When to plant garlic?
Garlic is usually planted from mid-autumn to early winter, because most varieties need one or two months at 0-10 °C to split the bulb. In Campania the written window runs from October-November through late February or early March; in Sicily it starts in the second ten days of December and, depending on the year, runs into February or early March.
When, by region
| North | Centre | South | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planting | RHS: from mid-autumn to early winter. Some varieties, in late winter or early spring. In Valle d'Aosta the written months are October–November, or March if autumn was missed. | Umbria's 2025 guide does not fix a month. Return to the same spot after at least 3 years, and no other alliums in between. | In Campania, from October-November through late February or early March. In Sicily, from the second ten days of December to the second ten days of January, and in some years also February or early March. |
| Temperature | One or two months at 0-10 °C. Tip 2.5 cm down, cloves 15 cm apart, rows 30 cm apart. A pot at least 25 cm deep. | As in the north for the cold that splits the bulb. Umbria does not write a degree threshold. | In Campania growth is happiest at 15-25 °C and bulbing at 18-20 °C. In Sicily the optimum for sprouting is 15-20 °C, with a threshold of 0 °C. |
Use seed cloves, not supermarket bulbs. If the soil is sodden, start in modules and plant out in spring.
Mid-autumn, early winter, late winter, 0-10 °C (32-50 °F), 15 cm, 30 cm, 2.5 cm and a 25 cm pot are from the RHS. October–November or March are from Valle d'Aosta's Informatore Agricolo, the bulb issue. October-November through late February or early March, 15-25 °C and 18-20 °C, are from Campania. The second ten days of December, the second ten days of January, February or early March, and 15-20 °C with a 0 °C threshold, are from Sicily. The 3 years with no other alliums are from Umbria's 2025 crop sheets, which do not write a month. Cloves, drainage and harvest are in the garlic guide. The months are in the October calendar, November, December, January, February and March.
Cold first, then a bulb
The RHS plants from mid-autumn to early winter. Without one or two months at 0-10 °C (32-50 °F) the bulb often stays whole, a single clove. If autumn got away, some varieties go in during late winter or early spring. In Valle d'Aosta that fallback is March, on soil that can be worked and drains. The cloves come from named seed garlic. Supermarket bulbs may not suit the climate and can carry disease.
Pointed end up, flat base down, tip about 2.5 cm (1 in) under the soil. On light soil you can go deeper; on heavy soil, don't. Cloves 15 cm (6 in) apart, rows 30 cm (1 ft) apart. Birds sometimes pull them up: net or fleece until they have roots. The method is in the garlic guide.
The south, and soil that drains
In Campania, depending on the area, planting runs from October-November through late February or early March. The autumn varieties they point to have a short dormancy and stand the cold; spring varieties have a long dormancy, so the plant has time to make leaves. Growth is happiest at 15-25 °C, bulbing at 18-20 °C. Written depth: 4-5 cm or 7-8 cm, rows 30-33 cm apart, 12-15 cm in the row.
In Sicily sowing can run from the second ten days of December to the second ten days of January, and in some years also in February or early March. The optimum for sprouting is 15-20 °C, the threshold is 0 °C. Rows 40-60 cm apart, 8-15 cm in the row, 16-20 plants per square metre. Sodden soil, in autumn, encourages rots: on heavy ground the RHS starts the clove in a module and plants it out in spring. Well-rotted compost, before planting, is in the compost guide.
Water, pots, harvest
Water in dry spells in spring and early summer, then stop once the bulb has formed: yellowing leaves are the sign. In Campania the heaviest demand is while the bulb swells, in April-June, and irrigation stops 15 days before harvest. In Sicily the delicate stretch is mid-April through May, and the crop is not normally watered if it has rained. Water at the base is in watering.
In a pot the RHS uses containers at least 25 cm (10 in) deep, at the same spacing as in the ground. The compost dries out fast: see the container garden. Snip flower stems as soon as they appear. Lift when the leaves turn yellow: autumn-planted, from late spring to early summer; spring-planted, from mid-summer to early autumn. Garlic sits with onions and leeks in crop rotation. In Umbria, at least 3 years, and no other alliums in between.
In the app
Every plant in the catalogue has its own sowing calendar, and weather alerts for your area help you judge whether to sow now or hold off.
Frequently asked questions
When do I plant in the north?
The RHS: from mid-autumn to early winter. Some varieties, in late winter or early spring. In Valle d'Aosta the written months are October–November, or March if autumn was missed. It needs one or two months at 0-10 °C.
How late in the south?
In Campania, from October-November through late February or early March. In Sicily, from the second ten days of December to the second ten days of January, and in some years also February or early March. Umbria's guide does not fix a month.
Can I use supermarket garlic?
The RHS advises against it: it may not suit the climate and can carry disease. Use cloves from named seed garlic, pointed end up.
Why didn't the bulb split?
Usually because the winter was not cold enough. The RHS asks for one or two months at 0-10 °C. In Sicily the sprouting threshold is 0 °C: that is a different figure, the point at which the clove starts, not the cold that splits the head.
How far apart, and in a pot?
The RHS: 15 cm in the row, rows 30 cm apart, tip 2.5 cm down, a pot at least 25 cm deep. In Campania, rows 30-33 cm apart and 12-15 cm in the row. In Sicily, rows 40-60 cm apart and 8-15 cm in the row.