Calibrated to Pick your zone and the dates re-calibrate.

The Guide Crops Vol. 003

Garlic

in Zone 9, this week

Garlic is one of the easiest crops to grow, but it works on an unusual schedule. You plant the cloves in fall, they rest through winter (under a mulch blanket where it is cold), and they finish growing the next summer, so a single planting takes most of a year. Garlic needs that winter cold to form a proper bulb, which is why you plant in fall rather than spring. Grow hardneck garlic where winters are cold and softneck garlic where they are mild. Garlic (Allium sativum) is a hardy allium grown from individual cloves planted in fall. It roots before winter, overwinters in the ground (mulched in cold regions), then resumes growth in spring and matures the following summer, an eight to nine month crop that spans the year. Winter cold is essential: cloves must be vernalized to divide and bulb properly, which is why fall planting beats spring. Hardneck types suit cold winters, produce edible scapes, and store a few months; softneck types suit mild climates, braid well, and store the longest.

Fig. 01 · Garlic, mature Zone 9

Mature in

180-270d

from transplant

Sunlight

Full sun

6-8 hrs daily

Water

Consistent

Spacing

4-6"

between plants

Soil pH

6-7

slightly acidic

Today · in your zone

What's happening right now

July 24 · Zone 9 · Stage 01 · Planting & Rooting

Off-season for garlic in zone 9.

Seasoned

Microclimate · Zone 9a vs 9b

Your zone, at a finer grain

Zone 9 averages a last frost around March 1. Within Zone 9, the colder half (9a, winters down to 20°F) runs about a week later. The warmer half (9b, winters down to 25°F) runs about a week earlier. The plant app picks your subzone from your ZIP.

Subzone	Last spring	First fall	Growing days	Winter min	Fruits reliably
9a	Mar 8	Nov 24	~261	20-25°F	Yes · two seasons
9b	Feb 28	Nov 30	~275	25-30°F	Yes · two seasons

Averages from 8 weather stations per subzone, drawn from NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals. Your actual frost date can vary by up to two weeks based on elevation, proximity to water, and local topography.

Source: NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals Methodology

Your climate region in Zone 9

The season at a glance

Planting calendar

In Zone 9, garlic can be planted October through November. Harvest runs June through June.

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

plant

too late

too early

plant

too late

harvest

indoors

plant out

harvest

Above-ground cropBest planted on a none moon

The season, mapped

Seed to garden

Garlic does not grow from seed, you plant the cloves. Just before planting in fall, break a bulb into separate cloves and leave the papery skin on each one. Plant the biggest cloves pointy side up, about 2 to 3 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. Big cloves grow big bulbs, so plant the largest and cook with the little ones. Start with healthy cloves from a trusted source so you do not bring in disease.Garlic is grown from cloves, not seed. Break apart firm, healthy bulbs into individual cloves just before planting, keep the papery skins on, and plant the largest cloves pointed end up about 2 to 3 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart in fall. Bigger cloves make bigger bulbs, so save the largest for planting and eat the small inner ones. Use clean, disease-free seed stock from a reputable source, since white rot and bloat nematode ride in on infected cloves.

01

Sow outside

Oct - Nov
02

First harvest

From Jun

180-270 days from sowing

Start method

Direct

Soil temp

undefined-undefined°F

From seed to fruit

The growing journey

Stage 01 · Planting & Rooting

Planting & Rooting

Days 0-30 · current stage

After you plant the cloves in fall, they grow roots underground and may send up a small green shoot before winter. This is normal. The garlic is settling in and starting to feel the cold it needs, not making big leaves yet.In fall you set cloves pointed end up, 2 to 3 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. Over the next few weeks roots grow and a small shoot may push up before cold sets in; the cloves are anchoring and beginning to vernalize, not yet making top growth.

Plant the cloves at the right time for your area and water them in. In cold regions, once the ground begins to freeze, cover the bed with a few inches of straw or chopped leaves to protect the cloves over winter.Plant on time for your zone, water in, and once the ground starts to freeze in cold regions cover the bed with 3 to 4 inches of straw or shredded-leaf mulch to buffer the soil through winter and prevent freeze-thaw heaving.

FROM PLANT · Plant your biggest cloves, pointy side up, 2 to 3 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart in fall. Big cloves grow big bulbs. Use healthy cloves from a good source so you do not bring in disease.Plant the largest cloves, pointed end up, 2 to 3 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart in fall; big cloves make big bulbs, so save the largest for seed and cook the small inner ones. Use clean, healthy stock to keep white rot and bloat nematode out.

