Garlic
Dates below are counted from the average last spring frost or the average first fall frost. Enter a ZIP in the calendar for NOAA 1991–2020 station averages, or pick a zone and use the zone table.
When to plant
Soil and site
Fertile, well-drained soil with compost worked in. Waterlogged winter beds rot the cloves.
Seedlings
No seedlings — plant individual cloves, pointy end up, right at first frost. Biggest cloves grow the biggest bulbs.
In the garden
Mulch 4–6 in with straw or leaves after planting. Rows 10 in. Hardneck types send up scapes in spring — snap them off and eat them.
Picking
Next June–July, when the bottom 3–4 leaves brown. Cure whole plants in a shaded, airy spot for 2 weeks.
Harvest
First harvest is about 240–270 days after sowing or planting outdoors. The picking window often runs about 2 weeks.
The summer after fall planting, harvest when the bottom 3 or 4 leaves have browned. Cure whole plants in a shaded, airy spot.
Preserving
Do not store garlic in oil at room temperature. That is a botulism risk. The tested NCHFP approach freezes the garlic-in-oil mixture.
NCHFP's tested way to keep garlic in oil is to freeze it. Do not keep that mixture on the counter or in the pantry.
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Freezing garlic-in-oil →Dry sliced garlic with the NCHFP drying guide, then condition it before packing.
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Drying fruits and vegetables →Gear placeholders
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Dates by zone
These pages turn the same frost offsets into calendar dates for each zone the calendar covers.