When to Plant Garlic in the UK: Autumn or Spring?

Rootlet

Wed, 04 Nov 2026

In the UK, the usual time to plant garlic is in autumn, from mid-autumn to early winter, which in most places means somewhere between October and December. Garlic needs a spell of cold to form a good bulb, and planting in autumn lets winter do that job for you. Some types can also go in during late winter or early spring. This guide explains why timing matters, how to plant garlic in the ground or a pot, how to look after it, what can go wrong, and when to lift and dry your crop.

The short answer

• Plant from mid-autumn to early winter (roughly October to December) for the standard crop.
• Some types can go in during late winter or early spring, but check that the cloves you buy are sold as suitable for spring planting.
• Choose a sunny spot with free-draining soil. Cold, wet soil over winter is the main thing garlic dislikes.
• Plant each clove flat end down, with the tip about 2.5cm (1in) below the surface, 15cm (6in) apart, in rows 30cm (1ft) apart.
• Lift it when the leaves turn yellow. Autumn-planted garlic is ready from late spring to early summer.

Why autumn is the best time to plant garlic

The reason is cold. When you plant a single clove, it needs a period of cool weather to grow into a full bulb made of several new cloves. The RHS says most varieties need one to two months at 0 to 10°C (32 to 50°F) for good bulb development. A clove planted in autumn gets that cold naturally over winter, then grows on through spring to make a bulb ready the following summer.

If garlic doesn't get enough cold, the RHS notes that the bulb often won't divide into cloves. You end up with a single rounded bulb instead.

Can you plant garlic in spring?

Yes, with some caveats. The RHS says some varieties are suitable for planting in late winter and early spring, and spring-planted garlic is ready later, from mid-summer to early autumn. If you missed the autumn window, look for cloves sold specifically for spring planting and get them in as early as conditions allow.

Spring planting is also useful if your soil is heavy or wet. The RHS suggests that on these soils you can start cloves in modules (small cells of compost) over winter and plant them out in spring. They still get the cold they need, without sitting in waterlogged ground.

Softneck or hardneck garlic?

When you buy garlic for planting, you'll see it described as softneck or hardneck. The RHS sums up the difference like this:

For a first try, either works. If you want garlic that keeps through the winter, softneck is the safer choice. If you'd like fewer, bigger cloves and a stronger flavour, and don't mind using them sooner, try hardneck. A bonus with hardneck is that the flower stalks you remove, called scapes, are good to eat: the RHS suggests sautéing, barbecuing or roasting them.

Buy garlic for planting, not from the supermarket

It's tempting to plant a bulb from the kitchen, but the RHS says it is not recommended to plant garlic bought from the supermarket, because it may be unsuitable for the British climate, and it also points to the risk of bringing in pests and diseases. Instead, buy named varieties from a garden centre or a mail-order supplier.

Keep the bulb whole until you're ready to plant, then carefully split it into individual cloves. Use the biggest, firmest cloves and leave the papery skin on.

How to plant garlic step by step

Pick the right spot

Garlic needs full sun and free-draining soil. The RHS warns that wet soil makes garlic more prone to disease, particularly when it's planted in autumn and has to sit through winter. It also says garlic doesn't like very acid soil. Before planting, dig in organic matter such as well-rotted (not fresh) manure or garden compost; the RHS suggests about two bucketfuls per square metre. If you're working on heavy clay, a raised or no-dig bed helps the soil drain, or use the module method above.

Garlic is in the onion family, so, as simple crop rotation, plant it where you didn't grow onions, shallots or leeks this year.

Plant the cloves

1. Split the bulb into separate cloves just before planting.
2. Push each clove in flat end down, pointed end up, so the tip sits about 2.5cm (1in) below the surface. The RHS says you can plant a little deeper on light soil, but not deeply in heavy soil.
3. Space cloves 15cm (6in) apart, with rows 30cm (1ft) apart.
4. Firm the soil gently over the top and label the row, because nothing will show for a few weeks.
5. Cover with netting or fleece for the first few weeks. The RHS notes that birds sometimes pull up newly planted cloves. If you find one lying on the surface, push it back in.

