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Vegetable Full Sun Moderate water

Garlic

Written by the GrowByCity Editorial Team · Updated April 2026
2 min read

Plant in fall, harvest in summer. Hardy enough to withstand light frosts down to -15°C, garlic performs best when daytime temperatures stay between 5°C and 20°C. Give it full sun (6-8 hours of direct light daily) and moderate, even watering throughout the growing season, and expect to harvest in roughly 240-270 days. A staple of kitchen gardens and allotments, it rewards even first-time growers with a generous harvest.

Harvest 240-270 days
Temp Range -15°C — 25°C
Frost Tolerant ❄

Quick Answer: How to Grow Garlic

Garlic takes 240-270 days to harvest. It grows best in 5–20°C with full sun and moderate watering. Garlic is frost tolerant and can handle temperatures down to -15°C. It can be grown in 350 cities worldwide.

Find the best time to plant Garlic in your city →

Growing Requirements

☀️
Sun
Full Sun
💧
Water
Moderate
❄️
Frost
Tolerant
📅
Harvest
240-270 days

Temperature Range

5-20°C
-10°C 45°C
Optimal: 5–20°C Tolerates: -15–25°C
Tropical suitable: No
Cities growing: 350 of 350

Growing Tips

💡

Expert Tips

Plant individual cloves pointed end up, 5cm deep. Hardneck varieties for cold climates. Can be planted 2-3 weeks before the last expected frost, giving it a head start on the growing season. Water steadily but avoid soggy soil. A 5-cm layer of organic mulch helps balance moisture and suppress weeds.

Quick Facts

  • Grows in 350 of 350 cities
  • Available in 7 regions worldwide
  • Temperature range: -15°C to 25°C
  • Optimal growing: 5°C to 20°C
  • Harvest in 240-270 days

Did You Know?

  • 🌱 Garlic is frost-tolerant, meaning it can survive light frosts and even thrive in cooler temperatures.
  • 🌱 Garlic needs at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal growth.

Step-by-Step Growing Guide

Garlic is planted in autumn and harvested the following summer — it requires a cold period (vernalisation) of at least 40 days below 10°C to trigger bulb formation. Plant in well-drained, fertile soil at pH 6.0–7.0, amended with compost but low in nitrogen. Separate heads into individual cloves just before planting; choose the largest outer cloves for the best-sized harvest. Plant each clove pointed-end up, 5cm deep and 15–20cm apart in rows 30cm apart. Mulch with 8–10cm of straw immediately after planting to insulate over winter and suppress weeds. Water sparingly in autumn, not at all in winter, and regularly (2.5cm per week) in spring as leaves grow. Remove flower scapes (curling seed stalks) from hardneck varieties in early summer — this redirects energy to bulb growth and gives you the delicious garlic scape bonus ingredient. Stop watering completely 2–3 weeks before harvest to avoid skin disease. Feed with a nitrogen fertiliser in early spring when leaves emerge, then switch to phosphorus and potassium in late spring.

Common Pests & Problems

Onion white rot (Sclerotium cepivorum) is the most destructive garlic disease — fluffy white mycelium at the base of plants and small black sclerotia in soil. It persists in soil for 20+ years; remove all affected plants and soil immediately, and never grow alliums in that bed again. Leek rust (Puccinia allii) produces bright orange pustules on leaf surfaces — harvest earlier than planned if rust is severe, and improve air circulation. Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) cause silver-streaked, distorted foliage — spray with insecticidal soap or spinosad, and use reflective mulch to deter.

Harvest & Storage

Harvest when the lower 3–4 leaves have browned but 5–6 green leaves remain — each green leaf corresponds to one wrapper layer around the bulb. Dig with a fork rather than pulling by the stem. Leave bulbs on the soil surface on a dry day to cure for 1–2 hours, then move to a shaded, well-ventilated space and cure for 3–6 weeks until the necks and outer skins are completely papery. Cured garlic stores at cool room temperature (13–18°C) with low humidity for 6–12 months. Softneck varieties store longer than hardneck types.

