Forgot to Plant Garlic in Fall? Chill—Literally. You Can Still Grow It This Spring!
I feel like this isn't talked about enough. Let's get to planting spring garlic.
So, you missed the fall garlic-planting window. Maybe life got in the way. Maybe you were too busy binge-watching gardening TikToks instead of actually gardening. Whatever the reason, don’t panic—you can still grow garlic this year. You just need a fridge and a little patience.
The Secret? Trick Your Garlic Into Thinking It Had a Winter
Garlic isn’t needy, but it does have one big requirement: cold exposure. Normally, it gets this by chilling underground all winter. But if you’re planting in spring, you need to fake it.
This process is called vernalization—a fancy way of saying, “Hey garlic, it’s winter now. Trust me.”
How to Vernalize Garlic for Spring Planting
Put your garlic in the fridge – Yep, right next to your questionable leftovers. Keep it between 32–40°F (0–4°C) for 4–8 weeks.
Use a mesh or paper bag – Garlic likes air circulation. A plastic bag will make it sad (and moldy).
Check for sprouting – If cloves start sprouting in the fridge, congrats! Your garlic is ready for action.
Spring Planting: Time to Hit the Dirt
Once your garlic has been thoroughly chilled out, it’s ready to go in the ground.
When to Plant: As soon as your soil is workable. If you can dig, you can plant.
Sun & Soil: Full sun and well-draining soil = happy garlic.
Planting Instructions:
Separate cloves (but keep the skins on).
Plant 2 inches deep, root-side down, with 6 inches between cloves.
Cover with mulch to keep the soil cozy.
What to Expect from Your Spring-Planted Garlic
Smaller Bulbs? Maybe. Spring garlic can be a little petite compared to its fall-planted siblings. But it’s still delicious, and that’s what counts.
Slightly Later Harvest. Your garlic will be ready around late summer (90–100 days after planting).
Garlic Scapes! If you planted a hardneck variety, you’ll get curly, tasty scapes in early summer—aka garlic’s delicious bonus crop.
Pro Tip: Choose the Right Garlic
Hardneck garlic benefits the most from vernalization and gives you scapes. Softneck garlic can still work but might not bulb up as well.
The Bottom Line? You Got This
If you missed fall planting, don’t stress—just throw your garlic in the fridge for a few weeks, plant it out in early spring, and boom: homegrown garlic this year!
Now go forth and redeem yourself, garlic grower. You’re still in the game.
HAPPY PLANTING!
Feeling smug because I (for once) didn’t forget to plant my garlic late last fall. But I loved this article and it made me giggle. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and for the laughs!
My garlic starts growing on the shelf, you can see the roots starting. Yes, it's hardneck (Music). This happened to me last year, I had to spring plant as early as I could get into the bed because it had snowed in 2023 before I could plant in October. So there I was in April breaking up ice with a claw hammer to get my garlic in the middle of the bed. And I got the best harvest yet; it's finally acclimatizing properly. But the point is, garlic actually doesn't need to be put in the fridge at all for it to grow just fine. I have even planted that cheap Chinese garlic from the veggie aisle of the store the same way (I believe that's a softneck variety) and it works too.