Crop timing
When to plant garlic in the UK
The short answer, on 25 October
Yes, plant garlic now. October to December is garlic's window in Vercro's catalogue, and the RHS plants most garlic from mid autumn to early winter. Earlier in that window gives it longer to root before the ground gets cold and wet.
Garlic is planted as single cloves and spends the winter in the ground. It needs the cold: the RHS says most varieties want one to two months at 0 to 10°C to form a good bulb.
The garlic year at a glance
From Vercro's crop catalogue: autumn garlic planted October to December and lifted June to July; spring garlic planted February to March and lifted July to September.
| Window | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn: sow outsideOctober to December | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: yes | November: yes | December: yes |
| Autumn: harvestJune to July | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: yes | July: yes | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Spring varieties: sow outsideFebruary to March | January: no | February: yes | March: yes | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Spring varieties: harvestJuly to September | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: yes | August: yes | September: yes | October: no | November: no | December: no |
Growing time in the catalogue: 240 to 270 days from sowing. Family: Amaryllidaceae.
What changes the answer
The variety
Most garlic is for autumn planting. Some varieties are sold for late winter or early spring planting, and are the ones to use if you missed the autumn.Your soil in winter
Cloves sat in waterlogged soil over winter can rot. On heavy ground a raised bed or a ridge helps more than planting on a particular date.Getting the cold
The RHS gives one to two months at 0 to 10°C for good bulbs. A mild winter or a late spring planting can give smaller bulbs.Where last year’s onions were
Garlic is in the onion family. White rot, which affects all of them, can survive in soil for at least 15 years. See onion family rotation.
Where the sources differ
Vercro's catalogue and published advice, side by side
They now agree. Until 19 September 2026 Vercro's catalogue planted garlic in October to December only; it now also holds spring garlic, planted February to March and lifted July to September, as the RHS describes for some varieties.
One honest limit: the growing times for spring garlic are worked out from the RHS planting and lifting months, not taken from a published figure.
Common timing mistakes
Waiting for spring by default
Autumn is the main window. Spring planting is for varieties sold for it, and gives a later, often smaller crop.Planting in spring with an autumn variety
An autumn variety put in late misses the cold spell it needs. If you are late, look for a variety sold for spring planting.Planting into last year’s onion bed
Onion family diseases carry over. Pick a bed where onions, leeks and shallots have not been recently.Lifting late
The RHS says not to delay once the leaves turn yellow. Left too long, bulbs split and store badly.
How Vercro handles this in a real garden
In the Vercro Garden plan, garlic is offered for an empty bed from October to December as a crop that stands through winter, rather than being ruled out because it won't finish before the first frost. Vercro says it isn't racing the frost; it doesn't claim to know it will succeed in your soil.
When you plan a bed, Vercro checks the bed's own history for the onion family and can name a free bed where the family hasn't grown. It keeps the record; it won't plan next year's rotation for you.
Frequently asked questions
Keep going
Where this comes from
Crop windows, growing times and plant families come from Vercro's own curated crop catalogue, the same data the Vercro app uses. Where a published source says something different, we show both rather than choosing the convenient one. Reviewed 19 September 2026.
- Garlic: grow your own, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- Onion white rot, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
Remember which bed the garlic went in
Add your beds and what is in them. Vercro keeps each bed’s history, so next autumn it can say where the onion family grew last.