In an ideal world, you planted your garlic in the fall. But we and our gardens don’t always live in a world where we finish all the things on our to-do lists. You can plant garlic in the spring if you forgot to do it last fall, moved to a new house in the winter, or just realized you want to grow it.
I definitely use garlic in my kitchen almost every day. If you like to cook, it’s great to have your own freshly grown garlic.
Garlic is a versatile herb that can be used in many different dishes. It has a strong flavor that can be used to add flavor to sauces, soups, and stews. Garlic can also be used as a seasoning for meat, poultry, and fish. Garlic is also good for you in many ways and can help lower your risk of heart disease and cancer.
When planting your spring garden, garlic is a great addition to your planting schedule. Ready to get started growing garlic? Grab your garden gloves and read on!.
You can plant either type of garlic, depending on what you want from your harvest. There are hundreds of different types of garlic, but they can be broken down into two main groups: hardneck and softneck.
Softneck is the most common variety found in grocery stores. Softnecks often have many smaller cloves and they sometimes form multiple layers of bulbs around the stem.
Softnecks tend to store for longer periods of time than hardnecks and they grow well in most climates. If you live in a warmer climate, this would be the garlic type to choose for your garden.
Hardneck garlic generally has fewer and larger cloves than softneck. Hardnecks produce a scape, or stalk, in late spring that grows from the center of the plant.
People who garden usually take the scapes off in early summer. You can use them to make a tasty garlic scape pesto.
Because the outer paper on the bulb is thinner they won’t store as long as softneck garlic. They are best grown in cold climates.
Learn more about the different kinds of garlic to help you choose which one to grow and where to buy them.
The answer varies widely depending upon what kind of garlic you plant. I’ve had softneck bulbs with 10, 15, or more cloves. On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve had hardneck bulbs with only five cloves. I mostly grow hardneck varieties because I prefer bigger cloves…way less peeling!.
For most gardeners garlic is a classic fall-planted crop. The cloves are tucked into the garden in autumn spend the winter developing roots, and then shoot up quickly once spring arrives. This schedule allows for full-sized bulbs come summer harvest time. However, even if you missed the fall planting window, you can still grow garlic successfully by planting cloves in the spring.
Can You Plant Garlic in the Spring?
The short answer is yes! Although the ideal time for planting garlic is in the fall, you can get those cloves in the ground early in spring and still get a harvest this year.
Spring planting does come with a few caveats. The bulbs may be smaller at harvest time and the growing season is condensed. But with the right techniques, you can absolutely plant garlic in spring and enjoy homegrown garlic bulbs in summer.
Spring Planting Pros and Cons
There are a few pros and cons to consider when planting garlic in spring
Pros
- Quick start to the growing season once weather warms
- Allows you to grow garlic even if you missed fall planting
- Can produce full bulbs with proper care and conditions
- Earlier harvest than fall-planted garlic
Cons
- Less time to grow large bulbs before summer heat hits
- Bulbs may be smaller than fall-planted garlic
- May need to vernalize cloves before planting
- Can be tricky to source bulbs/cloves in spring
As long as your expectations are set accordingly, spring planting can be a great way to grow garlic even if you didn’t get it in the ground last fall.
Best Time to Plant Garlic in Spring
- Early spring as soon as soil can be worked
- February-March in warmer regions
- April-early May in cooler zones
The key is to plant the cloves as early as possible once frosts have passed. This gives the longest period for growth and bulbing before summer.
Late spring planting runs the risk of very stunted bulbs and rounds forming instead, especially in hot summer areas.
Vernalization for Spring Garlic
Hardneck garlic varieties require a cold period, called vernalization, to form bulbs properly. When planting garlic in fall, winter provides the chill hours needed. But spring-planted garlic may lack adequate chilling.
To vernalize garlic for spring planting:
- Refrigerate bulbs for 4-8 weeks before planting
- Or plant very early while temps are still cool
Vernalization prompts the bulbs to divide into cloves and develops the bulbing process.
How to Plant Garlic in Spring
Follow the same planting process as fall:
- Prepare soil with compost/fertilizer
- Plant cloves 2-3″ deep and 6″ apart
- Cover with 2-3” of mulch
Provide plenty of sun, consistent water and rich soil for the fastest growth.
You can also grow garlic in containers in spring – just be sure they have drainage holes.