Overwintering & Spring Shoots

Days 30-150

In cold areas the garlic mostly rests under its mulch all winter. In mild areas it keeps growing slowly. When spring arrives, green shoots come up and the plant starts making leaves.Through winter the plant is largely dormant under mulch in cold regions, or grows slowly in mild ones. As soil warms in late winter to early spring, green shoots emerge or resume and the plant begins building leaves, the leaves that will become bulb wrappers.

In spring, loosen the winter mulch if it is soggy, start feeding nitrogen as the shoots grow, and keep weeds pulled, because weeds easily crowd out young garlic.In spring, pull mulch back if it is matting wet over the crowns, begin nitrogen feeding as shoots resume, and keep the bed weed-free; garlic competes poorly with weeds and early weed control protects yield.

FROM PLANT · In cold areas, cover the bed with a few inches of straw or chopped leaves once the ground starts to freeze, to protect the garlic over winter. In spring, loosen soggy mulch, start feeding, and keep weeds pulled.In cold regions mulch the bed with 3 to 4 inches of straw or leaves after the ground starts to freeze to prevent winter heaving, then pull it back in spring if it mats wet over the crowns. Start nitrogen as shoots resume and keep weeds out early.

Spring Leaf Growth

Days 150-210

The garlic grows lots of upright leaves in spring. This stage matters most for bulb size, because the leaves now turn into the layers of the bulb later. The more healthy leaves it grows, the bigger the bulb can be.The plant adds upright leaves through spring. This is the size-setting stage: each leaf corresponds to a bulb wrapper, so vigorous, uninterrupted leaf growth now sets the bulb-size ceiling. You want steady moisture and feeding, not a check from drought, weeds, or starvation.

Help it grow leaves now: keep the soil evenly moist, finish feeding nitrogen by early May, and keep weeds out. Feed early, because feeding late leads to soft necks that do not store.Push leaf growth: keep moisture even, finish nitrogen feeding by early May, and stay on top of weeds. Front-load feeding so the canopy is built before bulbing; nitrogen applied late delays bulbing and worsens storage.

FROM PLANT · The leaves garlic grows in spring become the layers of the bulb, so keep it watered and fed for strong leaf growth, but stop feeding nitrogen by early May so the bulbs form well.Garlic builds its bulb from the leaves it grows in spring, so push steady leaf growth with even moisture and nitrogen, and finish feeding by early May. Late nitrogen delays bulbing and gives thick necks that store poorly.

Scaping & Bulbing

Days 210-250

On hardneck garlic a curling stalk called a scape grows up from the middle in late spring. Around then the bulb starts to swell underground and the plant stops making new leaves. This is when the bulb puts on most of its size.On hardneck types a curling flower stalk (the scape) rises from the center in late spring; the base then begins to swell into a bulb as the plant shifts from leaves to filling cloves. Lower leaves start to age. This is the fast-fill window, when steady moisture translates directly into bulb size.

If you grow hardneck garlic, cut off the curly scape when it appears so the plant puts its energy into the bulb, and cook with the scape. Keep watering evenly while the bulb sizes up, and do not add more fertilizer now.On hardnecks, snip the scape off once it curls to redirect energy into the bulb (and eat it, it is a delicacy). Hold even moisture through sizing and keep nitrogen off; do not bend or knock down the tops to force maturity.

FROM PLANT · If you grow hardneck garlic, snip off the curly scape when it appears so the plant feeds the bulb instead, and cook with the scape. Keep watering evenly and stop fertilizing.On hardneck garlic, cut the scape once it curls to send energy into the bulb, and enjoy the scape in the kitchen. Keep moisture even through sizing and stop adding nitrogen.

Harvest

Days 250-275

The lower leaves turn brown and die back while the top leaves are still green. Garlic is ready when about a third to a half of the leaves have browned. Dig one bulb to check: if the cloves fill out the skins, it is time.The lower leaves brown and die back while several upper leaves stay green; the cue is when about a third to half of the leaves have turned, with roughly the lower half browning and five or so green leaves remaining (each green leaf is an intact wrapper). Pull a test bulb: if the cloves fill the skins and the wrappers are intact, it is ready.

