How to grow Garlic (Solent Wight)

Allium sativum

🥕 Vegetable 🌱 Grown each year

A late softneck garlic with excellent flavour that stores until the following spring. Plant cloves in autumn.

At a glance: Sow mid February to early April, harvest from mid June.

When to sow, plant and harvest

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Sow outdoors

Harvest

Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.

Mid February – early April · 9 weeks before the last spring frost
Plant Cloves
Plant cloves 15 cm, pointy end up, 2 cm deep apart in rows.
Or: Plant Cloves (Autumn) (Mid September – early December · 4 weeks before the first autumn frost)
14–28 days after “Plant Cloves” · Late February – mid March
Look for Shoots
Green shoots should be showing. Keep weeds down — these crops hate competition.
21–35 days after “Look for Shoots” · Late March – early April
Weed and Water
Hoe off weeds between rows and water in dry spells — even moisture gives better crops.
120–270 days after “Plant Cloves” · Mid June – mid November
Harvest
Lift when the lower third of the leaves has yellowed (early to midsummer).
7–21 days after “Harvest” · Late June – early July
Dry and Store
Dry in a sunny, airy place for 2–3 weeks, then plait or store in nets.