Growing garlic in pots

No garden? Garlic grows well in a container on a patio or balcony. The RHS says the pot should be at least 25cm (10in) deep, and points out that compost in containers can dry out quickly, so you'll need to keep an eye on watering in spring. Make sure the pot has drainage holes and doesn't sit in a saucer of water over winter, and stand it somewhere sunny. Plant the cloves at the same depth as in the ground.

Looking after garlic through winter and spring

Once it's planted, garlic mostly needs keeping clear of weeds and watering at the right time.

• Weeding: garlic needs full sun, so keep weeds from crowding it. The RHS says weeding is best done by hand, because a hoe can damage the developing bulbs. A mulch helps keep weeds down.
• Watering: water during dry spells in spring and early summer, which helps the bulbs swell. Once the bulbs are large and well formed, the RHS says to stop watering, as wet soil at that stage can cause rot. Try not to wet the leaves, as that can encourage fungal problems.
• Feeding: the RHS grow guide focuses on preparing the soil well with organic matter before planting rather than on feeding during growth. Its advice on leek rust adds that the disease is worse on soils rich in nitrogen and low in potassium, so take care with fertilisers and don't give garlic lots of high-nitrogen feed.
• Flower stems: if a stiff stem appears from the centre of the plant, usually on hardneck types, snap it off as soon as it starts to form, as the RHS advises.

Common garlic problems

Rust

Leek rust is a common fungal disease of leeks and garlic. It shows as bright orange pustules on the leaves, and the RHS says most attacks happen from mid-summer to late autumn. Severe attacks can make leaves shrivel early and reduce the plant's vigour. To lower the risk, don't overcrowd your plants, go easy on nitrogen, and clear away all plant debris at the end of the season. The RHS says no fungicides are approved for home gardeners to use against it.

White rot

This is the serious one. White rot is a soil-borne fungal disease of onions, garlic and leeks. Leaves turn yellow and wilt, and you'll find fluffy white growth at the base of the bulb, later dotted with tiny black seed-like bodies. The RHS page on onion white rot explains that these can survive in soil for 15 years or more, and once the disease is in a patch of ground it is effectively impossible to get rid of. There's no chemical treatment for home gardeners, so prevention is everything: don't bring in soil on tools or boots from infected ground, which matters especially on allotments. If your soil does have white rot, the RHS family growing page on garlic suggests growing it in soil-based tubs instead.

Other things you might see

• Bulbs that don't split into cloves: usually not enough winter cold, often because they were planted too late.
• Bulbs splitting open: usually lifted too late.
• Green cloves: usually planted too shallow.

When and how to harvest garlic

Garlic is ready to harvest once the leaves turn yellow. Autumn-planted garlic is usually ready from late spring to early summer, and spring-planted garlic from mid-summer to early autumn. Try not to leave it too long: the RHS says bulbs lifted late don't store as well, and can split.

1. Loosen the soil with a fork and lift the bulbs carefully.
2. Handle them gently. Bruised bulbs don't keep as well.
3. Dry them in a single layer in the sun, avoiding too much heat (above 30°C), or spread them on netting, wire mesh, sacking or trays. The RHS says this first drying takes two to four weeks, depending on the weather.
4. Trim and store. Once the leaves are dry, cut them off, or keep them to plait the bulbs together. Store the bulbs somewhere cool and dry, ideally at 5 to 10°C.

A simple garlic calendar

Timings vary with where you live and the weather each year, so use this as a rough guide rather than fixed dates.

For more detail, the RHS guide to growing garlic is the most thorough UK source.

If garlic is your first step into growing food, our Gardening for Beginners course takes you further. It has a lesson on roots and onions that walks through planting garlic in autumn, along with lessons on understanding and improving your soil, growing in containers, simple crop rotation for a small plot, harvesting and storing your crops, and a month-by-month gardening calendar. It's 52 written lessons across 10 sections, with a practice pack of planners and checklists in every section, and every lesson has an option for a balcony or windowsill, so you don't need a big garden to start.