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Garlic, from clove to store

Plant a named clove in autumn, let it take the cold, snip the scapes, and lift the bulb when the leaves turn yellow. The garlic year, hardneck and softneck, and the leek-relative sold as elephant garlic — with every fact tied to its source.

Open the garlic year Hardneck, softneck, elephant

A close-up of many papery white garlic bulbs piled together, one in the centre showing a short dried stem — Freshly harvested garlic bulbs, photographed by Matthew Pilachowski on 19 August 2014 (Unsplash, via Wikimedia Commons). A close view of real bulbs after lifting, not a named variety.Photo: Matthew Pilachowski · CC0 1.0

The garlic year

It is started from cloves rather than seed, the RHS says, and usually needs a spell of cold to form a good bulb, so it is generally planted in autumn to overwinter outdoors. [RHS] Garlic is usually planted from mid-autumn to early winter, the RHS says, because most varieties need one to two months at 0–10°C (32–50°F) for good bulb development. Some varieties are suitable for planting in late winter and early spring. [RHS]

Choose a stage of the garlic year. The same figures stay in the table below, so the desk is a clearer view of the record, not a different one.

Choose named cloves

Garlic is grown from cloves — the small individual segments in a bulb — not from seed. The RHS says these should be named varieties bought from a garden centre or a mail-order supplier.

It is not recommended to plant garlic bought from the supermarket. It may be unsuitable for the British climate, and there is a risk of introducing disease.

The garlic year, from the RHS grow-your-own guide. Figures stay visible even if the desk is not used.
Stage	What the record says
Choose	Named varieties from a garden centre or supplier, not supermarket bulbs.
Plant	Mid-autumn to early winter (some varieties late winter or early spring). Flat end down, tip 2.5 cm deep, 15 cm apart, rows 30 cm apart. Most varieties need 1–2 months at 0–10°C.
Overwinter	The cold spell is what forms a good bulb. Modules, then spring planting, if the soil is heavy and wet.
Spring	Weed by hand. Water dry spells in spring and early summer; stop once bulbs are large; try not to wet the leaves.
Scapes	Snip flower stems as soon as they form (hardnecks do this readily). Young scapes can be cooked.
Lift	When the leaves turn yellow. Autumn-planted: late spring to early summer. Spring-planted: mid-summer to early autumn.
Cure	Single layer, 2–4 weeks, not above 30°C. Cut the foliage once it is dry and rustling.
Store	Cool and dry, 5–10°C. Hardneck about 4–6 months; softneck potentially up to a year.

The desk restates the RHS grow-your-own guide. A full page sits beside it, with the same table.

Not one kind of garlic

There are two main types of garlic, the RHS says: hardneck and softneck. [RHS] Kew distinguishes two main types, or subspecies: hard-necked garlic (Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon) and soft-necked garlic (Allium sativum var. sativum). [Kew] Elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum) is often sold as garlic, the RHS says, but is actually more closely related to leeks. It produces a big bulb with a small number of very large cloves, which have a mild flavour, and is best planted in October. [RHS]

See hardneck, softneck and elephant garlic side by side.

Two white garlic bulbs and several peeled and unpeeled cloves arranged on a black background — Whole bulbs and separated cloves on a black ground, photographed by JJ Harrison on 22 January 2008. The photograph shows the papery tunic, the basal plate and the individual cloves inside a bulb.Photo: JJ Harrison · CC BY 3.0

A few true things

Britannica says the plant is native to central Asia but grows wild in Italy and southern France, and is a classic ingredient in many national cuisines. [Britannica]
Garlic bulbs were found in the tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen, Kew records. [Kew]
Cloves for planting, the RHS says, should be named varieties bought from a garden centre or mail-order supplier. It is not recommended to plant garlic bought from the supermarket, which may be unsuitable for the British climate and carries a risk of introducing disease. [RHS]
Bulbs are ready to harvest once the leaves have turned yellow. Autumn-planted garlic is ready from late spring to early summer, and spring-planted garlic from mid-summer to early autumn. Do not delay: bulbs lifted late tend to open up and have a shorter storage life. [RHS]
Once the foliage is dry and rustling, cut it off and store the bulbs in a cool, dry place at 5–10°C (41–50°F). Hardneck varieties can store well for four to six months; softneck varieties store for longer, potentially up to a year. [RHS]
According to Central European folklore, Kew says, garlic was believed to ward off evil, including demons, werewolves and vampires. [Kew]

This is a growing and history site. It does not make health, nutrition or diet claims.

Printables

Three paid packs, in A4 and US Letter, priced in US dollars.

The Garlic Reference Guide

An 11-page guide to the garlic year, hardneck and softneck, elephant garlic, lifting and storing, and the plant’s history. A4 and US Letter.

Buy · $5.99

The Garlic Activity Pack

An 8-page pack: a sourced quiz, a label-the-year sheet, a types comparison, and a planting diagram to complete. A4 and US Letter.

Buy · $3.99

The Garlic Year Calendar

A 6-page companion: a one-page year, a sowing and lifting log, and room to record a named variety. A4 and US Letter.