Growing Garlic in Spring
Once your spring garlic is planted, be sure to care for it well:
- Water deeply 1-2x per week if rainfall is lacking
- Weed and mulch beds to reduce competition
- Fertilize every 2-3 weeks with organic fertilizer
- Remove scapes from hardneck varieties in early summer
Vigorous plants will produce the largest bulbs at harvest time.
When to Harvest Spring Garlic
Spring-planted garlic matures faster than fall crops. Check plants in mid-summer for signs bulbs are ready:
- Lower leaves start yellowing and browning
- Tops start falling over
- Bulbs visible at soil surface
Once lower third of leaves are dead, bulbs can be dug up. Cure bulbs as you would for fall garlic.
Expect smaller bulbs than autumn-planted garlic, but still large enough for kitchen use.
Storing Spring Garlic
Properly cured spring garlic stores just as well as fall-planted garlic. Follow these storage tips:
- Cure bulbs for 2+ weeks in dry, airy location out of sun
- Trim roots and leaves close to bulb
- Store largest bulbs for eating/replanting
- Store in cool (60-65°F), dry place in mesh bags
- Use or replant smaller bulbs first
With proper curing and storage, spring garlic lasts 4-8 months.
Choosing a Garlic Variety for Spring
Look for early-maturing, cold-hardy garlic types suited for spring planting:
Hardneck garlic
- Music
- Chesnok Red
- German Extra Hardy
- Romanian Red
Softneck garlic
- Inchelium Red
- Kettle River Giant
- Susanville
- Nootka Rose
Check variety descriptions for maturity rate and chill hour requirements.
Can You Replant Spring Garlic?
Absolutely! Set aside your largest, healthiest bulbs from your spring crop for replanting in autumn.
- Cure bulbs very well before storing
- Keep bulbs in cool, dry spot over summer
- Replant the cloves in fall
- Large bulbs produce large cloves for next year’s crop
Replanting ensures a continuous harvest of garlic grown from your own bulbs.
Benefits of Growing Garlic in Spring
While fall is the best time to plant garlic overall, spring planting offers some unique benefits:
- Extends your growing season
- Produces earlier garlic crop
- Allows growing garlic if fall was missed
- Vermalization can be controlled/ensured
- Takes advantage of spring rain vs. dry fall soils
With the right garlic variety chosen and proper planting care, garlic can thrive when planted in spring.
Spring Garlic Care Tips:
- Plant cloves ASAP once soil can be worked
- Vernalize bulbs for 8 weeks minimum pre-planting
- Choose an early variety suited for spring planting
- Amend soil and fertilize to support rapid growth
- Water frequently – don’t let plants dry out
- Weed and mulch beds for healthy plants
- Harvest when lower third of leaves brown
- Cure bulbs extremely well before storage
While it takes a bit more planning and care, garlic can be grown successfully from spring plantings. With the above tips, you can enjoy an earlier harvest of homegrown garlic even if you missed the fall planting window.
Caring for Garlic Plants
Water: After planting garlic in the spring, give the garden bed a good drink of water to help the roots grow quickly. Try to give the plants about 1 inch of water per week. If it’s raining consistently during the spring you may not have to water much. Read more about watering your vegetable garden the right way.
Before you plant, cover the whole area with a thick layer of vegetable garden mulch, like hay, straw, leaves, or grass clippings. The mulch will keep the soil from washing away in the wind and rain, keep weeds down (less work!), and keep the soil moist, so you won’t have to water as much.
Once the roots are strong, the green garlic leaves will easily grow through the mulch, so you don’t have to take it off.
Weed: The mulch should keep most of the weeds down, but you should pull any that get through. Garlic doesn’t like to compete with weeds.
How to Vernalize Spring Garlic
Garlic is best planted in the fall because the cold weather triggers a process known as “vernalization”. Vernalization is when cold conditions trigger a sprouting process in the garlic. If the weather is right, I plant my garlic in Wisconsin at the end of October or the beginning of November in a zone 5 garden. That way the cold winter months vernalize the garlic.
But, as we discussed at the beginning of the article, you can still plant garlic in spring. Ideally, you would mimic the vernalization process by placing your garlic cloves in the fridge for 4-8 weeks.
But, in all honesty, I’ve planted garlic in spring without doing this. There is a chance that the garlic won’t separate into cloves, but mine did when I planted spring garlic without first putting it in the fridge.
★ How to Grow Garlic in the Spring (Quick & Easy Tip for all year round Gardening)
FAQ
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