How to Plant Garlic in the Fall

Planting garlic in the fall is the best way to grow large bulbs. Discover step-by-step tips for timing, spacing, soil preparation, and protecting your garlic over winter.

Planting garlic in the fall is one of the last garden chores of the season. With a small amount of preparation now, you will give your garlic the head start it needs to grow strong roots, overwinter successfully, and size up into big, flavorful bulbs by summer.

Unlike most vegetables, garlic is planted well after the main growing season winds down. Fall planting gives each clove time to develop roots before winter, go dormant during the cold months, and then surge into growth as soon as spring arrives. That long, natural cycle is what produces the largest bulbs and the best storage quality.

The good news is that planting fall garlic isn’t complicated. You don’t need special equipment or perfect timing. As long as your soil is still workable and you follow a few simple guidelines for spacing, depth, and mulching, you’re setting yourself up for success.

In this guide, you’ll learn exactly when to plant garlic in the fall, how to prepare your bed, how to plant cloves correctly, and what happens next as your crop overwinters and grows.

If you miss the fall window, you still have options. Spring planting and even planting sprouted garlic can produce useful harvests. But fall remains the gold standard for growing great garlic.

Why Garlic Is Planted in Fall

Garlic has a long growing season and a unique growth pattern compared to most garden crops. When planted in fall, cloves focus on growing roots before winter sets in. As the ground freezes, the plants go dormant. Then, when the soil warms in spring, garlic resumes growth right where it left off, already rooted and ready to take advantage of the season.

That fall head start is what allows garlic to grow plenty of foliage before day length triggers bulb formation later in spring and early summer. More leaf growth generally means more energy for bulb development, which is why fall-planted garlic typically produces larger heads than garlic planted in spring.

When to Plant Garlic in Fall

The best time to plant fall garlic is in mid- to late fall, before the ground freezes solid. You want to give the cloves time to grow roots before winter dormancy, but not so early that they produce lots of leafy top growth.

A helpful guideline is to plant about 4 to 6 weeks before your soil typically freezes, using your first hard frost date as a guideline. You can look up your estimated first frost date using your ZIP code at PlantMaps.com or Garden.org.

As a general guide, garlic is often planted during these windows in the U.S.:

• Zone 0–4: Late August through September
• Zone 5–8: Mid-October through mid-November
• Zone 9–10: Late November through December, or before the ground freezes

Local weather always matters more than the calendar, so use these ranges as a guide and adjust based on your actual soil and temperature conditions.

If you’re unsure, aim for mid- to late fall in most climates. Light frosts and chilly nights are not a problem. Garlic is very cold hardy.

What matters most is soil condition. If you can still dig a small hole without fighting frozen ground, it’s not too late. As long as the soil is soft enough to plant, your garlic can still get settled in and do what it needs to do before winter.

Choose Seed Garlic for Fall Planting

For the best results, plant seed garlic rather than grocery store garlic. Seed garlic isn’t actually a seed, it’s a garlic bulb grown specifically for planting. Each individual clove becomes a new garlic plant.

Seed garlic is more likely to be:

• Healthy and disease-free.
• Adapted for planting and regrowth.
• Untreated with sprout inhibitors.
• True to variety.

You can usually find seed garlic at garden centers, farm stores, online seed companies, and from local growers at farmers’ markets in late summer and fall.

Grocery store garlic is often grown for eating, not planting. It may be treated to prevent sprouting or grown in a very different climate, which can lead to disappointing results in the garden. It will sometimes grow, but if you’re planting intentionally for a full harvest, seed garlic is the better choice.

Hardneck vs. Softneck

Most gardeners can grow either type, but there are a few general differences:

• Hardneck garlic is exceptionally well-suited to cold climates and produces garlic scapes in early summer.
• Softneck varieties store longer and grow well in milder climates.

If you want a deeper breakdown of garlic types and varieties, see the full guide here: How to Grow Garlic.

How to Plant Garlic in the Fall (Step-by-Step)

Planting garlic is easy, but a few minor details make a big difference in the size and quality of your harvest. These steps will help you give your garlic the best possible start before winter.

