How to Grow Elephant Garlic: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Most people don’t realise that elephant garlic isn’t actually garlic at all. It’s a type of leek, which explains why the flavour is milder and the cloves are absolutely massive compared to regular garlic. I’ve been growing it in my allotment in Yorkshire for several seasons now, and honestly, it’s one of the most satisfying crops you can plant. Those enormous bulbs never fail to impress when you pull them from the ground, and they’re considerably easier to grow than true garlic. The confusion about what elephant garlic actually is doesn’t stop it from being brilliant in the kitchen or wonderfully straightforward in the garden. If you’ve got a sunny spot and reasonably decent soil, you’re already halfway there. The real beauty of elephant garlic is that it’s fairly forgiving of mistakes whilst still rewarding you with a proper harvest.

How to Grow Elephant Garlic

Before you start planting, it’s worth gathering everything together. I’ve found that being organised from the outset makes the whole process much smoother, particularly if you’re planting multiple cloves.

Essential Materials

You’ll need elephant garlic bulbs for planting, which you can source from garden centres or specialist suppliers. Make sure you’re buying bulbs specifically sold for planting rather than eating, as these will be certified disease-free. Each bulb contains several large cloves, and each clove will grow into a full-sized bulb. For soil preparation, you’ll want some well-rotted compost or farmyard manure. I collect mine from a local stables, but garden compost works brilliantly too. A balanced fertiliser with a reasonable amount of potassium is helpful, though not strictly essential if your soil is already decent. For more on this, see our guide on from windowsill to garden: a complete spring onion guide.

You’ll also need a trowel or dibber for making planting holes, some horticultural fleece if you’re worried about frost damage, and mulching material like straw or wood chips. A watering can is useful during dry spells, though elephant garlic is surprisingly drought-tolerant once established. If you’re growing in containers, choose pots at least 30cm deep with good drainage holes.

Soil and Site Preparation

Elephant garlic needs full sun and well-drained soil. The drainage bit is absolutely critical because waterlogged conditions will rot the cloves faster than you can say ‘allium’. I’ve lost entire plantings to heavy clay that didn’t drain properly, so if your soil is anything like the sticky stuff we have across much of the Midlands, you’ll want to work in plenty of organic matter and perhaps some horticultural grit.

The pH should ideally be between 6.0 and 7.0, which suits most UK soils without amendment. If you’re unsure, a simple soil testing kit will tell you what you’re working with. The site should be somewhere you can leave undisturbed for eight to nine months, as elephant garlic has a long growing season. I clear any perennial weeds thoroughly before planting because you won’t want to be digging around the bulbs once they’re established. You might also find from seed to harvest: my method for growing french beans helpful.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Timing Your Planting

Elephant garlic needs a period of cold weather to develop properly, which means autumn planting is best for UK growers. I plant mine between late September and early November, depending on when the weather turns properly cold. The cloves need about four to eight weeks of temperatures below 10°C to trigger bulb formation. If you plant too early whilst it’s still warm, you’ll get lovely leafy growth but disappointing bulbs.

Spring planting is possible if you miss the autumn window, but your bulbs will typically be smaller. Plant as early as you can, ideally in February or March when the soil is workable. I’ve done both, and autumn planting consistently gives me larger bulbs. The extended growing season makes all the difference.

Step 2: Preparing the Cloves

Break your elephant garlic bulb into individual cloves shortly before planting. Don’t do this weeks in advance, as the exposed cloves can dry out or become vulnerable to fungal issues. Each clove should have its papery skin intact. Choose the largest, healthiest-looking cloves for planting. Those small cormels (tiny bulbils) that sometimes cluster around the base can also be planted, but they’ll take two seasons to produce full-sized bulbs.

Inspect each clove carefully and discard any that show signs of mould, soft spots, or damage. In my experience, planting dodgy cloves is a waste of space because they rarely develop properly. Some growers soak cloves in a weak solution of bicarbonate of soda before planting to reduce fungal diseases, though I’ve not found this necessary with good quality bulbs.

Step 3: Planting Process

Make holes about 10-15cm deep using a dibber or trowel. Space them 15-20cm apart in rows that are 30cm apart. This might seem generous, but elephant garlic develops substantial foliage and needs room to grow. Plant each clove with the pointed end facing upwards and the flat basal plate (where roots emerge) facing down. This orientation matters because an upside-down clove will still grow, but it wastes energy turning itself around.

Cover the cloves with soil and firm gently. Don’t compact it too much, as this can impede drainage. Water them in if the soil is dry, but don’t saturate it. I then add a 5cm layer of mulch over the bed. This suppresses weeds, helps regulate soil temperature, and gradually breaks down to feed the soil. Straw works brilliantly, though I’ve also used leaf mould with good results.

