key growing information

Growing Garlic: How to Plant, Grow & Harvest

How to grow hardneck (stiffneck) and softneck garlic: choosing a site, fall planting depth and spacing, mulching, removing scapes, and harvesting, curing and storing the bulbs.

By Hensley’s Seed Co. September 3, 2026

Garlic - Key Growing Information

A field of growing garlic, topped by plump lush scapes, ready for harvest or to leave in the field.

SCIENTIFIC NAME:

Allium sativum

TYPES OF GARLIC:

SOFTNECK (Allium sativum) — the stem stays soft and pliable when the bulb matures, so the tops can be braided. Softnecks are the garlic most often grown commercially for the grocery trade. A head usually has a ring of medium outer cloves and two to four layers of smaller cloves inside. Softnecks adapt to a wide range of climates but tend to be a little less winter hardy than hardnecks. HARDNECK, also called stiffneck (Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon) — in late spring the plant sends up a firm, curling flower stalk called a scape. Hardneck heads have a single ring of larger cloves around the woody stalk and no small inner cloves.

CULTURE:

Give garlic full sun and fertile, well-drained soil with a pH around 6.0–7.0. Working in compost improves both drainage and fertility, and raised beds help on heavy ground. Soggy soil invites rot and small, misshapen bulbs. Plant in fall, from around your first frost date until shortly before the ground freezes; spring-planted cloves generally make small bulbs. Space cloves about 6" apart in rows 12–24" apart, or 6" apart each way in a bed. Set each clove pointed end up (rounded root end down) so its base sits 2–3" deep and the tip has 1–2" of soil over it; where winters are severe, plant up to 4" deep. Once the soil starts to cool, cover the bed with 3–4" of straw, shredded leaves or grass clippings. Plant your biggest cloves for the biggest heads; the small inner cloves of softneck heads can be planted about 2" apart and cut as garlic greens. Head size, color and flavor can shift from place to place and year to year with soil, fertility and weather. Hardneck garlic needs a period of cold to form good bulbs. In regions where winter temperatures rarely stay below about 40–50°F (4–10°C), growers often chill hardneck cloves in a paper bag in the refrigerator for several weeks (commonly 8–10) before planting. Cloves sometimes send up shoots during a warm fall spell; this is normal. The leaves may be nipped back by cold, but the plants usually recover in spring, especially under good mulch. In spring, keep the soil evenly moist while bulbs are sizing up, then cut back on water as the crop nears maturity. Keep the bed weeded, since garlic competes poorly and weeds reduce bulb size. FERTILITY: Garlic is a heavy feeder, and well-fed plants make larger, firmer bulbs. Before planting in fall, work in compost or a slow-release organic nitrogen source such as aged manure, alfalfa meal or a balanced organic fertilizer, guided by a soil test. In spring, once shoots are several inches tall, side-dress with a quick-acting nitrogen source such as fish emulsion or a liquid seaweed blend.

DISEASES & PESTS:

Start with clean, disease-free planting stock, rotate garlic and other alliums onto new ground for three to five years, keep drainage good, and walk the planting regularly to catch problems early. Watch for pests such as leek moth, wireworms and bulb mites, which can damage leaves and bulbs and open the door to rot.

TOPPING STIFFNECK GARLIC:

Hardneck plants send up scapes, firm flower stalks that loop as they grow, usually a month or two after spring growth starts. Snap or cut scapes once they have made about half to one full curl so the plant puts more of its energy into the bulb. Scapes are tender and good to eat in pesto, stir-fries or anywhere you would use garlic.

HARVEST:

Harvest in early to mid summer, when roughly the lower third of the leaves have browned and the upper leaves are still green; depending on location this is usually June to August. Bulbs left in the ground too long can split open and store poorly. Loosen the soil with a digging fork or undercutter and lift the plants carefully, since bruised bulbs keep poorly. Shake or brush off loose soil before curing.

CURING & STORAGE:

Cure garlic in a warm, shaded, airy spot such as a barn or open shed. Keep air moving gently, but do not aim a fan straight at the bulbs, and keep them out of hot sun or a closed greenhouse. Hang plants in small bundles or spread them in a single layer on racks or screens. Curing usually takes about 2–4 weeks; it is done when the necks are tight and dry and the wrappers feel papery. Then braid softnecks or tie heads into bundles, or trim the tops and roots and store the bulbs in mesh bags, slatted crates or open boxes. For the longest storage, keep cured garlic cool and dry, near 32°F (0°C) with about 60–70% relative humidity. At ordinary room temperature in a dry, airy place, most garlic keeps for a few months. Avoid storing seed garlic at refrigerator temperatures (roughly 40–50°F) for long periods, since that range encourages sprouting.

SEEDS/LB.:

Hardneck varieties usually have about 4–10 cloves per head and roughly 40–60 cloves per pound, depending on the variety. Softneck varieties carry more, smaller cloves per head, and a pound generally holds more cloves. (Counts are approximate and change from year to year with growing conditions and bulb size.)