Allium
How to grow garlic
Allium sativum
Plant garlic cloves in October or November, pointed end up and 2.5 cm below the surface, in full sun and free-draining soil. Garlic needs a spell of cold to split into cloves, which is why autumn planting gives bigger bulbs than spring. Feed with nitrogen in early spring, stop feeding by May, keep it weeded, and lift in June or July when the lower leaves yellow.
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy, needs winter cold
- Position
- Full sun
- Soil
- Free-draining, fertile
- Ideal pH
- 6.5 to 7.0
- Water
- Low, only in a dry spring; dry off before lifting
- Feeding
- Moderate feeder
Sowing and planting garlic
WhenPlant cloves Oct to Dec (or Feb to Mar); harvest Jun to Aug when leaves yellow
Starting off
Plant individual cloves from a certified UK-supplied bulb, hardneck and most softnecks in Oct to Nov for the winter chill, softnecks also in Feb to Mar on heavy, wet soils. Roots form within 2 weeks; shoots show in 4 to 8 weeks. On waterlogged ground start cloves in modules in November and plant out in March.
Spacing and planting
Cloves 15 cm apart in rows 30 cm apart, pointed end up, 2.5 cm below the surface (deeper, 5 cm, on light soils). Fine in a 25 cm deep pot with 4 to 5 cloves, kept outside through winter for the cold it needs.
Varieties worth growing
- Solent Wight
- Softneck bred for the UK climate: big white bulbs, stores to spring, the one to plant if you plant one.
- Early Purple Wight
- Softneck ready in late May or June, eaten fresh; does not store.
- Lautrec Wight
- Hardneck with pink cloves and the best flavour; sends up a scape in June that you cut and eat.
- Carcassonne Wight
- Hardneck, purple-striped, reliable in a wet winter.
- Elephant garlic
- A leek in disguise: huge mild bulbs, needs 20 cm spacing and the same cold spell.
Garlic month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Nothing. Check pots are not waterlogged.
- February
Nitrogen top-dress as the leaves start to grow again. Plant softnecks on heavy wet soil now rather than autumn.
- March
Last spring planting. Weed; garlic hates competition.
- April
Water in a dry spring. Mesh on if leek moth is a problem.
- May
Stop all feeding. Water only if very dry. Lift Early Purple Wight at the end of the month.
- June
Cut hardneck scapes as they curl. Lift when the lower third of leaves has yellowed.
- July
Lift the rest. Dry in an airy shed for 2 to 4 weeks.
- August
Plait or net the dried bulbs. Keep the best for replanting.
- September
Prepare the bed: free-draining, compost dug in, no fresh manure.
- October
Plant cloves from mid month, pointed end up, 2.5 cm deep, 15 cm apart.
- November
Finish planting. On waterlogged ground start cloves in modules under cover.
- December
Nothing to do. Shoots may show; that is fine.
Feeding garlic
Moderate feeder. One base dose at planting, one nitrogen top-dress in late winter, nothing after May.
A nitrogen-leaning feed in early spring builds leaf, then ease off as the bulbs form.
Feeding plan
Planting, October
Fruit & Vegetable Fertiliser 4-5-6
70 g/m² raked into the bed a week before planting.
Planting, pots
Fruit & Vegetable Fertiliser 4-5-6
5 g per litre of compost: 50 g in a 10 litre pot of five cloves.
Late February
Organic Nitrogen Fertiliser 13% N
25 to 30 g/m² (a rounded handful) scattered between the rows as growth restarts; leaching over winter leaves the bed short.
March to May, optional
1 g per litre as a foliar spray every 3 weeks; the sulphur in it suits all alliums.
From May
Nothing
Feeding after May gives leaf, not bulb, and bulbs that store badly.
Signs to watch
Leaves yellow from the tips in March
Nitrogen short after winter leaching
One nitrogen top-dress now
Lush leaf but small bulbs
Feeding carried on past May
Stop early next year
Bulbs that fail to split into cloves
Not enough winter cold or spring planting of a hardneck type
Plant in autumn
Pests, diseases and problems
Orange-brown raised pustules on leaves from May
Allium rust in a wet spring
Lift as soon as leaves start to yellow rather than waiting, bin not compost the foliage, space wider and never plant alliums on the same ground within four years.
Leaves yellow and wilt from the base, bulb rots with white fluffy mould and black dots
White rot, a soil fungus that persists 15 years
Dig out and bin plants and surrounding soil, do not grow any allium there again, and never move soil or tools from that bed to another.
Leaves with brown blotches, small maggots inside, bulb rots in store
Leek moth or allium leaf miner
Cover with fine mesh from October to May and again in late summer; bin affected plants.
Bulb that never divided into cloves
Not enough winter cold, or spring planting of a type that needs autumn
Plant in October or November and leave pots outside over winter.
Bulbs soft, mouldy or sprouting in store
Lifted too late, dried too little, or stored warm and damp
Lift when the lower third of leaves yellow, dry 2 to 4 weeks in an airy shed, store cool and dry in nets.
Harvest and rotation
Harvest and storage
Ready mid June to July when the lower third of leaves has yellowed, 8 to 9 months from autumn planting; left longer, the bulb splits and keeps poorly. Loosen with a fork, never pull. Dry for 2 to 4 weeks until the skins are papery. Expect 10 to 15 bulbs per metre. Store plaited or in nets at 5 to 10 °C; hardnecks keep 4 to 6 months, softnecks up to 9.
Rotation and companions
Rotation: allium group, 3 to 4 year gap. Keep clear of peas and beans, whose growth it checks and which shade the early spring leaf.
Good to knowPlant cloves in autumn for the biggest bulbs, most varieties need a cold spell to split into a full head.
Growing garlic in pots
A pot 25 cm deep and 25 cm across takes five cloves 10 cm apart; a 40 litre tub takes a dozen. Use a gritty mix (multipurpose plus a quarter grit) with the 4-5-6 through it, keep the pot outside all winter for the cold the cloves need, and raise it on feet so it never sits in water. Water only when the top 3 cm is dry; dry it right off in June before lifting. Pot garlic comes smaller than bed garlic but cleaner, and it escapes white rot.
Garlic: common questions
When should I plant garlic in the UK?
October to November for the biggest bulbs; the cloves need a cold spell to split into a full head. On heavy, wet soil plant a softneck in February or start cloves in modules in November and plant out in March.
When is garlic ready to harvest?
When the lower third of the leaves has yellowed, usually mid June to July. Loosen with a fork and lift; left longer the bulb splits and stores badly.
Why is my garlic small?
Planted too late, planted in spring, crowded by weeds, or kept too wet. Autumn planting, 15 cm spacing, clean rows and free-draining soil fix all four.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.