Step 1: Prepare Your Growing Bed

Garlic thrives in full sun and loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Select a garden bed that has not grown any onion family crops in the past two years, receives at least six hours of sunlight daily, and drains well and doesn’t stay soggy after rain.

To prepare the bed for garlic planting:

• Remove all weeds and debris from the area.
• Apply a slow-release organic fertilizer as directed on the package.
• Add approximately two inches of finished compost.
• Work the compost into the top 4–6 inches of soil.

Dig holes approximately 4 inches deep and 4–6 inches apart in all directions. If using the square-foot gardening method, plant six cloves per square foot.

Step 2: Separate the Cloves

When you purchase garlic seed, you are actually buying whole garlic heads. Garlic is propagated from individual cloves, each of which develops into a whole bulb.

Divide the heads into cloves just before planting, keeping the papery skins intact.

Select the healthiest and largest cloves to plant, as they will produce larger garlic heads the following season. Use the smaller or damaged cloves for cooking, or freeze them to add flavor to winter soups.

Step 3: Plant the Cloves

Plant each clove with the flat root end facing downward and the pointy end upward. Place the clove in the hole, cover it with soil, and gently firm the surface.

Water the bed well after planting to help settle the soil around the cloves and start root development. After this initial watering, you generally won’t need to water again until spring unless conditions are unusually dry.

Step 4: Mulch in Two Stages

Mulching fall-planted garlic helps suppress weeds, regulate soil temperature, and protect roots over winter.

• Immediately after planting: Apply a light layer of mulch, such as straw or shredded leaves. Use about 2–3 inches to suppress weeds until the ground freezes.
• Once the ground has frozen: Add another 2–3 inches of mulch for insulation. This helps prevent garlic bulbs from being heaved out of the soil by cycles of freezing and thawing during winter.

This two-stage mulching method prevents late-season weeds from establishing while allowing the soil to freeze naturally, ensuring the garlic enters dormancy.

For additional benefits of mulching, see our post: 5 Ways Organic Mulch Helps Your Vegetable Garden.

What Happens After You Plant Fall Garlic

After planting, garlic begins working below the soil surface almost immediately. Even though you won’t see much happening above ground, the cloves are busy establishing roots before winter dormancy.

Here’s what to expect through the seasons:

Late Fall: Root Growth Begins

Once planted and watered, garlic cloves begin to develop roots while soil temperatures are still above freezing. You may or may not see green shoots before winter; either is fine. Root development is what matters most at this stage.

Winter: Dormancy

When the ground freezes, growth pauses, and the plants go dormant. The mulch layer helps regulate soil temperature and prevents repeated freeze–thaw cycles that can push cloves out of the ground. Garlic is very cold hardy and handles winter conditions well when properly planted and mulched.

Early Spring: Growth Resumes

As the soil warms, garlic wakes up and resumes growing right where it left off. You’ll see green shoots pushing up through the mulch early in the season, often before many other crops show signs of life.

Late Spring to Early Summer: Bulb Development

As the day length increases, garlic plants allocate more energy to bulb formation. This is why fall planting matters. The healthier leaf growth your garlic produces before bulbing begins, the larger your harvest is likely to be.

If you planted hardneck varieties, you’ll also see curly flower stalks (garlic scapes) form in early summer, a bonus harvest before the bulbs are ready.

Early to Mid Summer: Garlic Harvest Time

Your fall-planted garlic will begin to signal that harvest time is approaching. The lower leaves gradually turn brown while the upper leaves remain green. A sign that the bulbs have reached full size.

Most fall-planted garlic is ready to harvest around July in many climates, though timing varies by variety and weather conditions.

Once harvested, garlic should be cured and dried before long-term storage. Proper curing helps the outer skins tighten and protects the bulbs so they store well for months.

For step-by-step harvest timing, curing, and storage instructions, see: How to Harvest, Cure, and Store Garlic.

