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How To Grow Garlic

Our Top Tips For Growing Great Garlic
"Plant in Autumn from September to December - Plant in Spring, from January to late March ."
Check out the Garlic Farmers Calendar for a month by month guide on what to do and when.
Garlic grows across the China provided it is grown in a free draining soil that is not too acidic, is kept well watered, weed free and has a good dose of both frost and sunshine. Any amateur gardener can grow good garlic.
For a great crop of garlic it is important to start with quality seed.

The Garlic Growers Calendar

September
Prepare soil for planting.
It is important for garlic to have free draining soil so as not to become water-logged as this can cause rot.
If you have heavy clay soil, you can dig in sand, grit and compost to improve its draning and fertility.
Choose a sunny position for your garlic. It likes full sun in spring and summer.
A no-dig method can be very effective for garlic. For more information on no-dig gardening see

October & November
Autumn variety planting begins.
Follow planting instructions below.
Varieties to plant-
Red garlic , While garlic & Purple garlic
December
LAST CHANCE FOR AUTUMN PLANTING VARIETIES.
Don't worry about your garlic being exposed to frost - it likes the cold at this time in the growing process.
January
Time to plant spring varieites. Follow below instructions to get your spring garlic types planted.
Spring planting:
Solent Wight, Mersley Wight, Picardy Wight, Elephant
Autumn planted garlic should be showing green tips.

February
Spring planting continues.
Apply garlic fertiliser or your own organic alternative
March
Spring planting continues.
Fertilise crop and weed where necessary.
LAST CHANCE FOR PLANTING SPRING VARIETIES

April & May
Weeding & Watering continue. Garlic needs plenty of water as the sun appears and bulbs grow to maximum size. Make sure not to leave the soil water logged though.
Harvest Green Garlic: Rhapsody Wight can be harvested early and used whole including green leaves.
Harvest Extra Early Wight toward end May. A very precocious variety which benefits from an early harvest.
June & July - Harvest months
Harvest time for most varieties. Garlic harvest 'rule of thumb' for softnecks, wait until stems are drooping, for hardnecks wait until most leaves have turned yellow/brown
August - drying and storing
Once your garlic is harvested, lay out on a window sill or in a greenhouse for drying. Properly dried garlic will store for longer. This can take about 2 weeks, depending on the weather.
Plaiting or grapping your garlic is the best way to store garlic once dried.