Popular Varieties

Rocambole (a hardneck type like Spanish Roja) has rich, complex flavour with easy-to-peel cloves and beautiful purple-streaked skin — the flavour benchmark but stores only 4–6 months. Music is a porcelain hardneck with enormous, easy-to-peel cloves and bold heat that mellows beautifully when roasted — stores well for a hardneck at 6–8 months. Inchelium Red is a softneck artichoke type with mild, complex flavour and outstanding storage of 9–12 months. Silverskin is the longest-storing softneck — up to 12 months — the variety used for supermarket braided garlic.

Companion Plants for Garlic

Good Companions

These plants grow well alongside Garlic:

Avoid Planting Near

Keep these plants away from Garlic:

Learn more about companion planting.

Where to Grow Garlic

Garlic can be grown in 350 cities across 7 regions worldwide

🌍 Europe (80 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Aarhus, DK hard
Amsterdam, NL hard
Ankara, TR hard
Antalya, TR hard
Athens, GR hard
Barcelona, ES hard
Bari, IT hard
Belgrade, RS hard
Bergen, NO hard
Berlin, DE hard
Bilbao, ES hard
Bologna, IT hard
Bordeaux, FR hard
Bratislava, SK hard
Brussels, BE hard
Bucharest, RO hard
Budapest, HU hard
Catania, IT hard
Cologne, DE hard
Copenhagen, DK hard
Corfu, GR hard
Cork, IE hard
Dublin, IE hard
Dubrovnik, HR hard
Edinburgh, GB hard
Florence, IT hard
Frankfurt, DE hard
Gdansk, PL hard
Genoa, IT hard
Glasgow, GB hard
Gothenburg, SE hard
Hamburg, DE hard
Helsinki, FI hard
Heraklion, GR hard
Istanbul, TR hard
Izmir, TR hard
Krakow, PL hard
Kyiv, UA hard
Limassol, CY hard
Lisbon, PT hard
Ljubljana, SI hard
London, GB hard
Lyon, FR hard
Madrid, ES hard
Malaga, ES hard
Marseille, FR hard
Milan, IT hard
Munich, DE hard
Naples, IT hard
Nice, FR hard
Nicosia, CY hard
Oslo, NO hard
Palermo, IT hard
Paris, FR hard
Porto, PT hard
Poznan, PL hard
Prague, CZ hard
Reykjavik, IS hard
Riga, LV hard
Rome, IT hard
Seville, ES hard
Sofia, BG hard
Split, HR hard
Stockholm, SE hard
Strasbourg, FR hard
Stuttgart, DE hard
Tallinn, EE hard
Thessaloniki, GR hard
Tirana, AL hard
Toulouse, FR hard
Turin, IT hard
Turku, FI hard
Valencia, ES hard
Valletta, MT hard
Verona, IT hard
Vienna, AT hard
Vilnius, LT hard
Warsaw, PL hard
Zagreb, HR hard
Zurich, CH hard

