When to plant Garlic in the UK
Garlic is normally planted as individual cloves rather than sown from seed — each clove becomes a bulb — so the dates below are for planting and harvest, not sowing.
Planting and harvest dates by region
Timings below are adjusted from the midlands and lowland wales baseline using Met Office average last and first frost dates for each area.
| Where you are | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late November to late December | late May to late July |
| South Coast and Channel | early November to late December | late May to late July |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | mid November to late December | late May to late July |
| South East and Home Counties | late October to mid December | late May to late July |
| East Anglia | mid October to early December | late May to late July |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | mid October to early December | late May to late July |
| Wales and West Coast | late October to mid December | late May to late July |
| Northern England | early October to late November | late May to late July |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early October to late November | late May to late July |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | mid September to late October | late May to late July |
| Northern Ireland | late October to mid December | late May to late July |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late November to late December | late May to late July |
Growing notes
Needs one to two months of cold below 10°C to form bulbs, so plant cloves mid-autumn to early winter; on heavy, waterlogged soil start cloves in modules instead and plant out in spring.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 15 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plants per m²
- 40
- Days to maturity
- 240 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.08 kg
- Sun
- Full sun
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 15 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 25 cm
- Balcony rating
- 4 out of 5
What usually goes wrong
- allium leaf miner
- leek rust
- onion downy mildew
- rotting in waterlogged soil
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for garlic.