Can You Plant Garlic in the Summer?

Ask any grower when they plant seed garlic, and they’ll tell you sometime in the fall. Under cold weather, garlic silently divides into multiple cloves underground. Green shoots pop up by early spring, growing into long, leathery, ridged leaves. The leaves collect energy for below-ground expansion, morphing a single clove into a bulb. 

Without a cold period to separate, garlic expands its single clove into a giant clove! This also happens to spring plantings that don’t receive a proper chill period. Giant cloves are milder tasting—they’re unique delicacies hard to find in grocery stores.

The Short Answer

Yes, you can plant garlic this summer—but there are a few caveats. Growers in USDA zones 6 and colder get better harvests from fall plantings than summer ones. Winter frost is simply too extreme, and growing seasons are too short. Tropical and warm winter zones 8 and warmer can plant it throughout early summer for unique harvests. Either way, be sure to source quality seed garlic to prevent disease issues and grow the best-tasting varieties.

The Long Answer

Whether you can plant garlic in summer depends on the type, your climate, and whether or not you put your cloves in the fridge.

Early vs. Late Summer

Early and late summer are two very different times! Planting earlier causes giant cloves. Without winter chill, the garlic remains a single unit. Warm temperatures with consistent moisture trigger growth, and cloves expand in their singular shape. This creates giant, mild-tasting bulbs.

Late winter or early spring plantings often mature into this giant clove form when they don’t receive a proper chill period. You’ll harvest these around the same time as normal garlic harvests, from late summer through fall. Look for yellowing leaves; harvest when most leaves are yellow. 

Midseason crops may not fare as well as earlier spring plantings or normal fall plantings. With a short growing season, cloves put up leafy growth only to stop with cold winter weather. They don’t have enough time to grow into giant bulbs. Weak, shallow-rooted, and with dying tops, late plantings often rot out before spring. 

The only exception is for growers in zones with no winter freezes. Without frost, single cloves keep growing until their annual life cycle ends. You’ll notice yellowing leaves and falling tops that indicate harvest time.  

Hardneck, Softneck, or Elephant?

Three major types of garlic exist—they have differing results when you plant them in the middle of the season. Hardnecks develop scapes. They’re curly stems with flower heads that grow from the central stalk. Pluck or cut scapes off to redirect energy into clove expansion. Scapes are delicious delicacies. Use them in stir-fries, chopped in soups, or simply sauteed with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Softneck types don’t typically develop scapes and are good for mild winter regions. Where a stalk would grow lie clumps of small cloves. Big cloves surround the small ones, forming a giant bulb. 

This type is less cold-hardy than hardneck; it’s also the common one you’ll find in grocery stores. Softnecks are supreme for warm winter zones—use it throughout the southern U.S.

Elephant garlic is the last type you’ll hear about, although it’s more of a leek, botanically. It produces gargantuan cloves more than three times as large as regular types! Although larger, they’re milder tasting and slower to grow.

Plant both hardneck or softneck types by around June or July for giant, single cloves. Irrigate regularly and harvest before your first average frost date to avoid rot. Where autumn weather is wet, harvest before cool rains bring diseases that threaten your bulbs.

Avoid planting elephant types during the hottest time of year. It benefits from fall plantings when temperatures are cool in your ecoregion. Elephant bulbs sprout roots underground in autumn that help it take off by spring. Warm-weather plantings threaten this process by causing premature top growth at the expense of bulb formation.

Refrigerate Cloves

Mild through warm winter zones nine and above can cheat the seasons through refrigeration. You’ll trick them into thinking they’ve undergone a winter dormancy, priming them for new growth. Let’s say you got your bulbs in early spring. Put them in the fridge for a month or two before planting. 

Use this method from fall through spring—it’s especially beneficial for gardeners in tropical zones. Give softneck varieties a month or two with temperatures between 33-39°F (1-4°C); give hardneck the same temperatures for at least two to three months. 

Eat the Leaves

I’ve met some people who prefer eating greens instead of bulbs. They’re milder tasting, and you can eat them fresh. They have an intense flavor that makes them superb seasonings in cooking recipes. 

Snip bright green leaves as they sprout, but leave a few to help your crop collect energy from the sun. Put cloves underground in early or late summer to have edible leaves. 

You can also do this trick indoors! Put cloves suspended in glass jars with their roots in water. I use toothpicks to hold them up so the paper wrappers stay dry. Situate the jars near a lit window or grow lights, and watch as your crop sprouts edible leaves. Try this neat trick anytime in the comfort of your home. 

Regional Recommendations

While you can use your local extension office to locate your ecoregion, it’s easier to know whether or not you can plant midseason based on your frost dates or growing zone. Use this chart to tell whether or not you should plant garlic in summer: