How to Grow Garlic From Sprouted Cloves to Harvest

Garlic is one of the most rewarding crops a gardener can grow. The process is slow, and for months it looks like nothing is happening. Then, almost suddenly, the leaves start to die back, and underneath the soil, a full bulb has formed.

At Raikana Primary School in Pretoria, we grew our garlic crop from sprouted cloves planted directly into raised beds under a thick layer of grass mulch. We planted in winter, and we forced the cloves to sprout before planting by soaking them in water for some time. The result was a harvest of clean, well-formed bulbs with intact paper skins. This article walks through the full journey, from sprouting the cloves to pulling the bulbs out of the soil.

If you want to see how we grew our leek crop alongside the garlic, I covered that in how to grow leeks from seedling to mature plants. The two crops are close cousins, and they follow similar rhythms.

Written By

Kutlwano Mokoena

Published: 24 October 2026 

In This Article

• Why garlic is worth growing
• Forcing the cloves to sprout in water
• Planting the sprouted cloves
• Emergence: the first green shoots
• Vegetative growth
• Bulb formation
• Watering and feeding
• Harvesting garlic
• What I learned from growing garlic

Why Garlic Is Worth Growing

Garlic is grown from cloves, not seeds. Each clove is a small bulb that will grow into a full head of garlic over several months. You plant a clove in autumn or winter, wait through the cooler months, and by mid-summer, you have a whole bulb.

The crop is easy to store. Fresh garlic, once cured, can last for months in a cool, dry place. That makes it one of the most practical crops for a home gardener. A single bed of garlic can keep a family supplied through the year.

Garlic also improves the soil it grows in. The plants release compounds into the soil that suppress some pests and diseases, which makes them a useful rotation crop in a vegetable garden.

Forcing the Cloves to Sprout in Water

Garlic cloves need to break dormancy before they will grow. In storage, some cloves sprout naturally. But if you are planting in winter and want the cloves to get off to a faster start, you can force them to sprout yourself.

This is what we did at Raikana. Before planting, we placed the garlic cloves in a container of water and left them there for some time. The water triggered the cloves to break dormancy and start pushing out roots from the base and small green shoots from the top.

The process works because garlic cloves respond to moisture. When they sense water, they begin the process of growing, just as they would if they were already in the soil. Soaking them gives them a head start before they are planted.

A few things to keep in mind if you try this:

• Use clean water and change it every day or two to prevent rot.
• Do not leave the cloves in water for too long, or they will start to soften and rot. A few days is usually enough.
• Handle the sprouted cloves gently once they have roots. The roots are delicate and can break easily.
• Plant the cloves as soon as they have visible roots and shoots.

By the time we planted, our cloves had small green shoots at the top and fine white roots at the base. These are the signs that the clove is ready to go into the ground.

Sprouted garlic cloves showing small green shoots and fine white roots. These are the cloves that are ready to plant.

Planting the Sprouted Cloves

Garlic is planted in autumn or winter, usually between April and July in South Africa. The soil should be loose, well-drained and rich in organic matter.

We planted our sprouted cloves into raised beds that had already been prepared for the season. The beds had been fed earlier with chicken feather fertilizer and covered with grass mulch. The garlic went into the same beds that would later grow the leeks.

Each clove was planted about 5cm deep and 10cm apart. The pointed end of the clove faces up, and the flat base faces down. If the clove is planted upside down, it will still grow, but it takes longer to emerge.

After planting, we covered the bed with a thick layer of grass mulch. The mulch keeps the soil moist, protects the cloves from cold and suppresses weeds through the winter. The cloves sit under the mulch for weeks, sending out roots and getting ready to push up their first shoot.

Planting a sprouted garlic clove into the prepared bed. The clove sits beneath a protective layer of grass mulch.

Tucking the garlic clove into the soil beneath the mulch. The mulch protects the clove and keeps the soil moisture even through the winter.

Emergence: The First Green Shoots

After a few weeks in the ground, the garlic starts to push up its first green shoots. The shoot comes through the soil first, then pushes through the grass mulch layer. This is a slow process, and it can take weeks before the first green tip is visible.

Once the shoot breaks the surface, it is catching direct sunlight for the first time. The green tip is the beginning of the plant's photosynthetic life. From this point, the plant's energy shifts from root development to leaf growth.

When the shoots first emerge, they are small and delicate. Do not disturb them. Any damage to the young leaves sets the plant back significantly. Just watch and wait.

A young garlic shoot breaking through the grass mulch layer. The green tip is the first sign that the plant has successfully emerged.

Vegetative Growth

Through winter and early spring, the garlic plants grow steadily. The leaves become taller and more numerous, and the plants start to look like small clumps of upright green blades.

This is the stage where the plant is building its structure. Every leaf that grows is producing energy that will eventually be stored in the bulb. The more leaves the plant produces, the larger the bulb will be at harvest.

During this phase, the root system is also expanding. Garlic roots are shallow and spread out horizontally. They need steady moisture to keep growing, but they do not like to sit in waterlogged soil.