Stop watering about two weeks before, then loosen the bulbs out of the ground with a fork on a dry day, handling them gently. Do not wait until all the leaves are brown, or the bulbs split open and store poorly.Stop watering about two weeks ahead, then lift, do not pull, the bulbs gently with a fork on a dry day to avoid bruising. Do not wait for all the leaves to brown, which over-matures the bulbs and splits the wrappers and storage.

FROM PLANT · Harvest when about a third to half of the leaves have turned brown but the top ones are still green. Stop watering about two weeks before, then dig the bulbs gently with a fork on a dry day.Harvest when about a third to half the leaves have browned and several upper leaves are still green, after stopping water for about two weeks. Lift gently with a fork on a dry day; harvesting too late splits the wrappers and ruins storage.

Curing & Storage

Days 275-300

Just-dug garlic needs to dry before storing. Keep the bulbs with their tops on in a warm, dry, airy, shady spot for two to four weeks until the necks dry shut and the skins go papery.Freshly lifted bulbs are not storage-ready until cured: hung or laid out with tops attached in a warm, dry, airy, shaded place for two to four weeks, the necks dry tight and the outer wrappers turn papery, sealing the bulb against rot.

Dry the garlic in a shady, breezy place out of the sun, leaving the tops and roots on until it is fully dry. Then trim the tops and roots, brush off the dirt (do not wash it), and store it cool and dry. Keep your biggest bulbs to replant.Cure with good airflow out of direct sun, keeping tops and roots on until dry. Then trim tops to about an inch and roots close, brush off loose dirt (do not wash), and store cool and dry; save the biggest bulbs as next year's seed.

FROM PLANT · Dry the garlic with the tops still on in a warm, airy, shady spot for two to four weeks until the necks dry shut and the skins are papery. Then trim and store it cool and dry. Garlic that is not dried well rots.Cure bulbs with tops on in a warm, dry, airy, shaded place for two to four weeks until necks are tight and wrappers papery, then trim and store cool and dry. Poor curing is the main cause of garlic rotting in storage.

Beginner

Know your soil

Your soil

Identify yours

Not sure what soil you have? Grab a small handful of damp soil from your garden bed and squeeze it. If it crumbles apart easily, it's sandy. If it holds together but breaks when you poke it, it's loam (what most vegetables want). If it stays in a hard, slippery ball, it's clay.

What this crop wants

Garlic likes loose, rich soil that drains well but still holds some moisture, with plenty of compost worked in. Loosen the bed deeply before planting so the roots and bulbs have room. The thing it cannot stand is soggy, waterlogged ground, which rots the cloves over winter, so avoid heavy clay and any low spot where water sits.

If your soil doesn't match

You have sandy soil

Mix 2-3 inches of compost into the top 6 inches of your bed before planting. Compost holds moisture (which sandy soil drains too fast) and adds the nutrients sandy soil tends to lack. Repeat each season. Compost breaks down over time.

You have clay soil

Mix 2-3 inches of compost AND a few inches of coarse sand or perlite into the top 6 inches of your bed. The compost feeds the plants; the sand breaks up the clay so air and water can move through. Don't add sand without compost. It can compact like concrete.

Containers and raised beds

If amending your soil sounds like too much work, or if your soil is heavy clay, full of rocks, or contaminated, build over it. A raised bed at least 12 inches deep filled with a 50/50 mix of compost and sandy loam gives you ideal growing soil with no battles. A 5-gallon container with quality potting mix does the same for one plant at a time. Both bypass your native soil entirely.

Learn more about your soil

The specs

Care guide

The numbers that matter, at a glance.

Sunlight

Full sun · 6-8 hrs/day

Water

consistent

Spacing

4-6 inches

Soil

loam, sandy loam

Days to maturity

180-270 days from transplant

Soil pH

6 to 7

Container OK?

Yes · 3+ gal pot

Soil chemistry

Soil pH for garlic

Preferred

6 to 7

Tolerated

5.5 to 7.5

Garlic grows best in soil close to neutral, about 6.0 to 7.0. It is not very fussy, but very acidic ground holds it back, so if a soil test reads below about 6.0, mix in some garden lime before you plant in fall.Aim for a soil pH of about 6.0 to 7.0; garlic tolerates a slightly wider band, roughly 5.5 to 7.5, but yields fall off on strongly acidic soils. Test the bed the season before and lime an acid plot up toward neutral, since fall is your one planting window and there is no second chance to adjust mid-season.

