
- One harvest
Growing tip
Plant in autumn if you can; most varieties need a cold spell to split into cloves.
Neighbours
Grows well with
Keep apart from
Alliums are one crop rotation group. Try not to grow them where any of the family grew in the last two or three years. How crop rotation works
Guides
How to grow garlic anywhere with a proper winter
Plant garlic cloves in autumn, from about four weeks before to four weeks after your first frost. They need a winter of cold to split into cloves. Bulbs are ready in early to mid-summer, when about half the leaves have turned brown.
Plant garlic in October and November for bigger bulbs
Plant garlic cloves from early October to late November, while the soil is still warm enough for roots to start. If you miss autumn, plant from early February to mid-March, but expect smaller bulbs.
Planting garlic in zone 5 before the ground freezes
In USDA zone 5, plant garlic cloves from mid-September to early November. October is ideal: early enough for roots to grow before the ground freezes, late enough that shoots don't push up far before winter. Harvest the following July.
More alliums
Where these figures come from
Every crop in VegLog was checked against published growing advice. Dates are worked out from average frost dates, so they shift with your garden. For garlic, we used:
Grow garlic with VegLog
Add garlic to a bed and VegLog reminds you when to sow, plant out and pick, timed to your own town's frost dates.
