Growing garlic: when, where & how to plant garlic

Although readily available in the shops you can also grow your own garlic at home. Discover all there is to know about planting garlic.

Popular with both chefs and cooks alike, garlic (Allium sativum) is a must-have in any kitchen and a key ingredient in many recipes. Read on to find out how, when and where to plant garlic in your own garden.

Growing garlic: when, where and how?

Garlic is generally planted in autumn but you can also plant garlic in the spring. However, autumn planting tends to produce an earlier garlic harvest with higher yields. As a low-maintenance crop, garlic requires little ongoing care when planted in a sunny spot and you can even grow garlic in pots.

When to plant garlic?

If you are wondering when to plant garlic, it depends on the garlic variety you choose to grow. Some garlic cultivars require a cold period to initiate bulb development and are best planted in autumn or late winter to crop the following June or July. Whereas others are more suited to planting in spring for a later garlic harvest around August.

Where to plant garlic?

Garlic plants thrive in full sun, so a south-facing site is ideal. When it comes to the soil for garlic, a fertile soil that is light and free-draining is considered optimal as heavy and wet soils can encourage diseases. Along with this, garlic prefers to grow in a neutral to alkaline soil, as it can struggle if the ground is acidic. To improve the fertility of the soil, incorporate some well-rotted manure or garden compost into the growing site and some grit or sand to increase drainage if necessary. If you choose to grow garlic in a pot, you can use a peat-free multi-purpose or vegetable-specific compost to fill the container. You could use our Plantura Organic All Purpose Compost is ideal, as not only will its nutrients support the garlic’s early growth, but being peat-free is environmentally friendly as well.

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To encourage the garlic cloves to produce good size bulbs, you can also add a slow-release fertiliser that is high in potassium to the soil before or at the time of planting. Our Plantura Tomato Food is potassium-rich and being granulated will help feed the plants for up to 3 months.

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Where to plant garlic summary:

• A south-facing sunny site
• A fertile and free-draining soil, avoid compacted or heavy soils
• Improve the soil by adding garden compost or well-rotted manure
• Apply a high-potassium fertiliser before or at the time of planting

How to plant garlic?

Once the soil is prepared and weed-free, you can plant your garlic cloves. Before sowing, check that the cloves are firm and completely dry, as planting soft or undried bulbs can lead to them rotting. However, you can safely plant sprouting garlic cloves, which may lead to an earlier crop. When you are ready to plant your garlic, carefully separate the bulb into individual cloves, leaving the skins on. Plant the garlic cloves upright, with the tip pointing up, 2 to 3cm below the soil’s surface. To give the garlic room to grow, plant the garlic cloves at a spacing of 15cm, leaving 25 to 30cm between rows. Water the garlic during any dry periods, especially during spring and early summer. However, you can stop watering around 3 to 4 weeks before harvesting, as excess water at this stage can encourage rot to set in. When grown in a rich and fertile soil, any further feeding apart from at the time of planting is not required.

If you are short on growing space, you can still grow your own garlic, as it can be successfully grown in pots and containers. Garlic is not generally grown in a greenhouse, as it needs a period of cold to grow well. However, you can start your garlic off undercover by planting the cloves in modules or small pots in autumn to overwinter in an unheated greenhouse before planting out in spring.

If birds are prevalent, you can cover the planted garlic with a layer of fleece or fine net until the bulbs have established to stop them from being pulled up.

Can you sow your own garlic seeds? You can also grow garlic from seeds or bulbils that are produced in the flower head. To grow garlic from the bulbils, allow the garlic to flower and collect the tiny bulbils once dry. In September, sow the bulbils around 2cm deep at a spacing of 15cm and grow on, keeping the soil moist. However, growing garlic from the bulbils takes a minimum of 2 years and for this reason, garlic is generally grown from garlic bulbs instead.

Summary: planting garlic

• Separate the bulbs into cloves leaving the skin on
• Plant the garlic cloves tip up 2 – 3cm deep, spaced 15cm apart
• If planting more than one row, allow 30cm between rows
• Cover with fleece to protect them from birds
• Water during dry spells but cease 3 to 4 weeks before lifting

Tip: garlic to grow at home should be bought from garden centres or online suppliers and is called seed garlic. It can be unwise to plant supermarket-bought garlic, as it may contain viruses and not be suitable for growing in our climate.

Garlic companion plants

Companion planting or interplanting is the process of growing certain plants together for their mutual benefit. Garlic is a great companion plant for certain fruits, ornamentals and vegetables, as it can help deter pests and ward off fungal diseases naturally. You can read more about garlic companion plants in our separate article but here a few to get you started:

• Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
• Carrots (Daucus carota)
• Dill (Anethum graveolens)
• Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
• Roses (Rosa)
• Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)
• Strawberries (Fragaria)

When given the right conditions, garlic can produce impressive yields come harvest time. Discover more about when and how to harvest and store garlic in our separate article.