Keeping the mulch layer intact is important during this stage. The mulch holds moisture in the soil, keeps the roots cool and suppresses weeds that would compete with the garlic. If the mulch starts to break down, top it up with fresh grass clippings or dried leaves.

This is also the stage where feeding matters. The garlic plants are building leaf mass, and they need a steady supply of nitrogen to keep growing. The beds were prepared with chicken feather fertilizer before planting, and the slow release of nitrogen through the season is what feeds the plants through this growth phase.

Rows of young garlic plants growing through the grass mulch. Upright leaves and a strong stem are signs that the plant is building toward bulb formation.

Bulb Formation

Around late spring, the garlic plant starts to shift its energy. The stem thickens at soil level, and the plant begins to transfer energy downward to swell the bulb underground.

This is the most important stage for the final harvest. Everything the plant does now determines the size and quality of the bulb. If the plant is stressed during this phase, the bulb will be small or poorly formed.

During bulb formation, watering needs to stay consistent. Do not let the soil dry out, but do not flood it either. A steady moisture level supports even growth.

We also applied a top dressing of chicken feather compost during this stage. The feather compost releases nitrogen slowly, feeding the bulb without burning the roots. This is the same fertilizer we use across the whole garden.

You can tell the bulb is forming by looking at the base of the plant. The stem thickens and turns from green to pale white just above the soil. This is the top of the bulb becoming visible.

The thick stem base of a garlic plant emerging from the mulch. This is a sign that the bulb is swelling underground.

Watering and Feeding

Garlic needs consistent moisture through most of its growth cycle. But the watering changes at the end of the season. Once the leaves start to turn brown and dry, stop watering. Too much water at this stage can cause the bulbs to rot in the ground.

During the main growing season, water the bed deeply once a week. A slow, deep soak encourages the roots to grow down and out, which supports stronger bulb formation. Light daily sprinkles only wet the surface and do not reach the roots.

The grass mulch on the bed is important here. It slows evaporation, keeps the soil cool and holds the moisture from each watering. Between the mulch and a weekly deep soak, the garlic receives enough water without the soil ever becoming waterlogged.

For feeding, garlic does not need much. The feather compost in the bed at planting gave the plants enough nitrogen through the season. A light top dressing during bulb formation is usually all that is needed.

If the plants look pale or slow to grow, a light liquid feed can help. We use a fish liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength, applied once or twice during the vegetative stage. Full strength is too strong for garlic and can encourage leaf growth instead of bulb formation.

Harvesting Garlic

Garlic is ready to harvest when the leaves start to turn yellow and dry. This is not a sign of a dying plant, it is the sign that the bulb is fully formed and ready to be lifted.

The timing is important. If you harvest too early, the bulb will be small and the cloves will not be fully formed. If you wait too long, the bulb can start to split and lose its papery protective skin.

We harvested ours when about half of the leaves had dried back. The remaining green leaves were still standing, but the outer leaves were starting to brown and curl. This is the sweet spot.

To harvest, use a garden fork to loosen the soil around the base of the plant. Then gently lift the bulb out of the soil. Do not pull the plant by the stem, or you will break the stalk and lose part of the bulb.

Shake the loose soil off the roots, but do not wash the bulbs. The papery skin is delicate, and washing can damage it. Leave the bulbs in a dry, airy spot to cure for two to three weeks. Curing hardens the outer skin and helps the garlic store for months.

A freshly harvested garlic bulb held up above the rest of the crop. The papery skin is intact and the roots are dry and clean.

What I Learned From Growing Garlic

Garlic taught me that patience is the most important tool in the garden. Here are the main lessons from this crop:

1. Soaking cloves in water speeds up sprouting.
   Placing garlic cloves in water before planting triggers dormancy breaking and gives them a head start. Change the water daily and do not leave them soaking too long.
2. Plant them the right way up.
   Pointed end up, flat base down. This small detail makes a difference in how quickly the shoot emerges.
3. Mulch is essential.
   The grass mulch layer keeps the soil moist, protects the cloves through winter and suppresses weeds through the season.
4. Water deeply, not often.
   A weekly deep soak is better than daily light sprinkles. It encourages deeper roots and stronger bulbs.
5. Stop watering before harvest.
   Once the leaves start to turn brown, stop watering. Too much water at the end can rot the bulbs.
6. Harvest at the right time.
   Wait for half the leaves to dry back. Do not wait too long or the bulbs will split and lose their skin.
7. Cure before storing.
   Dry the bulbs in a cool, airy spot for two to three weeks before storing. This hardens the skin and helps the garlic last for months.

Gardening Lesson

Garlic rewards patience more than almost any other crop.

Soak the cloves, plant them the right way up, mulch the bed, water deeply and wait. For months, the plant looks like nothing is happening. Then, one day, the leaves turn brown and the bulb is ready. Pull it up, cure it and you have garlic that will last through the year.

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Evergreen Hideout Agricultural Services
Soshanguve, Pretoria, South Africa
Growing Knowledge. Growing Food.