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Steady hand on the hose

Watering

When & how much

Frequency

Water garlic regularly in spring so the soil stays evenly moist, roughly an inch a week. Then stop watering a couple of weeks before harvest so the bulbs can dry down and the skins set.Keep the soil evenly moist through spring leaf growth and bulbing, about an inch of water per week including rain. Then taper and stop watering about two weeks before harvest so the bulbs firm up and the wrappers cure clean.

Amount

About one inch of water a week while the plants are growing in spring, and a bit more in warm, dry weather. Steady is better than a flood one week and nothing the next.Roughly one inch of water per week from rain plus irrigation through the spring growing season; more in warm, dry, or sandy conditions, delivered steadily rather than in swings.

Method

Water the soil at the base of the plants, not over the leaves. Keeping the tops dry helps prevent disease.Water at the base with drip or a soaker to keep the foliage dry; wet leaves and standing water feed the leaf and bulb rots garlic is prone to.

Signs of trouble

Too much water

If the soil stays soggy and the bottoms of the plants turn yellow and soft, that is too much water. Garlic sitting in wet soil rots.Yellowing, soft lower leaves and a sour smell signal waterlogging; saturated soil over winter and at bulbing drives white rot, basal rot, and neck rot.

Too little water

Wilting, blue-tinged, or brown-tipped leaves in spring mean the garlic is too dry. Garlic that dries out while sizing makes smaller bulbs.Bluish, tip-burned, or prematurely dying leaves and stalled growth mean the bulbs are short of water during the spring sizing window, which caps final bulb size.

Feeding rhythm

Feeding

Frequency

Side-dress in spring

Type

Nitrogen-forward

When to start

Work fertilizer in at fall planting, then side-dress nitrogen as shoots grow in early spring; stop by early May

Garlic is a hungry plant that makes its bulb from the leaves it grows in spring, so feed it then. Mix some compost or fertilizer into the soil when you plant in fall, then give it a nitrogen feeding once the green shoots are growing well in early spring, and again a few weeks later. Stop feeding before the bulbs start sizing up, which falls around April in warm regions and into May where winters are cold. Feeding late makes leafy plants with thick necks and small bulbs that do not keep well.Garlic has a moderate to high nitrogen demand and builds its bulb on the leaves it grows in spring, so feeding is front-loaded onto the spring vegetative push. Mix a complete fertilizer or compost into the bed at fall planting, then side-dress nitrogen as the shoots resume growth in early spring and again two to three weeks later. The exact cutoff tracks your season rather than a fixed calendar date. In cold-winter regions with a later crop, the last feedings run later: Utah State suggests about half a pound of 21-0-0 per 100 square feet in mid-April with a quarter pound in late May, and the University of Minnesota feeds through spring growth before bulbing. In the warm Southeast, where the crop runs weeks earlier, UGA advises no nitrogen after the first week of April. The unifying rule is to stop nitrogen several weeks before bulbing begins, since late feeding delays bulbing, thickens necks, and worsens storage.

High nitrogen in spring

Use a feed higher in the first number (nitrogen) such as blood meal or a 21-0-0 fertilizer in spring, then stop by early May.Higher first-number (N) feeds in spring, e.g. ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) or blood meal; taper off and stop by early May so bulbing is not delayed.

Try ammonium sulfate (21-0-0), blood meal, or a balanced vegetable fertilizer

Who grows well together

Companion planting

Garlic is famous as a good-neighbor plant, mostly because its strong smell is thought to keep aphids and some other pests away, so it is often tucked among roses, fruit trees, tomatoes, and cabbage-family plants. The one thing to keep it away from is beans and peas, since garlic and its onion relatives are believed to slow those down. These are helpful traditions, not sure things, so do not worry if your garden does a little differently. Garlic's companion reputation rests almost entirely on its sulfur scent, traditionally credited with deterring aphids, spider mites, and some borers, which is why it is interplanted among roses, fruit trees, tomatoes, and brassicas. The one firm caution is the legume conflict: alliums are widely held to inhibit beans and peas, so keep garlic away from them. Most of these pairings are traditional rather than trial-proven, and garlic's long fall-to-summer occupancy means it shares the bed with whatever overwinters or goes in around it; treat the pairings as low-risk suggestions, not guarantees.

Other

Tomatoes

Garlic's strong smell is thought to help keep aphids and spider mites off tomatoes, and the two fit together in the bed because garlic is finishing up in early summer as tomatoes take off.Tomatoes are a traditional garlic companion on the allium pest-repel reputation, the scent said to discourage aphids and spider mites, plus a tidy timing fit: fall-planted garlic is sizing and harvested in early summer just as tomatoes need the room. The pest claim is folk wisdom rather than a tested effect, but the pairing is low-risk and space-efficient. Traditional

Roses and fruit trees

Garlic is a classic underplanting for roses and fruit trees, where its smell is believed to help fend off aphids and borers. It takes little room and is harvested before midsummer.Underplanting roses and fruit trees with garlic is a long-standing tradition, the pungent foliage credited with deterring aphids and some borers. It is a space-and-scent pairing rather than a demonstrated effect; garlic's small footprint and early-summer harvest make it an easy, low-competition neighbor for perennials. Traditional

Brassicas (cabbage, broccoli)

Cabbage-family plants share garlic's cool-season liking, and the strong garlic smell is thought to bother some of their pests like aphids and cabbage worms.Brassicas are interplanted with garlic on the same allium-scent logic used for onions: the sulfur smell is traditionally credited with masking the cabbage family from aphids and caterpillars. Garlic is shallow and undemanding, so it tucks between cole crops without competing, though the pest benefit is traditional rather than trial-proven for garlic. Traditional

Carrots and beets

Garlic grows alongside carrots and beets without crowding them, and its smell is said to help confuse pests like the carrot rust fly. They use different space above and below ground.Carrots and beets pair with garlic on complementary form and the allium scent-masking tradition, the same logic behind the well-known carrot-and-onion pairing against carrot rust fly. Garlic sends a narrow bulb down with little leafy spread, so it shares space efficiently. The scent-masking effect is best evidenced for onions; for garlic treat it as a reasonable, low-risk extension. Traditional

Keep apart from

Beans and peas Keep garlic away from beans and peas. Garlic and its onion relatives are long believed to slow the growth of these legumes, so plant them in separate parts of the garden.Beans and peas are the standard allium caution: garlic, like onion, is traditionally held to inhibit legume growth, so the two are kept apart. The mechanism is not firmly established, but the recommendation is consistent across companion guidance, so separate garlic from beans and peas as a low-cost precaution. Traditional

Provenance tagged inline · see methodology for the labeling system Key

Harvest signals

When to pick

Garlic is ready in early summer (or late spring in warm areas) when the lower leaves have turned brown but the top leaves are still green, about a third to half of them browned. Do not wait for all the leaves to die. Dig one bulb to check: if the cloves fill out the skins, it is time to harvest.Garlic is ready in early to mid summer (late spring in warm regions) when the lower leaves have browned and died back while several upper leaves stay green, about a third to half the foliage turned. Each green leaf is an intact wrapper, so do not wait for all the leaves to brown. Confirm by lifting a test bulb: ready bulbs have cloves that fill the skins.

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Yield

What to expect

Each clove you plant grows into one whole bulb, and each bulb has about 10 to 15 cloves inside. So a handful of cloves planted in fall becomes a basket of garlic the next summer.One bulb per planted clove, and each bulb typically holds 10 to 15 cloves (fewer, larger on hardnecks; more, smaller on softnecks). A 10-foot row at about 5-inch spacing yields roughly 24 bulbs.

All your garlic of one kind finishes around the same time in summer, so you harvest it together, then cure it and store it to use over the following months.Garlic of a given variety matures together in one main flush in early to mid summer, so the harvest comes all at once rather than over a long window; it is then cured and stored for months. The most important things for a good first harvest are choosing the right type for your winters and planting big cloves in fall. The wrong type, or planting in spring, gives small bulbs.Matching type to your winter (hardneck where winters are cold, softneck where mild) and planting good-sized cloves in fall are the biggest first-year levers; the wrong type for your climate, or spring planting, gives small or split bulbs.

