Planting Sprouted Garlic: What to Do When Garlic Starts to Grow

Planting sprouted garlic is an easy way to reduce waste. Learn what to do when garlic starts to grow and how to plant sprouted garlic for fresh greens.

Green garlic shoots growing in a terracotta pot indoors.

If you’ve opened your pantry or food storage area and noticed garlic cloves sending up green shoots, you might be wondering whether it is still usable or belongs in the compost. The good news is that sprouted garlic isn’t spoiled, and it doesn’t need to go to waste.

While garlic stores well in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place, it sometimes naturally sprouts over time, especially when stored for a while or exposed to warmth or light.

Sprouting doesn’t make it unsafe. In fact, sprouted garlic can be planted and grown, often producing tender green garlic and small fresh bulbs that are perfect for immediate use.

In this guide, you’ll learn whether sprouted garlic is safe, what happens when you plant it, and how to grow it successfully either in the garden or in containers so you can turn an everyday pantry discovery into something useful.

Is Sprouted Garlic Safe to Eat or Plant?

Yes, sprouted garlic is safe to eat and safe to plant, as long as it’s still in good condition.

When garlic sprouts, it’s simply beginning a new growth cycle. The green shoot that emerges from the clove is edible, and the clove itself can still be used in cooking or planted to grow new garlic. Some people notice that sprouted garlic has a slightly stronger or more bitter flavor, especially if the sprout is large, but it’s not harmful.

Sprouted garlic on a wooden cutting board in the kitchen. — Garlic often begins to sprout during storage, especially when kept too long or in warm conditions.

When Sprouted Garlic Is Still Good

Sprouted garlic is fine to eat or plant if:

The clove is firm.
There’s no mold.
It doesn’t feel slimy or smell unpleasant.

You can trim out the green sprout if you prefer a milder flavor, or leave it intact if you plan to plant the clove.

When to Discard Garlic

Garlic should be composted or discarded if:

The clove is soft or mushy.
There is visible mold.
It has a strong, rotten odor.

Sprouting alone isn’t a sign of spoilage, it’s simply garlic responding to its storage conditions.

Once you know your sprouted garlic is healthy, you can decide how to use it: Cook with it right away, or plant it and enjoy fresh garlic greens and young bulbs.

Can You Plant Sprouted Garlic?

Yes, you can absolutely plant sprouted garlic, and it often grows very easily. Once garlic has begun to sprout, it’s already awake and ready to grow. Planting it simply gives that energy somewhere to go.

Sprouted garlic can be planted anytime the soil is workable or grown in containers if outdoor planting isn’t an option. Unlike planting garlic in fall or spring on purpose, sprouted garlic is best treated as a fresh-use crop, grown for garlic greens and small young bulbs rather than long-term storage.

Because sprouted garlic has already started its growth cycle, it tends to produce green shoots quickly after planting. These tender greens are mild and flavorful and can be harvested early, often long before a full bulb has time to develop.

What to Expect When You Plant Sprouted Garlic

If your goal is large bulbs for winter storage, intentional fall planting is the better approach. But if you’re looking to reduce food waste, enjoy fresh garlic greens, and grow something with minimal fuss, planting sprouted garlic is well worth it.

Here’s what it’s most likely to produce:

Fast-growing green garlic shoots.
Small or partially developed bulbs.
Single bulbs instead of divided cloves.
Garlic to enjoy fresh rather than cured or stored.

Think of it as a bonus crop rather than a replacement for fall or spring garlic planting.

What Happens When You Plant Sprouted Garlic?

When you plant sprouted garlic, growth usually begins quickly. Because the clove has already broken dormancy, the green shoot often continues to grow soon after planting, especially in mild weather or in containers indoors.

Rather than focusing its energy on forming a large, segmented bulb, sprouted garlic typically invests most of its energy in leafy growth.

Fast Top Growth

Sprouted garlic often produces tall, tender greens within a few weeks. These shoots have a mild garlic flavor and can be harvested repeatedly, much like scallions or chives.

Small or Single Bulbs

Below the soil, sprouted garlic may form a small, immature bulb, or a single, round clove.

These bulbs usually don’t divide into separate cloves, especially if the garlic didn’t experience a long cold period. While they won’t store well, they still contain full garlic flavor and can be used fresh in the kitchen.

How to Plant Sprouted Garlic

Planting sprouted garlic is easy. Because the clove has already begun growing, there’s no need to overthink the process. You’re essentially giving the sprout a place to continue doing what it’s already trying to do.

Sprouted garlic can be planted in the garden or in containers, depending on the season and the space you have available.

Planting Sprouted Garlic in the Garden

If the soil is workable, sprouted garlic can be planted directly in the garden.

When I find sprouted garlic in the summer, I usually tuck the cloves into open spaces around the garden rather than planting them in neat rows. I’ll slip them in between vegetables, along bed edges, or anywhere there’s a bit of bare soil.

Garlic has a strong scent, and I like to think it helps confuse insects when planted among other crops. Even when pests aren’t a concern, interplanting sprouted garlic is a simple way to make good use of space and gives me easy access to garlic greens throughout the season.

