Growing your own garlic is much easier than you might think. It’s low maintenance, doesn’t need much space, and once you get the hang of it, you can keep the cycle going year after year using cloves from your own harvest. It’s also a fun little project to do with the kids — there’s something satisfying for children in planting a single clove and watching it turn into a full bulb months later.
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Garlic takes around six months to mature, so it’s a patience game rather than a hard one. If you’re growing it indoors, you can start any time of year. If you’re planting outdoors, autumn is the best time to get your cloves in the ground. Here’s everything you need to know about how to grow garlic, from planting right through to storing your harvest.
How to Grow Garlic
Why Grow Garlic?
As well as being a kitchen staple, garlic is naturally rich in nutrients, including potassium, calcium, magnesium and vitamins B and C. It’s a great one to grow at home if you enjoy cooking with fresh ingredients, and children often enjoy seeing where their food actually comes from.
Tip: if you like eating garlic but aren’t keen on the aftertaste, chewing on some fresh parsley afterwards can help freshen your breath.
Tips for Planting Garlic Cloves
Autumn is the best time to plant if you’re growing garlic outdoors, but if you’re growing it indoors, you can plant at any time of year. It takes about six months for garlic to mature fully.
You’ll need a deep pot, one or more garlic bulbs, and some potting compost. You can also plant straight into a soil bed — just make sure the soil is loose and well turned before planting.
Tip: for the best results, use organic garlic. Regular supermarket garlic is often treated to stop the cloves sprouting on the shelf, which can make it harder to grow successfully.
- Take a bulb of garlic and split it into individual cloves, leaving the skins on. Choose the larger, fully skinned cloves for planting.
- Plant each clove point side up, root side down, about 2 inches deep, in a container or bed that’s at least 6 inches deep so there’s room for the roots to grow.
- Water well after planting.
- Place the pot or bed somewhere that gets plenty of direct sunlight. Within about a week you should start to see leaves coming up.
- Keep the soil moist as the plant grows.
- Once the greens reach about 4 inches tall, you can trim them for use in cooking, leaving an inch behind so they keep growing.
At some point you’ll notice the greens stop growing, then start to dry up and turn brown — that’s your sign the garlic is ready to harvest.
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Harvesting Garlic
Dig up one garlic head first to check if it’s ready. If it looks good, go ahead and dig up the rest. If not, give it another week or so and check again.
Garlic won’t pull easily out of the ground, so use a shovel or trowel rather than trying to yank it free. To avoid slicing into the head and losing cloves, place your shovel well out from where the bulb actually is before you dig.
Each clove you planted should have grown into a full new bulb. If you want to keep the cycle going, simply take a clove from one of these new bulbs and start the whole process again.
Curing Garlic
Curing is the process of letting your garlic dry out before storing it long-term. Take the time to cure it properly and you’ll be able to enjoy your harvest for months to come.
The good news is that garlic stays fresh for a long time once it’s out of the ground — there’s no need to pickle or preserve it, just dry it properly and store it well.
1. Set aside any garlic you want to use straight away.
2. For the garlic you want to cure, move it to a dry, shady, well-ventilated spot — a covered porch, a well-aired garage, or under a tree all work well. Keep the bulbs separated so air can circulate around each one.
3. Avoid direct sunlight — the bulbs can effectively cook in strong sun.
4. Don’t clean off the dirt or wash the bulbs while they’re drying. You want them to dry out fully, not get damp.
5. Hang the bulbs somewhere indoors to finish drying — a garage or utility room works better than the kitchen, unless you really don’t mind the smell of garlic lingering!
6. If you like, you can plait a few stems together for easy storage and a nice rustic look.
7. It should take around two weeks for the skins to dry properly.
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Storing Garlic
Once your garlic is fully dried out, trim off the stalks. Remove the outer papery layers, but leave a few intact to help keep the cloves fresh for longer.
Store your cured garlic in baskets, old terracotta pots, brown paper bags, or mesh bags — similar to the ones garlic is often sold in at the supermarket. Good airflow is the key to keeping it fresh.
If you’re setting aside a few cloves to replant, store these separately in an open paper bag until you’re ready to plant them.
And that’s it — garlic really is as easy to grow as it is to cure and store, and there’s something quite rewarding about cooking with a bulb you grew yourself.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to grow garlic?
From planting a clove to harvesting a full bulb takes around six months, so it’s a project that needs a bit of patience rather than daily effort.
When is the best time to plant garlic?
Outdoors, autumn is the ideal planting time. If you’re growing garlic indoors in a pot, you can plant it at any time of year.
Can I grow garlic indoors?
Yes. Garlic grows well indoors in a deep pot with good potting compost, as long as it gets plenty of direct sunlight and the soil is kept consistently moist.
How do I know when my garlic is ready to harvest?
The greens will stop growing and then dry out and turn brown. At that point, dig up one bulb to check it — if it looks fully formed, the rest should be ready too.
Do I need to wash garlic before storing it?
No — avoid washing or cleaning off the dirt before curing. Garlic needs to dry out fully during curing, and washing it can introduce moisture that leads to spoiling.
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Fancy more growing projects to try with the kids? Browse our other family gardening ideas for simple, low-maintenance ways to get little hands into the garden.
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