How to grow garlic

Find out how to grow garlic with the help of our step-by-step guide.

You can plant garlic from autumn to late winter for a harvest the following summer. It’s always best to buy bulbs from seed merchants that are certified virus-free and bred for growing in local conditions – you can buy them at garden centres or online.

Find out all you need to know about growing garlic in our garlic Grow Guide.

In mild regions, the cloves can be planted out in prepared ground and covered with cloches or fleece in case of cold weather. If you live in a colder part of the country, you can plant the cloves into seed trays and set out the young plants in March.

Discover how to grow garlic.

Simply push the cloves into the soil so that the tip of each one is just below the surface.

You will need

• Garlic bulbs
• Modular seed trays
• Multi-purpose compost
• Trowel for planting out

Step 1

Break garlic bulbs into individual cloves ready for planting. Take care not to damage the cloves as this can lead to rotting.

Step 2

In mild regions, plant the cloves in well-prepared soil, spacing them 10cm apart. Simply push the cloves into the soil so that the tip of each one is just below the surface. Cover them with cloches in frosty weather.

Step 3

In cold areas and to speed up the growth-rate of the crop, plant the cloves in divided seed trays or small pots of multi-purpose compost. Water well and place trays in a cool greenhouse or cold frame to grow on. They will be ready to plant out in March or April.

Keep garlic well watered during dry weather. If it’s dry for long periods, the cloves will not swell and the resulting crop will have a short storage life.