When to plant Elephant Garlic in the UK
Elephant Garlic is planted rather than sown from seed, so the dates below are planting and harvest dates.
Planting and harvest dates by region
Elephant Garlic is timed from the average frost dates, so its timings shift across the UK. Plot works them out from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early November to early December | early July to mid August |
| South Coast and Channel | late October to late November | early July to mid August |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late October to late November | early July to mid August |
| South East and Home Counties | early October to early November | early July to mid August |
| East Anglia | early October to late October | early July to mid August |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early October to late October | early July to mid August |
| Wales and West Coast | mid October to mid November | early July to mid August |
| Northern England | late September to late October | early July to mid August |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | mid September to mid October | early July to mid August |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late August to late September | early July to mid August |
| Northern Ireland | early October to early November | early July to mid August |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early November to early December | early July to mid August |
Growing notes
Closer to a leek than a true garlic, it makes one big bulb of a few very large, mild cloves and needs a long season, so plant cloves in October. Space at 25cm - far wider than garlic - and lift in mid to late summer once the leaves yellow.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 25 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plants per m²
- 13
- Days to maturity
- 270 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.3 kg
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 20 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 25 cm
- Balcony rating
- 2 out of 5
What usually goes wrong
- leek rust
- onion white rot
- allium leaf miner
- rotting in waterlogged soil
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for elephant garlic.