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What To Sow
Garlic growing

Photo: Unsplash

Hardy — can tolerate frost

When to plant
garlic in the UK

Plant individual cloves Oct-Nov, pointed end up, 2.5cm deep. Garlic needs a cold period to form bulbs. Harvest when lower leaves yellow.

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36wto harvest
15cmspacing
5°Cmin soil temp
hardyhardiness
Plan it for your plot

Work out your own dates

Starts from the recommended sow date for your area. Sowed on a different day, or planted out late? Adjust below and the harvest moves with it.

Using the UK-average last frost · 15 April · add your postcode to tune it

Sow15 October
Harvest from24 June

Growing journey

Last frost
Direct sow26w before frost
Harvest10w after frost

36 weeks from sowing to harvest

Get garlic seeds

Thompson & MorganSarah RavenSuttons

Links may be affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What garlic need

Full sun. Well-drained soil. No fresh manure. Very low maintenance.

Spacing

15cm

15cm between plants · 20cm between rows

Space evenly in rows. Thin seedlings early to avoid crowding.

the varieties

Varieties worth growing

Solent Wight

common

A softneck bred for British conditions on the Isle of Wight. Plant in autumn, ignore it all winter, and by July you'll have fat bulbs with a mellow warmth that makes shop garlic taste like cardboard.

in the kitchen

Roasted garlic

Slice the top off a whole bulb, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil, roast at 180C for forty minutes until the cloves are soft as butter. Squeeze onto toast. The simplest luxury.

find the seedsThompson & Morgan→Suttons→
Solent Wight— full guide →

Elephant Garlic

rare

Not technically garlic (it's a leek), but nobody cares because the cloves are the size of a child's fist and the flavour is gentle enough to roast whole and spread on bread. A conversation piece that happens to be delicious.

in the kitchen

Roasted elephant garlic with bread

Roast whole bulbs in foil until soft and sweet. Squeeze the enormous cloves onto warm, crusty bread. The mildness means you can eat whole cloves without regretting it later.

find the seedsThompson & Morgan→Suttons→
Elephant Garlic— full guide →

Lautrec Wight

uncommon

A hardneck with beautiful pink-streaked skin and a punchy, complex flavour. Originally from the French town of Lautrec, adapted for UK growing. The garlic you choose when you want something with more personality.

in the kitchen

Aioli

Crush cloves to a paste with salt, whisk in egg yolk, then slowly drizzle in olive oil until thick and glossy. The kind of garlic mayo that makes you wonder why the jarred stuff exists.

Lautrec Wight— full guide →

Sprint

common

A spring-planting softneck for anyone who forgot to plant garlic in autumn. Not as big as autumn-planted types, but it solves the problem of 'I meant to plant garlic last October and completely forgot.' We've all been there.

in the kitchen

Garlic bread

Crush the cloves into softened butter with parsley and a pinch of salt. Slash a baguette, stuff with the butter, wrap in foil, bake until the butter melts into every crevice. The side dish that's really the main event.

find the seedsThompson & Morgan→Suttons→
Sprint— full guide →

Good companions

Keep apart from

  • Peas
  • Broad beans
Full companion planting guide & chart →

When to sow garlic

Direct sowOctoberNovember

Based on UK average frost date. Enter your postcode for exact dates, or find your city.

Seeds

Where to buy garlic seeds

Thompson & MorganSarah RavenSuttons

Links may be affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Kit

What you'll need for garlic

The stuff beginners wish they'd bought sooner.

Bird nettingAmazon

Birds pull freshly planted cloves straight out. Cover until green shoots are established — 3-4 weeks.

Onion drying rackAmazon

Garlic needs proper curing — 2-3 weeks in a dry, airy spot after harvest. Good curing means months of storage.

Links go to Amazon. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Get your exact dates

Enter your postcode for personalised planting dates for garlic.