What changes yield

variety type matched to winter coldclove size at plantingfall planting and vernalizationspring leaf growth before bulbingearly nitrogen then stopsteady moisture then cut water before harvest

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Pick your variety

Recommended varieties

Pick the type that matches your winters first. In cold-winter areas, grow hardneck garlic (like Music, Spanish Roja, or Chesnok Red), which needs real cold, makes big cloves, and gives you edible scapes, but does not store as long. In mild-winter and southern areas, grow softneck garlic (like Inchelium Red or California Early), which handles warm winters, makes lots of cloves, braids nicely, and keeps the longest. If you are not sure, Inchelium Red is forgiving in many climates. Elephant garlic is not really garlic, it is a mild leek relative.Choose by winter cold first, then by use. Hardneck garlics (Rocambole, Porcelain, Purple Stripe groups, such as Music, German White, Spanish Roja, Chesnok Red) need a genuine cold winter to vernalize and bulb, produce edible scapes, have fewer larger cloves, and store a shorter time, so they shine in the North. Softneck garlics (Artichoke and Silverskin groups, such as Inchelium Red, California Early and Late, Creole and Silverskin types) tolerate mild winters, yield more smaller cloves, braid well, and store the longest, so they are the choice for the South and warm regions. Where winters are mild, lean softneck; where winters are cold, hardnecks reward you with flavor. Elephant garlic is a leek relative, not true garlic.

Music

hardneck, all-purpose

German White (German Extra Hardy)

hardneck, roasting

Spanish Roja

hardneck, gourmet

Chesnok Red

hardneck, roasting

Inchelium Red

softneck, all-purpose

California Early / California Late

softneck, storage and braiding

Creole and Silverskin types

softneck, warm-climate

Off the vine

Storing your harvest

Room temp

Once the garlic is cured (dried), keep the bulbs somewhere cool, dry, and airy, out of the light. A cool pantry works for a while; a steady cool spot keeps them longest. Damp or warm places make garlic sprout and soften.After curing, store cured bulbs in a cool, dry, airy place. The classic storage range is cool and dry, around 32 to 40°F for long holding, though many cooks simply keep braids or bulbs at a cool room temperature out of light. Warm, humid spots and the 40 to 60°F range encourage sprouting.

Fridge

Do not store whole garlic bulbs in the fridge. The cold, damp air actually makes them sprout. Keep cured bulbs in a cool, dry cupboard instead. You can refrigerate a few peeled cloves for a day or two if it is handy.Whole cured bulbs store poorly in the refrigerator: the 40 to 50°F, humid environment is exactly what triggers sprouting, so keep them cool and dry instead. Peeled cloves can be refrigerated briefly for convenience.

Freezer

You can peel and chop garlic and freeze it for cooking. It goes soft after thawing, so use frozen garlic in cooked food, not raw.Garlic freezes well peeled and chopped, or as a puree, for cooking; texture softens, so use frozen garlic in cooked dishes rather than raw.

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From the garden to the kitchen

Recipes to try

Mains

Roasted Tomato Soup

Mains · 55m · Serves 4

Preserves & Condiments

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Preserves & Condiments · 125m · Serves 6

Mains

Stuffed Garden Peppers

Mains · 55m · Serves 4

More recipes

arriving with the harvest

When something goes wrong

Common problems

01 of 03

02 of 03

03 of 03

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The usual suspects

Pests & diseases

Pests

Onion thrips

P · 01

Cause A tiny insect called onion thrips. It multiplies fast in warm, dry weather and hides in the tight folds of the leaves.Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) build through warm, dry weather and shelter in the leaf axils where sprays miss them; they move readily between alliums.

Onion maggot

P · 02

Cause The larvae (maggots) of a small fly that lays eggs at the base of the plants. They survive in leftover onion and garlic debris.Larvae of the onion maggot fly (Delia antiqua), whose eggs are laid at the plant base; populations carry over in allium residue and cull bulbs.

Stem and bulb nematode (garlic bloat nematode)

P · 03

Cause A microscopic worm that lives and feeds inside the leaves, stems, and bulbs. It usually arrives on infected cloves you plant and can survive dried in the soil for years.The stem and bulb nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci), the garlic bloat nematode, a microscopic worm that feeds inside the leaves, stems, and bulbs. It rides in on infected planting cloves and survives dried in soil and debris for at least four years, favored by cool, moist conditions.

Diseases

White rot

D · 01

Cause A soil fungus that makes tiny long-lived resting bodies that can sit in the ground for years and attack in cool weather. It spreads on dirty tools, soil, and infected cloves.The fungus Sclerotium cepivorum, which produces hardy sclerotia that survive in soil for many years and germinate in the cool soils garlic grows in (activity is restricted above about 75°F). It spreads on contaminated soil, tools, and infected cloves.

