When to plant Garlic
Calendar windows
Dates shift with your latitude — they are calculated from your local last-spring-frost date, not from a fixed calendar.
At a glance
Overwinters outdoors in a temperate garden.
Practical notes
Autumn-planted: hardneck varieties need a cold spell to split into cloves at all. Plant in October–November, pointed end up, and forget about it until spring.
Knowing when to pick
Snap off the flower scapes in June (they are excellent eating) and lift when the lower third of the leaves has yellowed — not later, or the bulbs split.
Storing the crop
Cure three weeks in an airy, shaded place, then plait or net at 10–15°C. Well-dried hardneck keeps six months, softneck longer.
Crop rotation
Leave 3 years between allium crops — white rot builds up quietly and is permanent.
Grows well with
Keep apart from
Watch for
Full guide: garlic diseases and pests (3) → with spread routes, compost verdicts and the prevention this list justifies.