Planting Garlic in Fall for a Bigger Summer Harvest

One pound of seed garlic holds roughly 40 to 50 cloves. Plant them right in October and you dig up 40 to 50 full heads in July, which works out to six or seven pounds of garlic for every pound you put in the ground. Very few crops on a small farm return that much for so little bed space, and planting garlic in fall is one of the last field jobs of the year that still pays you back the following summer.

I have grown garlic for market for eleven seasons on heavy clay that stays wet until May. Most of what I learned came from losing beds, not from seed catalogues. Here is what actually decides whether those cloves turn into big heads or small, split, moldy ones.

When to Plant Garlic in Fall

The target is simple: get cloves into the ground two to four weeks before the soil freezes. That gives them time to grow roots without pushing much green leaf above ground. In most of the northern half of the country that means early October to early November. Further south, plant in November or even December.

A soil thermometer is more useful than a calendar. When the soil at four inches holds around 50 degrees Fahrenheit for a week, it is time. Plant too early and the cloves send up tall shoots that get burned back in January. Plant too late and the roots never anchor, so frost heaves cloves out of the bed.

Hardneck or Softneck for a Small Farm

The choice depends on your winters and on who buys your garlic.

On my farm, hardneck pays more. The scapes alone sell for four or five dollars a bunch at market in June, weeks before any heads are ready. Softneck is the better pick if you want garlic to sell through the winter, because it keeps far longer in a cool shed.

Preparing the Bed Before a Single Clove Goes In

Garlic sits in the same spot for nine months, so the bed has to be right the first time. Three things matter most.

• Drainage. Waterlogged soil in March rots cloves faster than any disease. If water stands on the bed after rain, raise it four to six inches or choose another spot.
• Organic matter. Work in an inch or two of finished compost. A pile that reached proper heat is worth the effort here; our guide on building a compost pile that actually heats up explains how to get there.
• Rotation. Do not plant garlic where onions, leeks or garlic grew in the last three years. White rot and onion maggots wait in the soil.

Garlic is a heavy nitrogen feeder in spring but needs little in fall. Save most of your fertilizer for April, when the leaves start growing fast.

Why Planting the Biggest Cloves Is Not Always Smart

The usual advice is to plant only the largest cloves, because big cloves make big heads. That is true, and it is also how many small growers go broke on garlic. Seed garlic costs 15 to 25 dollars per pound. If you plant only the top third of every head, you are spending three times as much to fill the same row.

My compromise is to plant the large and medium cloves and send the small ones to the kitchen or to a green garlic bed. Medium cloves give heads that are maybe 15 percent smaller, which most market customers never notice. And instead of buying new seed every year, save your own best heads. After three seasons, your garlic is adapted to your soil, and your seed bill drops to zero.

Spacing, Depth and the Planting Itself

Break heads apart no more than a day or two before planting, so the clove base stays fresh. Then follow these steps:

1. Mark rows 12 inches apart on a 30 inch bed, giving three or four rows.
2. Set cloves six inches apart within each row, pointed end up.
3. Push them in so the tip sits two inches below the surface, three inches in very cold areas.
4. Firm the soil gently and water once if the ground is dry.

At that spacing a 100 foot bed holds about 600 to 800 cloves, which takes roughly 15 pounds of seed. Plan that number before you order, because good seed garlic sells out by August.

Mulch, Winter Care and Spring Feeding

After the first hard frost, cover the bed with four to six inches of straw or shredded leaves. Mulch keeps soil temperature steady, stops frost heave and smothers most of the weeds that would otherwise compete in spring. Avoid hay with seed heads; you will be pulling grass until July.

In spring, pull back some mulch once green shoots appear so the soil warms. Side dress with a nitrogen source such as blood meal or a well rotted manure in April and again in early May. Stop feeding by late May. Late nitrogen makes leafy plants with loose heads that store poorly. If cold snaps are a concern in your area, a short low tunnel over the bed can protect early shoots through a bad week.

Water about an inch a week through spring, then stop two to three weeks before harvest so the wrappers dry.

Harvest and Curing Mistakes That Cost a Crop

Garlic is ready when the lower three or four leaves have browned but five or six green ones remain. Each green leaf represents a wrapper around the head. Wait too long and the wrappers split, the cloves spread and the heads will not store.

Lift heads with a digging fork rather than pulling by the stem. Then cure them in a dry, shaded, airy place for three to four weeks. A barn with fans works well. Direct sun scalds the cloves and leaves them soft. Once the necks are tight and dry, trim roots and stems and move the heads to storage at around 55 to 60 degrees with moderate humidity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I plant garlic from the grocery store?

You can, but results are poor. Store garlic is often a softneck grown far from your climate and may be treated to slow sprouting. It can also carry disease into your soil. Buy certified seed garlic from a regional grower for the first year.

How late is too late to plant garlic in fall?

If you can still push a clove into unfrozen soil, it is worth trying. Late planted garlic usually gives smaller heads, but it still beats spring planting, which often produces single round bulbs with no cloves.

Should I cut garlic scapes off?

Yes. Removing scapes when they curl sends energy back to the head, and growers commonly report 10 to 20 percent larger heads. You also get a second product to sell weeks ahead of the main harvest.

The Practical Takeaway

Plant when the soil reaches about 50 degrees, choose hardneck or softneck to match your winters, use large and medium cloves, and mulch deep after the first frost. Save your best heads as next year's seed and the crop gets cheaper every season. For more crops that fit a small operation, browse our growing food guides.