How to grow garlic

Garlic is planted in fall and harvested the next summer. Get the cloves in the ground around your first frost and it does most of its growing on its own.

Reviewed October 2026

Plant cloves

1–2 weeks after your first fall frost

Depth

2–3 in, pointed end up

Spacing

6 in apart

Harvest

Early to mid summer

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When to plant

Garlic needs a cold spell to form good bulbs, so it goes in during fall, not spring. In cold-winter areas, University of Minnesota Extension advises planting one to two weeks after your first killing frost. The cloves grow roots before the ground freezes, sit through winter, then shoot up in spring.

In the South and Florida, where winters are mild, plant from late fall into early winter. Look up your frost dates in our planting planner.

Choosing a type

• Hardneck garlic (Rocambole, Porcelain and Purple Stripe types) is the best choice where winters are cold. It sends up a curly flower stalk called a scape in early summer.
• Softneck garlic (Artichoke and Silverskin types) usually has more cloves per bulb, stores longer and is easy to braid. UF/IFAS recommends softneck types such as Artichoke and Creole for Florida.
• Buy cloves from a seed supplier or garden center. Grocery store garlic is usually a softneck grown elsewhere and often does poorly in cold climates.

Planting

Break bulbs into cloves just before planting and keep the biggest ones for planting. Set each clove pointed end up, with its base 2 to 3 inches deep, and 6 inches apart. In cold areas, cover the bed with 3 to 4 inches of straw or shredded leaves after planting to protect it over winter. Pull the mulch back in spring once hard freezes are over, or leave it to hold moisture and smother weeds.

Spring care

Keep garlic weeded and watered through spring, since it competes poorly with weeds. On hardneck garlic, cut the scapes once they curl: the bulbs grow bigger, and the scapes are good to eat.

Harvesting and curing

Harvest in early to mid summer, when the lower leaves have turned brown but about half the upper leaves are still green. Dig too early and the bulbs are small; too late and the cloves split apart. Lift the bulbs carefully with a fork, then cure the whole plants in a warm, dry, airy place out of direct sun for three to four weeks. Trim the roots and cut the stems about an inch above the bulb, then store in a cool, dry place.

Planting dates in Florida