🌏 Asia (79 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Ahmedabad, IN hard
Almaty, KZ hard
Bali, ID hard
Bandung, ID hard
Bangalore, IN hard
Bangkok, TH hard
Beijing, CN hard
Busan, KR hard
Cebu, PH hard
Chandigarh, IN hard
Chengdu, CN hard
Chennai, IN hard
Chiang Mai, TH hard
Chittagong, BD hard
Chongqing, CN hard
Coimbatore, IN hard
Colombo, LK hard
Da Nang, VN hard
Dalian, CN hard
Davao, PH hard
Delhi, IN hard
Dhaka, BD hard
Dharan, NP hard
Fukuoka, JP hard
Galle, LK hard
Guangzhou, CN hard
Hangzhou, CN hard
Hanoi, VN hard
Harbin, CN hard
Ho Chi Minh City, VN hard
Hong Kong, HK hard
Hyderabad, IN hard
Incheon, KR hard
Indore, IN hard
Islamabad, PK hard
Jaipur, IN hard
Jakarta, ID hard
Jeju, KR hard
Johor Bahru, MY hard
Karachi, PK hard
Kathmandu, NP hard
Kochi, IN hard
Kolkata, IN hard
Kuala Lumpur, MY hard
Kunming, CN hard
Kyoto, JP hard
Lahore, PK hard
Lucknow, IN hard
Manila, PH hard
Mumbai, IN hard
Nagoya, JP hard
Nanjing, CN hard
Nha Trang, VN hard
Okinawa, JP hard
Osaka, JP hard
Pattaya, TH hard
Penang, MY hard
Phnom Penh, KH hard
Pune, IN hard
Sapporo, JP hard
Seoul, KR hard
Shanghai, CN hard
Shenzhen, CN hard
Siem Reap, KH hard
Singapore, SG hard
Surabaya, ID hard
Surat, IN hard
Taipei, TW hard
Tashkent, UZ hard
Tbilisi, GE hard
Tokyo, JP hard
Ulaanbaatar, MN hard
Varanasi, IN hard
Vientiane, LA hard
Visakhapatnam, IN hard
Wuhan, CN hard
Xi'an, CN hard
Xiamen, CN hard
Yangon, MM hard

🌎 North America (78 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Albuquerque, US hard
Anchorage, US hard
Atlanta, US hard
Austin, US hard
Baltimore, US hard
Baton Rouge, US hard
Boise, US hard
Boston, US hard
Bridgetown, BB hard
Buffalo, US hard
Calgary, CA hard
Cancun, MX hard
Charleston, US hard
Charlotte, US hard
Chattanooga, US hard
Chicago, US hard
Denver, US hard
Des Moines, US hard
Detroit, US hard
Edmonton, CA hard
El Paso, US hard
Fargo, US hard
Fresno, US hard
Guadalajara, MX hard
Halifax, CA hard
Hartford, US hard
Havana, CU hard
Honolulu, US hard
Houston, US hard
Jacksonville, US hard
Kansas City, US hard
Kingston, JM hard
Knoxville, US hard
Las Vegas, US hard
Little Rock, US hard
Los Angeles, US hard
Louisville, US hard
Lubbock, US hard
Madison, US hard
Memphis, US hard
Mexico City, MX hard
Miami, US hard
Milwaukee, US hard
Minneapolis, US hard
Monterrey, MX hard
Montreal, CA hard
Nashville, US hard
New Orleans, US hard
New York, US hard
Oaxaca, MX hard
Oklahoma City, US hard
Omaha, US hard
Ottawa, CA hard
Panama City, PA hard
Phoenix, US hard
Pittsburgh, US hard
Portland, US hard
Puebla, MX hard
Quebec City, CA hard
Raleigh, US hard
Richmond, US hard
Sacramento, US hard
Salt Lake City, US hard
San Diego, US hard
San Francisco, US hard
San Jose, CR hard
Santo Domingo, DO hard
Saskatoon, CA hard
Savannah, US hard
Seattle, US hard
Spokane, US hard
St. Louis, US hard
Tampa, US hard
Toronto, CA hard
Tucson, US hard
Vancouver, CA hard
Victoria, CA hard
Winnipeg, CA hard

🌍 Africa (39 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Abidjan, CI hard
Accra, GH hard
Addis Ababa, ET hard
Algiers, DZ hard
Antananarivo, MG hard
Arusha, TZ hard
Bamako, ML hard
Bloemfontein, ZA hard
Cairo, EG hard
Cape Town, ZA hard
Casablanca, MA hard
Dakar, SN hard
Dar es Salaam, TZ hard
Douala, CM hard
Durban, ZA hard
Entebbe, UG hard
Fez, MA hard
Freetown, SL hard
Harare, ZW hard
Johannesburg, ZA hard
Kampala, UG hard
Kigali, RW hard
Kinshasa, CD hard
Lagos, NG hard
Libreville, GA hard
Lilongwe, MW hard
Lome, TG hard
Luanda, AO hard
Lusaka, ZM hard
Maputo, MZ hard
Marrakech, MA hard
Mombasa, KE hard
Nairobi, KE hard
Ouagadougou, BF hard
Port Louis, MU hard
Pretoria, ZA hard
Tunis, TN hard
Windhoek, NA hard
Zanzibar, TZ hard

