How to Grow Garlic in Florida

Garlic is a plant-in-fall, harvest-in-late-spring crop. In Florida's mild winter, softneck types do best.

Garlic is planted from individual cloves in fall and harvested the following late spring. Florida's mild winters suit softneck (artichoke-type) garlic, which also stores longest; true hardneck types need more cold.

When to plant in Florida

Varieties

• Softneck (artichoke) types — best adapted to mild winters, long-storing.
• Creole types — warm-climate garlic, good flavor.
• Elephant garlic — mild, large (technically a leek relative), easy in the South.

How to grow it

• Split a bulb into cloves and plant pointy end up, 1-2 inches deep, 4-6 inches apart, in full sun and rich soil.
• Mulch, keep weeded and watered; feed lightly through winter and spring.

Harvest & cure

Harvest in late spring when the lower leaves brown but several green ones remain. Cure the whole plants in a dry, airy, shaded place for a few weeks, then trim and store.

Source: UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Garlic.

When to plant in your region

Pick your region to see the planting months for garlic where you garden.

See also: Garlic in the plant library →

Related guides