Fusarium basal rot

D · 02

Cause A soil fungus that lives in the ground for years and does the most damage in warm soil. Injuries and infected cloves let it in.Soilborne Fusarium oxysporum (including f. sp. cepae) and related species that persist in soil for years and progress fastest in warm soils (about 77 to 82°F); wounds, maggot feeding, and infected cloves open the door.

Botrytis neck rot

D · 03

Cause A mold that gets into the necks of garlic that was harvested too green or dried poorly. Too much late fertilizer and wet weather near harvest make it worse.Botrytis species that overwinter on debris and infected bulbs and as sclerotia in soil; excess late nitrogen, rain or irrigation late in the season, and inadequate curing or storage all worsen it.

Garlic rust

D · 04

Cause A rust fungus that spreads in cool, damp weather through wet leaves and splashing water.A Puccinia rust fungus favored by cool temperatures, leaf wetness, and high humidity; spores spread on wind and splashing water and overwinter on volunteer alliums.

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Seasoned

Where to plant next year

Crop rotation

Keep moving garlic around the garden. Wait about 4 years before planting garlic, onions, or leeks in the same spot, because soil diseases and the nematode build up there. Following garlic with crops like carrots, potatoes, or corn, which the nematode does not feed on, helps clean the ground.Rotate so garlic and its allium relatives do not return to the same bed for about 4 years. White rot sclerotia survive in soil for years and bloat nematode persists in debris, so a long rotation away from the whole family is the core defense. Carrots, potatoes, spinach, corn, and grains are good rotation crops because they are poor hosts for the bloat nematode.

Family

Allium

Years between

4 years

in the same bed

Avoid following

Do not plant garlic where you grew garlic, onions, or leeks recently. The diseases and the nematode that hit garlic live in the soil for years and build up, so wait about 4 years before alliums return to the same spot.Do not follow garlic or other alliums (onion, leek, shallot, chives) in the same ground. Garlic's worst soilborne problems, white rot and bloat nematode, persist for years and build up under continuous alliums; extension guidance is to rotate garlic out for about 4 years.

Plant after

legumes, leafy greens, or other non-alliums such as carrots, potatoes, corn

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In the app · pre-launch

When plant taps you on the shoulder

The plant app sends a timely reminder at every critical moment of your garlic season. The wording adjusts to whichever you pick: beginner or seasoned. Here are three you'll see in Zone 9.

plant

3 weeks before first frost

Time to plant garlic

Plant garlic cloves in fall, around the time of your first hard frost, so they grow roots before winter. Put the biggest cloves in pointy side up, 2 to 3 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. In mild or southern areas, use softneck garlic.

plant

7 days after first frost

Cover your garlic for winter

In cold areas, once the ground starts to freeze, cover the garlic with a few inches of straw or chopped leaves. This protects the cloves through winter and keeps the freezing and thawing soil from pushing them up.

plant

0 days after last frost

Feed your garlic in spring

When green shoots start growing in early spring, feed your garlic a nitrogen fertilizer to grow lots of leaves, and feed again a couple of weeks later. Stop feeding by early May.

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How we built this guide

Methodology & sources

Every date, temperature, spacing, and recommendation on this page is sourced from university cooperative extension publications, peer-reviewed agricultural research, NOAA climate data, and direct extension calendars. Where claims are softer (traditional gardening wisdom not formally documented), we say so.

Research-backed Documented in cooperative extension publications or peer-reviewed research

Well-grounded A known agronomic principle, but not formally tested for this specific pair

Traditional Time-tested gardening wisdom, limited formal research support

Last reviewed

June 29, 2026

Data version

crops_data_final · v1.0 · schema 2.9

Sources cited on this page

16 publications

Verified entries

Companion-planting claims tagged inline · zone dates verified against 5+ extensions

See all sources cited on this page

University of Minnesota Extension umn_ext
University of Maryland Extension umd_ext
Cornell Cooperative Extension cornell_ext
Iowa State University Extension iastate_ext
Michigan State University Extension msu_ext
NC State Extension ncsu_ext
Penn State Extension psu_ext
U. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Extension uiuc_ext
UC Davis Postharvest Center ucd_postharvest
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension tamu_agrilife
Virginia Cooperative Extension 426-331 vce_426_331
Piedmont Master Gardeners piedmont_mg
UGA Vegetable Garden Calendar uga_calendar
Clemson Home & Garden Information Center clemson_hgic
UC IPM Statewide IPM Program uc_ipm
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals noaa_normals

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