Garlic is one of the easiest crops to grow, and learning how to grow garlic is simple. Even better, once you’ve grown it, you can regrow garlic yearly from your bulbs.
Keep reading for garlic tips in any climate, including how to grow garlic in Arizona and other hot climates.
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10 Tips for How to Grow Garlic
1. Choose the best garlic variety for your climate
Learning how to grow garlic is simple. Garlic is easy to grow, but choosing the variety best suited to your climate to grow garlic successfully is important.
Hardneck varieties of garlic are cold-hardy and a good choice for those in cold climates. This type produces a flower stem or “scape” which must be removed for bulbs to fully form. The scape is edible and delicious.
Hardnecks do not store as well as softneck varieties.
Softneck varieties are the best types to grow if you live in a warm climate (like the low desert of Arizona). Softneck types store well and are often braided for storage. The flavor may be less intense than hardneck types.
2. Plan ahead and order garlic early
When it is time to plant garlic, many growers are often already sold out. It’s best to plan ahead and order garlic months before it is time to plant.
- If possible, look for a local grower; they will sell varieties well-suited to your climate.
- Check the ship date of whoever you order garlic from to ensure they ship in time for your preferred planting date. (Note the time needed for vernalization of hardneck varieties in warm climates — see below).
- Many companies begin selling garlic in May and are often sold out by August. Plan ahead and order early.
Finding a source that ships garlic at the right time can be the most challenging part of growing garlic in Arizona. I’ve had the most success with garlic from Forever Young Farms. They sell soft neck varieties well-suited to growing in the low desert of Arizona, and they ship it in time to plant.
Other online retailers that sell garlic include: Botanical Interests, Baker Creek, Terroir Seeds, Territorial Seed Company, Peaceful Valley Farm, and Seed Savers Exchange.
It’s best not to grow grocery-store garlic. The garlic may not be a good variety for your area and may have been treated with a growth inhibitor.
3. Prepare garlic before planting
If you live in a warm climate like Arizona and you are growing a hardneck variety of garlic, the bulbs must be vernalized. Vernalize garlic cloves by putting them in the fridge (cloves intact) in a closed paper sack for at least six weeks.
Softneck varieties also benefit from vernalization, but it isn’t as critical as for the hardneck types.
If you live in a cold climate and plant in the fall, the bulbs will naturally be exposed to the needed cooler temperatures. No artificial vernalization is necessary.
4. Plant garlic at the right time
Garlic is usually planted in the fall — from September through November. Plant garlic about a month before the soil freezes in cold climates.
How to grow garlic in Arizona: The best time to plant garlic in the low desert of Arizona is during the month of October.
5. Choose the best location for planting garlic
Choose an area that receives at least 6-8 hours of sunlight.
Garlic grows best in loose, well-draining soil. Prepare the soil by loosening soil to a depth of several inches.
Raised beds or containers that are at least 6” deep are excellent choices for growing garlic.
Garlic is a heavy feeder. Amend the planting area with compost and a balanced organic fertilizer.
Garlic is a good companion for most crops (other than beans, peas, sage, and parsley); tuck a few bulbs around other vegetables to help deter pests. Garlic grows very well in containers.
Plant garlic in wells of fruit trees — may help deter common pests.
6. Plant garlic correctly
Break apart the bulbs, and soak in a solution of fish and kelp fertilizer and baking soda (1 T of each per gallon of water) for at least 8 and up to 24 hours.
The baking soda has antibacterial benefits and the fertilizer stimulates growth.
Plant with the flat side (roots) facing down and the pointy side (sprouting side) facing up.
Plant cloves 2-3” deep and 4-6” apart. For square-foot gardening, plant 9 per square.
Mulch planting area well, especially in cold climates.
7. Care for garlic as it grows
Water well when new leaves are forming. When leaves begin to die back, water less often. It’s best to water garlic deeply, less often.
Garlic is a heavy feeder. Feed monthly with an organic fertilizer while garlic is actively growing.
Cut off flower shoots (scapes) as they emerge to encourage bulb development.
8. Harvest garlic at the right time
Garlic is ready to harvest when about half the lower leaves are brown and the cloves are plump and well-formed. Garlic left in the ground too long will begin to split and the garlic will not store well.
In the low desert of Arizona, garlic is often ready to harvest during the month of May.