Keep exploring

Other crops to grow

Broad beans

Pinch out the growing tips once the first pods form to discourage blackfly. They

Peas

Sow every 3 weeks for a continuous harvest. Pick regularly to keep them producin

Lettuce

Sow a short row every 2 weeks and you'll never buy a supermarket bag again. Pick

Spinach

Bolts the moment it gets hot. Best in spring and autumn. Pick little and often —

Radishes

The quickest crop you can grow — seed to plate in 4 weeks. Sow between slower cr

Carrots

Sow thinly to avoid thinning — the smell of crushed leaves is a dinner bell for

Beetroot

Each seed cluster produces several seedlings — thin to the strongest. Don't chuc

Onion sets

Push sets into the soil with the tip just showing. Easiest way to grow onions —

Potatoes (maincrop)

Plant a few weeks after earlies. Earth up as haulms grow. Harvest when foliage d

Potatoes (early)

Chit (sprout) seed potatoes on a windowsill before planting. Earth up as they gr

Kale

Gets sweeter after a frost. One of the hardiest crops — can harvest all winter.

Parsnips

Very slow to germinate (2-4 weeks). Use fresh seed every year. Sow radishes alon

Spring onions

Sow a pinch every few weeks and you'll have spring onions all season. Dead easy

Swiss chard

Beautiful and productive. Pick outer leaves and it keeps going for months. Rainb

Turnips

Harvest when golf-ball sized for the sweetest flavour. Leave them too long and t

Leeks

Drop seedlings into deep holes and just water in — no need to fill the hole. The

Broccoli

Cut the main head first and you'll get side shoots for weeks. Purple sprouting i

Cabbage

Different varieties for each season — spring, summer, autumn, and winter types.

Cauliflower

Fold outer leaves over the curd to keep it white. Cauliflower leaves are delicio

Brussels sprouts

Grow through summer, harvest from autumn through winter. Flavour improves after

Parsley

Slow to germinate (3-4 weeks) — don't give up on it. Soak seeds overnight in war

Strawberries

Plant runners in spring or late summer and you will be picking fruit the followi

Raspberries

Plant bare-root canes in winter for the cheapest option. Summer varieties fruit

Blackberries

Cultivated blackberries produce bigger, sweeter fruit than wild ones and are tho

Gooseberries

One of the easiest fruit bushes for UK allotments. Plant a bare-root bush in win

Blackcurrants

Blackcurrants are packed with vitamin C and make the best jam and cordial. Plant

Redcurrants

Beautiful jewel-like berries that hang in trusses. They tolerate more shade than

Rhubarb

Plant a crown in winter, do not harvest the first year, and it will reward you w

Sweetcorn

Plant in a block, not a row — they're wind-pollinated and need neighbours. Each

Courgettes

You only need 2-3 plants. Seriously. Pick them small (15cm) or they turn into ma

French beans

Dwarf varieties need no support. Pick every few days — once they start producing

Squash

Big hungry plants — give them space and feed them well. Leave to cure in the sun

Pumpkins

Limit each plant to 2-3 fruits for bigger pumpkins. Sit them on a tile or slate

Coriander

Bolts at the slightest excuse. Sow every 3-4 weeks, pick frequently, and choose

Rocket

Dead easy and fast. Gets spicier in hot weather — which is either a feature or a

Pak choi

Sow early spring or after midsummer — it'll bolt faster than you can blink in th

Fennel

Sow after midsummer for best bulbs — earlier sowings often bolt. Don't transplan

Celery

Sow seeds on the surface — they need light to germinate. Start early in a propag

Dill

Sow direct — dill absolutely hates being transplanted. Short rows every few week

Tomatoes

Pinch out side shoots on cordon types. Feed weekly with tomato feed once the fir

Peppers

Start early — they're slow growers. Pinch out the first flower to encourage bush

Chillies

Need heat to germinate — use a propagator or the warmest windowsill you've got.

Cucumbers

Outdoor varieties are tougher and easier than greenhouse ones. Keep picking and

Runner beans

Build a strong frame — they get seriously heavy. Pick every 2-3 days or they go

Aubergine

Start very early — January isn't too soon. Limit to 5-6 fruits per plant if you

Basil

Pinch out flower buds to keep leaves coming. Harvest from the top to encourage b