🌎 South America (39 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Arequipa, PE hard
Asuncion, PY hard
Barranquilla, CO hard
Belem, BR hard
Bogota, CO hard
Brasilia, BR hard
Buenos Aires, AR hard
Cali, CO hard
Campinas, BR hard
Caracas, VE hard
Cartagena, CO hard
Concepcion, CL hard
Cordoba, AR hard
Curitiba, BR hard
Cusco, PE hard
Fortaleza, BR hard
Georgetown, GY hard
Goiania, BR hard
Guayaquil, EC hard
La Paz, BO hard
Lima, PE hard
Manaus, BR hard
Medellin, CO hard
Mendoza, AR hard
Montevideo, UY hard
Paramaribo, SR hard
Port of Spain, TT hard
Porto Alegre, BR hard
Quito, EC hard
Recife, BR hard
Rio de Janeiro, BR hard
Rosario, AR hard
Salvador, BR hard
Santa Cruz, BO hard
Santiago, CL hard
Sao Paulo, BR hard
Sucre, BO hard
Trujillo, PE hard
Valparaiso, CL hard

🌊 Oceania (19 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Adelaide, AU hard
Alice Springs, AU hard
Auckland, NZ hard
Brisbane, AU hard
Cairns, AU hard
Canberra, AU hard
Christchurch, NZ hard
Darwin, AU hard
Dunedin, NZ hard
Gold Coast, AU hard
Hamilton, NZ hard
Hobart, AU hard
Melbourne, AU hard
Noumea, NC hard
Perth, AU hard
Suva, FJ hard
Sydney, AU hard
Townsville, AU hard
Wellington, NZ hard

🕌 Middle East (16 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Abu Dhabi, AE hard
Amman, JO hard
Baghdad, IQ hard
Beirut, LB hard
Doha, QA hard
Dubai, AE hard
Erbil, IQ hard
Jeddah, SA hard
Kuwait City, KW hard
Manama, BH hard
Muscat, OM hard
Riyadh, SA hard
Sana'a, YE hard
Tabriz, IR hard
Tehran, IR hard
Tel Aviv, IL hard

When should I plant garlic in my city?

The best time to plant garlic depends on your local climate zone. It thrives in temperatures between 5°C and 20°C. Since garlic is frost tolerant, you can plant it before the last frost date. Check your city's planting calendar on GrowByCity for exact dates.

Can I grow garlic in winter?

Yes, garlic is frost tolerant and can handle temperatures down to -15°C. In many climates, it can be grown through winter with some protection.

Get Garlic Seeds & Plants

Ready to start growing? Find Garlic seeds and starter plants online.

People Also Search For

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Similar Growing Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions about Garlic

When should I plant garlic?

The best time to plant garlic depends on your local climate. Garlic grows best in temperatures between 5°C and 20°C (can tolerate -15°C to 25°C). Garlic is frost tolerant, so it can be planted earlier in spring or later in fall. Check your city's planting calendar on GrowByCity for exact planting months.

Can garlic grow in tropical climates?

Garlic is not well-suited for tropical climates. It prefers cooler conditions with temperatures between 5°C and 20°C. In tropical areas, it may bolt, fail to fruit, or suffer from heat stress. Consider growing it in cooler seasons or at higher elevations.

How long does garlic take to grow?

Garlic typically takes 240-270 days from planting to harvest. It requires full sun and moderate watering. Plant individual cloves pointed end up, 5cm deep. Hardneck varieties for cold climates. Can be planted 2-3 weeks before the last expected frost, giving it a head start on the growing season. Water steadily but avoid soggy soil. A 5-cm layer of organic mulch helps balance moisture and suppress weeds.

Find the Best Time to Plant Garlic

See the planting calendar for Garlic in these popular cities:

Last updated: March 2026 · Climate data from NOAA, FAO, USDA

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