Quick Spring Care for Fall-Planted Garlic

Once your garlic begins growing in spring, it needs very little attention. Just a few simple checks to keep plants healthy and bulbs sizing up well. This isn’t a heavy-maintenance crop, which is one reason it’s such a rewarding addition to the garden.

Check the Mulch

After shoots emerge, take a look at your mulch layer:

• If it’s thick and matted, gently loosen or pull it back slightly.
• Keep enough mulch in place to suppress weeds and conserve moisture.
• Add a fresh light layer if the bed is exposed and drying quickly.

The mulch will continue to prevent weeds from sprouting, help regulate soil moisture, and protect garlic’s shallow roots.

Water During Dry Spells

Garlic prefers steady, moderate moisture, but not soggy soil.

• Aim for about 1 inch of water per week from rain or irrigation.
• Water when the soil feels dry an inch below the surface.
• Focus on deep watering rather than frequent shallow sprinkling.

Consistent moisture becomes more important as bulbs begin to form. Aim to keep the soil evenly moist during this stage so the plants can size up properly.

As harvest time approaches, reduce and then stop watering to allow the outer paper skins to dry and toughen. This usually happens in early to mid-summer, around July in many gardens, when the lower leaves begin to brown and die back. Drier soil conditions at the end help improve curing and storage quality.

Light Feeding (If Needed)

If you amended your bed with compost and organic fertilizer at planting time, your garlic may not need much additional feeding.

However, if the plants look pale or stressed in spring, you can side-dress with compost or apply a light boost (such as a fish emulsion mixture). Avoid heavy fertilizing once bulbs begin forming, since excess nitrogen can encourage leaf growth at the expense of bulb size.

For a deeper look into fertilizing, watering, pests, and knowing when to harvest garlic, check out our full garlic growing guide: Tips for Growing Great Garlic.

Fall vs. Spring Garlic Planting: Which Should You Choose?

Fall is the preferred planting season for garlic if your goal is large bulbs and long storage life. Planting in fall gives cloves time to develop roots, experience winter cold, and build strong foliage before bulb formation begins in late spring. However, spring planting is still a good option in some situations.

• Choose fall planting if you want large, fully divided bulbs, garlic suitable for curing and long-term storage, the highest yields from your planting space, and the most reliable results in most climates.
• Choose spring planting if you missed the fall window, want to grow green garlic or small fresh bulbs, or garden in a very mild climate with flexible timing. See our spring guide: How to Plant Garlic in Spring.

If your garlic has already started sprouting in storage, you can also plant it and grow it for garlic greens and quick harvests. See our guide: Planting Sprouted Garlic: What to Do When Garlic Starts to Grow.

Why Fall Garlic Planting Is Worth It

Planting garlic in the fall is one of the simplest ways to set your future garden up for success. With just a little effort at the end of the season, you give your crop the long runway it needs to grow strong and produce generous bulbs.

It’s a slow crop, but an easy one. Once planted, garlic mostly takes care of itself through winter and early spring. By summer, you’re rewarded with a flavorful harvest that stores well and can even become your seed stock for the next planting season.

If you’re looking for a low-maintenance, high-value crop to add to your garden plan, fall garlic is one of the best choices you can make.

Related Garlic Growing Guides:

To help you grow, harvest, and use your garlic crop successfully, here are more detailed guides:

• How to Grow Garlic: Tips for Growing Great Garlic: A complete garlic growing guide from planting through storage.
• How to Plant Garlic in Spring: A detailed spring planting guide that explains what to expect when planting after winter.
• Planting Sprouted Garlic: Turn pantry surprises into fresh harvests. You can plant and grow sprouted garlic in containers or in the garden.
• How to Harvest, Cure, and Store Garlic: When and how to harvest for best storage life.
• How to Freeze Garlic: Easy ways to prep and preserve garlic for cooking.

Good planning is key to a successful vegetable garden

Whether you are new to growing your own food or have been growing a vegetable garden for years, you will benefit from some planning each year. You will find everything you need to organize and plan your vegetable garden in my PDF eBook, Grow a Good Life Guide to Planning Your Vegetable Garden.