Stop watering when the lower 3-4 leaves brown. Dig up a test bulb to check on size.
About a week later, harvest the garlic by gently lifting it with a fork rather than pulling.
Do not rinse or trim roots and stems after harvesting.
9. Cure harvested garlic for longer storage
Allow the harvested garlic to cure in a shady well-ventilated area. The ideal temperature for curing is around 75-80°F (this may need to be inside if you live in a hot summer climate like Arizona). Provide a slight breeze with a fan (if possible) if it is indoors.
Softneck garlic can also be braided and hung up to cure.
Lay the garlic out in a single layer on a rack or floor, or braid the stems of soft neck varieties.
Allow the garlic stems to wither and the papery skins to tighten around the cloves.
Trim roots and trim stems to about 1″ when the necks are moisture-free, completely tight, and dry.
10. Store cured garlic properly
- Store bulbs in a dry cool place. A great way to store garlic is in mesh net bags (I use these mesh bags from Amazon) hung up in a cool place.
- Check cloves regularly, and use any soft ones right away. Softneck varieties will store longer than hardneck varieties.
- Save the largest cloves for planting next year. Leave the stored cloves intact.
Roasted Garlic Recipe
Looking for more information about gardening in Arizona? This blog post shares 7 tips for how to grow a vegetable garden in Arizona.
Get my favorite recipe for garden fresh vegetable stock in this post.
Read this post for more information about growing herbs in the low desert of Arizona.
If this post about how to grow garlic was helpful, please share it:
Tracy Kirby
Wednesday 11th of October 2023
I'm planting garlic for the first time and this was very helpful. Thank you! The only thing I'm confused about is that you say the hardneck garlic has scapes, but you don't say the softnect garlic has scapes. Are scapes/shoots different that the stems or leaves for softneck garlic? I'm not sure what to cut to develop the bulb underground. Thank you for the clarifications.
Angela Judd
Thursday 12th of October 2023
You don't need to worry about cutting anything off if you're growing softneck. They don't have a scape that needs removed.
C.
Wednesday 5th of July 2023
Hi Angela, I bought 2 varieties of soft neck garlic from Botanical Interests last fall and didn’t have enough space to plant them all. I forgot about them and still have them in a dark cabinet. Can I plant them this year?
Angela Judd
Thursday 6th of July 2023
Hi. If they are not rotten or soft, then yes they should be fine. Wait to separate the bulbs until it is time to plant.
Katie
Sunday 7th of May 2023
Hi Angela, this is our second year doing garlic (from forever young) in Phx and I just checked the bulbs, they are so small. We have followed the directions so I am wondering why the bulbs are so small? Like a small walnut. Any ideas?
Angela Judd
Monday 8th of May 2023
That's frustrating. Let them keep going for a bit - hopefully, they will grow more. Each year is different.
Storm
Friday 7th of October 2022
I have grown garlic for the first time this year but have grown onions for a few years. I pulled my first garlic plant/bulb and it was perfect, however, when I pulled a few more, all the bulbs had separated into individual cloves and each clove has shot its own shoot (as in they had gone from being a tight bulb and became open separate cloves still joined at the roots with some of the cloves appearing to have formed into their own bulb). Other plants just have what appears to be a single large clove. Not sure what I've done wrong. Did I leave them in the ground too long? (I'm in Queensland, Australia so we have opposite seasons to you). Thanks
Storm
Monday 17th of October 2022
@Angela Judd,
Thank you Angela. I just re-read this webpage and now see that it does mention about the bulbs splitting if left too long. I actually had no idea when to pull them (found this page after I pulled them). I will try again next year and pull them earlier. Thanks again.
Angela Judd
Thursday 13th of October 2022
Hi, yes they were probably left in the ground too long.
B
Friday 7th of January 2022
I'm trying to get the timeline straight in my head, so not sure if I have this right.
I should be putting the garlic in the fridge around mid-August, to plant in Oct and harvest in May. And if I don't want to chill the garlic, I just plant in October and let it go until May anyways?
I garden in Southeast Arizona.
Angela Judd
Tuesday 11th of January 2022
Right - If you are growing a soft neck variety you may not need to put it in the fridge. Most garlic is ready to harvest at the beginning of May. Hope that helps.