Garlic

Garlic: plant 12 cm (4.7 in) apart in the row and 30 cm (12 in) between rows, 9 per square. Good neighbours: Apple tree, Pear tree, Plum tree.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	12 cm (4.7 in)
Between rows	30 cm (12 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	9 per square
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	25 cm (10 in)
Height when grown	50 cm (20 in)
Crop rotation group	Roots and onions
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	From bulbs or sets
Bulbs or cloves per planting hole	1
Per metre of row	8
Planting depth	5 cm (2 in)
Soil temperature	from 4 °C, best 13–20 °C
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to plant	Outdoors before the last frost; soil at least 10 °C

From seedling to plant

Takes transplanting	Easily
Hardening off	5–7 days
Life cycle	Annual
Cold tolerance	Hardy, takes hard frost
Soil	Ordinary garden soil, free draining, pH 6–7
In a pot	8 L, 25 cm (9.8 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; while bulbs form
Feeding	Moderate; in spring
Support and training	None needed

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	240–270 days, from planting
Ready when	The lower leaves turn yellow
Harvest window	All at once, 2–3 weeks
Typical yield	1.5–3 kg per m²
Botanical family	Amaryllidaceae
Watch out for	White rot, rust

Good neighbours

◐ good with a condition · Why, with the sources →

Plan Garlic in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Garlic onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Plant out	Oct–Nov
Harvest	Jul

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Garlic →

From the same family

Plants of the Amaryllidaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

What to plant after Garlic

Crops that still have time to grow on the same spot once it is lifted, from another rotation group.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Growing Garlic in Home Gardens (FS162E) — Washington State University Extension for: sowing depth, days to first harvest, between rows, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-30
People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets — ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center for: safety; checked 2026-10-28

More in Onion family

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