How to Grow Garlic

As a universally loved vegetable, garlic remains popular across many cuisines for its distinctive, pungent flavour that adds so much to a dish. Therefore, garlic bulbs can be highly rewarding to grow as a relatively straightforward vegetable variety usable in many home-cooking recipes. Being a generally problem-free vegetable that takes up a modest amount of space, it makes for a great choice for many different gardens. So, take a look at our guide on how to grow garlic to get started on producing your very own bulbs.

As part of the onion family, garlic grows in a similar manner to onion sets and shallot bulbs. If you’d like to find out how to grow these, take a look at our guides on how to grow onion and shallot sets and how to grow onion and shallot from seed to find out more.

Choosing Garlic Varieties

Before growing garlic, it’s important to choose the right garlic variety best suited for your requirements and growing environment. Garlic bulbs fall into either the hardneck or softneck categories, with each presenting varying characteristics:

Hardneck Garlic Bulbs: These have a stiff central stem that produces flowers, commonly referred to as ‘scapes’, which can cause a smaller bulb to form if not deadheaded. They produce bulbs with a smaller number of larger-sized cloves. Their benefits include having a stronger flavour and being hardier for growing in colder climates. Their bulbs store for around three to six months.

Softneck Garlic Bulbs: These have a soft stem, which only produces a flower in poor growing conditions (therefore preventing bolting). These produce smaller, tightly condensed bulbs with a greater number of cloves. These aren’t as cold-hardy as hardneck varieties, so are best grown in the warmer southern counties of the UK. They store for longer than hardneck bulbs, storing for around nine to twelve months.

After unpacking either variety, you should put your bulbs into a cool, light, well-ventilated and frost-free place, away from direct sunlight.

Similarly to onions and shallots, garlic will thrive in an open, sunny position with fertile, well-drained soils. Garlic is best to be rotated on a minimum three-year cycle to prevent the build-up of soil-borne pests and diseases, so do not plant in soil where garlic (or any other alliums) has been planted the previous year. 

You should rake over the soil well, working the soil to a fine tilth as if you were preparing a seed bed, and ensure it is weed-free. Before planting, dig in some well-rotted organic matter. Alternatively, adding general-purpose fertiliser can help to provide your garlic plants with the nutrients they need for a strong start.

Plant cloves in late autumn or early spring. You should plant with the base of the clove, the flattest part, on the bottom of the hole with at least 2.5cm (1in) of soil above the tip, and 15cm (6in) apart. Take care not to press the clove too firmly into the soil, as this reduces root development. Leave 30cm (12in) between rows.

Garlic needs a cold, dormant period, which is why it is best planted in the autumn. The long growing season is beneficial to the ripening process.

We recommend protecting newly planted cloves by covering them with some fleece for plants to avoid birds getting to them. 

Planting Elephant Garlic

Planting elephant garlic involves following the same directions as for garlic, but increasing the spacing to 30cm (12in). They make attractive plants at 120-150cm (4-5ft) tall with a purple flowering head. 

It’s recommended to plant these from September. Planting up to March is possible, though the likelihood of the clove producing one ’solo’ bulb (where separate cloves don’t develop) is increased. This can be either replanted in the following autumn (where it will likely produce a multi-cloved bulb) or eaten.

To gain the largest elephant garlic bulbs, snip off the flowering head when it emerges (these can be used in cooking). You should harvest the elephant garlic before the bulb begins to split, which is usually from mid-June to the beginning of July.

Growing Garlic in Containers

Garlic can also be grown in containers during the winter and planted out in spring. You should make sure that your container has enough space for the root systems, with a grow pot that’s at least 20cm wide and deep. The same as when grown in the ground, bulbs should be planted 2.5cm (1in) deep in the soil and 15cm (6in) apart.

Ensure the container has good drainage and that you use a moisture-retentive soil. Add garden compost and some of our Onion, Shallot, and Garlic Fertiliser to provide the right nutrients and conditions for vigorous growth. Water regularly and place the container in a sunny position.

If you’d like to find out about more options for growing vegetables in the colder months, take a look at our blog on planting veg for winter to learn which varieties do best during the season.

Watering

You should only water your garlic plants if necessary. However, you will find that you need to water them more often in spring and early summer during dry spells. Take care not to water your plants when the foliage begins to turn yellow, as this could cause rotting and is a sign the bulbs are mature and well-formed.

Weeding

You should keep the soil free of weeds during the growing season, as these reduce available resources for your garlic plants. These should be removed by hand, as using tools such as a hoe can potentially damage the bulbs.

Mulching works well as a preventative measure, which is particularly useful during spring when weeds are more likely to grow. You can use a light mulch, such as leaves or straw, or using weed control products such as 25cm weed control coir mats can be useful.

Deadheading

Remove any flowers (‘scapes’) that hardneck varieties of garlic produce, as these will divert energy away from growing the bulb. These flowers are edible and can be used for cooking, great for stir-fries, roasting, and barbecuing.

As soon as the leaves turn yellow, you can begin to harvest your garlic plants. This should be around early summer if planted in autumn, or between mid-summer and early autumn if planted in spring.

Lift them carefully with a fork and then leave them to dry for several days, in the sun if the weather is warm or indoors if the weather is wet. Handle gently, as they are easily bruised. Do not delay harvesting, as this can cause the bulbs to shrivel. 

As mentioned above, hardneck bulbs store for around three to six months, whilst softneck bulbs store for about nine to twelve months.

Garlic usually tends not to present too many problems when grown under the right conditions. Though, there are a few common issues that can be prevented or remedied in the following ways:

• Bolting (flowering) - As discussed above, hardneck varieties produce a flower from their stem, whilst softneck varieties may do so if in poor growing conditions (such as limited water or high temperatures). These should be removed to divert energy back into growing the bulb.
• Rust - Rust is a fungal infection that can be spotted by orange pustules that appear on the foliage. This cannot be cured, so affected plants should be either binned or burned, avoiding the compost heap to prevent spreading. This can be prevented with crop rotation and choosing disease-resistant varieties.
• White rot - White rot is another fungal disease that can affect garlic, causing the roots and bulb to rot. It can be harder to spot as a sign is yellowing, wilting foliage, around harvest time, when leaves may appear this way anyway. When pulling the plant up, you will see a white, fluffy fungus on the bottom of the bulb and black dots.
  
  Again, there is no cure, so it’s important to prevent it with crop rotation and to avoid spreading it on tools or boots. Bin or burn affected plants. Future bulbs should be grown in containers.

Birds - Birds are prone to pulling up newly planted sets, so covering them with garden netting can help protect them during these early stages.

If you’d like to get started now that you know how to grow garlic, you can shop our range of high-quality onion, garlic, and shallot sets. We have over a century of experience, so you can rely on our garlic bulbs and range of vegetable seeds and veg plants to provide you with a bountiful harvest.

You can find many more growing guides and articles providing expert gardening advice on our gardening blog if you’re curious to learn more and get your garden to its full potential.

If you’d like to find out more about our selection of fruit seeds, flower seeds, herb seeds, and more, don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’ll happily answer any questions you may have.