Growing Garlic

Allium sativum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                P P    

(Best months for growing Garlic in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Plant cloves

September: Garlic can overwinter. Cover with a good layer of mulch . In areas where frost persists into March/ April, expect to harvest your garlic in June/July.

October: Garlic can overwinter. Cover with a good layer of mulch . In areas where frost persists into March/ April, expect to harvest your garlic in June/July.

  • Easy to grow. Plant cloves. Best planted at soil temperatures between 50°F and 95°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 4 - 5 inches apart
  • Harvest in 17-25 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Beets, Carrots, Cucumbers, Dill, Tomatoes, Parsnips
  • Avoid growing close to: Asparagus, Beans, Brassicas, Peas, Potatoes

Your comments and tips

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17 Aug 21, william (USA - Zone 8a climate)
I am located in the Marshville, NC area. I have read varying articles about when to plant. I'm on the 7b/8a cusp. Some articles have said that I can plant as early as October or as last as January. More specific advice would be much appreciated.
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01 Sep 21, Melinda Schwab (USA - Zone 8a climate)
We always prepare our garlic beds in late September and the first week of October plant our garlic and have had great luck with this. Best of luck with yours this year! Hope this helps. ~Melinda
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29 Aug 21, (USA - Zone 7b climate)
It has a bit different times for 7b to 8a - you work out what is the best. Read and google about growing it.
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02 Jul 21, Vicki (USA - Zone 7b climate)
What is the best garlic to grow in Virginia Zone 7b?
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31 May 21, Mary Manion (USA - Zone 7a climate)
My first year growing German Red Garlic I bought from Burpee's and planted last early November, in 7A South Jersey, USA. Late frost, then huge temperature variations and a heat wave of 97 last week is doing us in! I have been careful to keep it watered. But suddenly after that lots of my spring greens bolted and my garlic- which did NOT flower- just started to fall over and turn yellow. I have left them in the ground as it was not supposed to harvest until mid July! Any chance it will spring back? Should I cut the stem off? Thanks for advice!
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12 May 21, Anonymous (USA - Zone 7a climate)
I always grow my garlic from grocery store garlic, if I have no planting cloves of my own. I am in zone7...it alwAys germinated and proceeds to grow beautiful large garlic! I ordered some a good while back from a reputable gardening site, and it did NOT do well...almost no bulbs,
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03 Apr 21, Lasha (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)
If planted in may will the garlic grow well?it will have two months warm and about two war and two cold
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06 Apr 21, (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)
On a tv show the other day they said in the southern hemisphere plant garlic April May.
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06 Mar 21, Gina (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Is it this straight forward for elephant garlic too? I’ve saved some bulbs from summer, hoping to plant these in big pots as the soil here is terrible.
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08 Mar 21, Anon (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Probably yes.
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Showing 181 - 190 of 912 comments
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Just to clarify what I think I understand…. If I buy one bulb of garlic and break it apart into individual cloves, I plant each clove and expect to get a growing bulb. Am I one the right track here?

- Rhonda Bowen

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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