Planting Garlic in Ireland

Garlic is a crop that any vegetable gardener should be growing. It is planted (ideally) in October - December when there is nothing much else going on in the garden. It is low maintenance and stores well. Garlic is a staple in most kitchens and can be eaten young and fresh or mature and dried. It looks lovely hanging in your kitchen too - see above!

The first year I grew garlic I planted supermarket bought cloves, which produced small bulbs which I ate fresh. I now realise that this is not recommended as the garlic may be treated to prevent sprouting. Since then, I've purchased seed garlic. I seem to have trouble finding it at local garden centres so I buy online from Irish sellers.

Purchased from quickcrop.ie.

General Information

You can get two main types of garlic - soft neck and hard neck. Soft varieties are better for storage, hard will need to be used more quickly but are said to have a superior flavour. Hard neck will also send up edible flower stalks called garlic scapes that should be removed to help the main bulb to swell. The scapes can be used in various ways including pestos, soups and stir fries.

Planting Guidelines

Plant in autumn for a June/July harvest or in spring for a later crop(dependant on the variety). Some varieties are "earlies" so plant and harvest these first. If the ground is too wet and cold, the cloves can rot so planting in modules in autumn/winter for planting out in spring is an option.

Break the bulb into cloves and plant each one separately.

Prefers a light, free-draining soil in full sun. Certain varieties have a tendency to push up through the soil so plant these a few inches deep.

Harvesting and Preserving Garlic

Garlic should be lifted when the stem starts to turn yellow. It is best to lift early than too late as the bulbs can shatter and may start sprouting.

Handle carefully as it can bruise, which leads to rot in storage.

Allow to completely dry in the sun before storing. A good rule of thumb is to wait until the outer skins are totally dry and will slip off easily - usually two-three weeks. If there is a risk of rain, hang under cover - an unheated greenhouse will suffice.

Store hanging in bunches or plaited. Before plaiting, moisten the stem to make it more flexible.

If storing in wooden boxes, cut the stem down to 2 inches.


Here is one of my bulbs which has shattered - still perfectly edible but gone beyond its best:

I'll hang it anywhere I can: