When to Plant Garlic in the UK

Garlic is unusual among UK vegetable crops in genuinely needing a period of cold to grow properly — which is why it's planted in autumn rather than spring, the opposite of most crops.

Why autumn planting matters

Garlic needs several weeks below around 10°C to trigger bulb division — without it, plants tend to form one large, undivided clove rather than a proper bulb of segments. Autumn planting gives garlic that cold spell naturally over winter, which is why autumn-planted garlic reliably produces bigger, better-formed bulbs than spring-planted garlic.

When to plant

Plant individual cloves (unpeeled, pointed end up) from October through November, ideally before the ground gets too cold and wet to work easily. If you missed autumn, spring-planted garlic (February–March) will still grow and crop, just with typically smaller bulbs — better than skipping a year, but not as good as an autumn start.

Hardneck or softneck

Garlic, Allium sativum 'Music'

• Softneck varieties store for longer (often 6+ months) and are the type most commonly sold in supermarkets, but are slightly less hardy over a severe winter.
• Hardneck varieties tend to have a stronger, more complex flavour and produce an edible flower stalk ("scape") in early summer — worth cutting off and eating, since removing it also redirects the plant's energy back into the bulb — but don't store as long once harvested.

Hardneck varieties generally cope better with a cold, wet UK winter, which is worth knowing if you garden somewhere exposed.

Planting and spacing

Garlic, Allium sativum 'Spanish Roja'

Plant cloves 2.5cm deep with the pointed tip just below the soil surface, spaced 15cm apart in rows 30cm apart. Garlic wants free-draining soil above almost anything else — waterlogged winter soil is a far bigger risk to a garlic crop than cold ever is, so improve heavy clay with grit or compost before planting, or grow in raised beds if drainage is a persistent problem.

Quick reference

• Plant: October–November for the best bulb size (February–March as a fallback)
• Depth: 2.5cm, pointed tip up, just below the surface
• Spacing: 15cm apart, rows 30cm apart
• Drainage matters most — waterlogged soil is the main risk over winter

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