Sprouted garlic clove planted shallowly in garden soil with the sprout facing up. — Plant sprouted garlic with the pointed end and sprout facing up, setting the clove just below the soil surface.

If you find yourself with a lot of sprouting garlic at once, it may make sense to plant it more intentionally in a small bed or row. In that case, you can follow the same basic approach outlined in my guide to planting garlic in spring, which walks through spacing, depth, and what to expect from spring-planted garlic.

To plant sprouted garlic in the garden:

Separate the cloves: Gently break the garlic bulb apart into individual cloves. Keep the papery skins intact if possible.
Plant with the sprout facing up: Place each clove in the soil with the pointed end and green sprout facing up. Even if the sprout is curved, it will straighten as it grows.
Plant shallowly: Plant the cloves about 1 to 2 inches deep, slightly shallower than fall-planted garlic.
Space for greens: Space cloves 2 to 4 inches apart, especially if your goal is to harvest garlic greens.
Water gently: Water after planting to settle the soil, but avoid soaking the area.

Sprouted garlic doesn’t need rich soil or heavy fertilizing. It grows best in simple, well-drained conditions.

Planting Sprouted Garlic in Containers

Containers are an excellent option for sprouted garlic, especially if it’s too early to plant outdoors or you only want to grow a small amount for garlic greens.

When I find sprouted garlic in winter, I often tuck the cloves into a container and let them grow on a sunny windowsill or under grow lights. It’s an easy way to keep garlic growing even when the garden is dormant.

Sprouted garlic cloves planted in a pot for indoor growing. — Containers are an easy way to grow sprouted garlic indoors for fresh garlic greens.

To plant sprouted garlic in containers:

Use a pot with drainage holes.
Fill with a quality potting mix.
Plant cloves 1 to 2 inches deep, sprout side up.
Space cloves a few inches apart.
Place the container in a bright location with plenty of light.

Containers make it easy to harvest garlic greens right outside the kitchen door and are perfect for small spaces.

After Planting Care

Once planted, sprouted garlic needs very little attention:

Keep the soil lightly moist.
Provide plenty of light.
Avoid overwatering or the cloves will rot.

Green shoots often appear quickly, sometimes within days if the garlic was already actively growing.

Harvesting Sprouted Garlic

One of the best things about planting sprouted garlic is how quickly it becomes harvestable. You don’t have to wait for a full bulb to mature, sprouted garlic can be harvested at several stages, depending on how you plan to use it.

Harvesting Garlic Greens

Garlic greens can be harvested as soon as the shoots are several inches tall. Use clean scissors or snips to cut what you need, leaving the rest of the plant to continue growing.

Garlic greens have a mild garlic flavor and can be used much like scallions or chives. Try them:

Chopped into salads.
Sautéed with vegetables.
Stirred into eggs, soups, or pasta dishes.
Used as a fresh garnish.

You can harvest greens multiple times, as long as you don’t remove all the leaves at once.

Harvesting Small Bulbs

If you allow sprouted garlic to grow longer, it may form a small bulb or a single round clove at the base. These can be harvested by gently loosening the soil and pulling up the entire plant.

Small garlic bulbs won’t cure or store well, but they’re excellent for fresh cooking. Use them anywhere you would use regular garlic. Just keep in mind the flavor may be slightly milder or fresher.

Use It Fresh or Preserve It

Garlic grown from sprouted cloves is best enjoyed soon after harvest. If you have more than you can use right away, freezing garlic is an easy way to preserve the flavor without drying or curing: How to Freeze Garlic.

Harvesting sprouted garlic is flexible and forgiving. Whether you snip a few greens or pull the whole plant, you’ll get something useful and flavorful from garlic that might otherwise have gone to waste.

Is Growing Sprouted Garlic Worth It?

Yes, growing sprouted garlic is absolutely worth it.

When garlic starts to sprout in storage, it’s easy to see it as a problem. But planting sprouted garlic turns that moment into an opportunity. With very little effort, you can grow fresh garlic greens and small young bulbs that add flavor to your meals and keep good food out of the compost.

Sprouted garlic isn’t meant to replace traditional garlic planting for long-term storage. Instead, it fills a different role. Whether you plant it in the garden or a container, sprouted garlic grows quickly and gives you something useful in return.

If your goal is reducing waste, enjoying fresh garlic flavor, and growing food with what you already have, planting sprouted garlic is an easy win. Sometimes the best crops aren’t the ones we planned, they’re the ones that surprise us.

Related Garlic Guides:

If you’d like to keep learning about growing and using garlic, these guides will help you plan ahead and make the most of your harvest:

How to Grow Garlic: A complete, start-to-finish guide covering sourcing garlic seeds, planting, care, trimming garlic scapes, and knowing when garlic is mature and ready to harvest.
How to Plant Garlic in Spring: Learn when and how to plant garlic in spring and what to expect from spring-planted garlic.
Planting Garlic in the Fall: Step-by-step instructions for fall planting to grow large, long-storing garlic bulbs.
How to Freeze Garlic: An easy way to preserve garlic for later use when curing and long-term storage aren’t an option.

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.