How to Grow Garlic
Updated June 2026
Garlic is a plant-in-fall, harvest-in-early-summer crop. The right type for your garden depends on how cold your winter gets.
Garlic is one of the most rewarding things to grow because it asks so little. You plant individual cloves in fall, leave them through winter, and lift fat bulbs the following early to mid summer. The one decision that matters most is which type to grow: hardneck garlic for cold-winter northern gardens, and softneck garlic for the mild and warm South, including Florida. Get that right and the rest is easy.
What it looks like as it grows
Garlic planting calculator and timing
Use the calculator to work out how many cloves and bulbs to buy for your bed, then use the timing selector to find your planting window by region.
How much garlic do I need?
When should I plant garlic?
Hardneck versus softneck
This is the most important choice you will make.
- Hardneck suits cold-winter northern gardens. It needs a proper cold period (vernalization) to bulb, sends up a curling flower stalk called a scape that you snap off and eat, and has bold, complex flavor. It does not store as long as softneck.
- Softneck suits mild and warm climates, including the Deep South, the Gulf and Florida. It usually produces no scapes, stores the longest, and is the type you see braided. It is far more reliable than hardneck where winters are warm.
Position and soil
Give garlic full sun and rich, free-draining soil with plenty of compost worked in. It likes a near-neutral pH around 6.0 to 7.0. Heavy, wet soil leads to rot, so improve drainage or plant in a raised bed if your ground stays soggy.
Planting
- Split a bulb into individual cloves just before planting, keeping the papery skin on. Plant the biggest cloves; they make the biggest bulbs.
- Plant pointed end up, 1 to 2 inches deep, 4 to 6 inches apart in rows about a foot apart.
- In cold zones, mulch with straw after planting to insulate the cloves through winter.
Watering and feeding
Keep the soil evenly moist through the active growing months of spring, then ease off as harvest nears so the bulbs can firm up and the wrappers dry. Garlic is a hungry crop. Feed with a nitrogen-rich feed in early spring as the leaves grow, then stop feeding once the bulbs start to swell.
Pests and problems
Garlic is largely trouble free. The main risks are rot in wet soil, rust on the leaves in humid springs, and onion-family pests. Rotate so you do not grow garlic or onions in the same bed two years running. See the pest management guide for more.
Harvest and curing
Harvest in early to mid summer when the lower leaves brown but several green leaves remain at the top. Each remaining green leaf is a wrapper layer around the bulb, so do not wait until the plant is fully dead. Lift carefully with a fork, brush off soil, and cure the whole plants in a dry, airy, shaded place for two to four weeks. Then trim the roots and tops and store in a cool, dry spot. Softneck types keep for many months.
Varieties for US gardens
Softneck (warm South and Florida, longest storage)
Hardneck (cold North, produces scapes)
Plan your garlic in the app
Get fall planting reminders, log your varieties, and follow a region-tuned calendar from planting to curing.
Open the app →Common questions
When do I plant garlic?
In fall, 4 to 6 weeks before the ground freezes or before the first hard frost. Cold North gardens plant September to November, the Mid-Atlantic October to November, and the Deep South and Florida October to December, sometimes into January.
Should I grow hardneck or softneck garlic?
Hardneck for cold-winter northern gardens, where it needs the cold to bulb and gives you scapes. Softneck for the mild and warm South and Florida, where it is more reliable and stores the longest.
Can I grow garlic in Florida?
Yes, with softneck types. Because Florida winters are often too mild to trigger bulbing, pre-chill the seed garlic in the fridge for several weeks before planting.
Can I plant garlic from the grocery store?
It is better to buy seed garlic, which is disease-free and suited to planting. Grocery garlic may be treated to stop it sprouting and can carry disease, and is often a softneck of unknown origin.
How long does garlic take to grow?
About eight to nine months. You plant in fall and harvest the following early to mid summer when the lower leaves brown but several green ones remain.
Why did my garlic make one round instead of a bulb?
It did not get enough cold to split into cloves. This is common with hardneck in warm regions. Switch to softneck and pre-chill the seed garlic before planting.
How do I cure and store garlic?
Cure the whole plants in a dry, airy, shaded place for two to four weeks, then trim and store in a cool, dry spot. Softneck types keep for many months.
Source: UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Garlic; UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103).
See also: Garlic in the plant library →
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