Step 4: Winter and Spring Care

Through winter, elephant garlic sits relatively dormant. You’ll see green shoots emerge, usually by late December or January. These first leaves are surprisingly frost-hardy, though severe cold can damage them. If temperatures are forecast to drop below minus 5°C for extended periods, covering plants with fleece provides useful protection. In milder parts of the Southwest, you might not need to bother at all.

Come spring, growth accelerates. Keep the bed weed-free because elephant garlic doesn’t compete well with vigorous weeds. I hand-weed around the plants rather than hoeing deeply, as you don’t want to damage the developing bulbs. Water during dry spells, particularly from April onwards when bulbs are sizing up. I aim for soil that’s consistently moist but never soggy.

Step 5: Managing Scapes

Around May or June, many plants will send up a flower stalk called a scape. This curls around in a distinctive spiral before straightening and producing a flower head. There’s debate about whether to remove these. Removing scapes directs energy into bulb development rather than flower production, which theoretically gives you larger bulbs. I remove about half of mine and leave half, which gives me scapes for the kitchen whilst still getting decent-sized bulbs from the rest.

If you do remove them, wait until they’ve formed a complete curl but before they straighten. They’re delicious chopped into stir-fries or pestos, with a mild garlicky flavour. Cut them close to the base of the plant using clean secateurs.

Step 6: Recognising Harvest Time

Elephant garlic is ready to harvest when the lower leaves turn brown and die back, whilst the top three or four leaves remain green. This typically happens in July or early August. Timing this right makes a difference to storage quality. Harvest too early and the bulbs won’t have developed their protective outer layers. Leave it too late and the bulbs can split or the outer wrapper deteriorates.

Stop watering about two weeks before you plan to harvest. This helps the bulbs cure naturally and the skins to toughen up. On a dry day, loosen the soil around each bulb with a fork, working carefully to avoid piercing the bulbs. Lift them gently, shaking off excess soil.

Step 7: Curing and Storage

This step is absolutely critical for long storage. Lay your harvested bulbs somewhere dry and well-ventilated, out of direct sunlight. I use a covered area in my greenhouse with plenty of air circulation. Leave the foliage attached initially. The bulbs need two to four weeks to cure properly, during which the outer skins dry and harden.

Once fully cured, trim the roots and cut the stem to about 2cm above the bulb. Brush off any remaining soil, but don’t wash them. Store in nets or paper bags in a cool, dry place. Properly cured elephant garlic stores for six to eight months. I’ve had bulbs last through to the following spring, though they gradually lose moisture and potency.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Drainage and Waterlogging Issues

The single biggest killer of elephant garlic is poor drainage. I’ve learned this the hard way. Even a few days of waterlogged soil can cause basal rot, where the bottom of the bulb turns mushy and the whole plant collapses. If you garden on heavy clay, raised beds are your friend. I built mine using scaffold boards and filled them with a mixture of topsoil, compost, and grit. The difference was remarkable.

Similarly, overwatering during the growing season causes problems. Elephant garlic has relatively modest water needs compared to many vegetables. The soil should dry out between waterings. Stick your finger in the soil, and if it’s moist 5cm down, hold off watering. During rainy spells across British summers, you might not need to water at all.

Planting Depth and Orientation

Shallow planting leaves cloves vulnerable to frost heave and drying out. I initially planted mine only 5cm deep, following advice meant for true garlic, and had mixed results. Elephant garlic benefits from deeper planting. The 10-15cm depth I mentioned earlier provides insulation and stability.

Getting the orientation wrong isn’t fatal, but it does slow establishment. I’ve planted a few upside down accidentally and they did eventually emerge, but weeks later than properly oriented cloves. With large elephant garlic cloves, it’s usually obvious which end is which, but if you’re unsure, the pointed end goes up.

Harvesting Too Late

It’s tempting to leave bulbs in the ground as long as possible, thinking they’ll continue sizing up. They won’t. Once the plant signals it’s done by dying back, the bulbs have reached maximum size. Leaving them longer just increases the risk of the outer wrapper layers decomposing, which reduces storage life. I’ve had late-harvested bulbs where the beautiful white wrapper had turned grey and papery, and they didn’t keep nearly as well.

Weather plays a role too. If we get a particularly wet July, I’ll harvest slightly early rather than risk rot. You can always use elephant garlic fresh, even if it’s not perfectly cured, so better to harvest cautiously than lose your crop.

Expert Tips

Extending Your Harvest

One thing I’ve discovered is that elephant garlic is essentially two crops. During spring growth, you can carefully harvest a few of the outer leaves for use in cooking, treating them like spring onions. Take no more than one or two outer leaves per plant, and only from your largest, healthiest specimens. This won’t significantly impact bulb development but gives you fresh greens from March onwards.

The scapes, as mentioned, are another harvest opportunity. Some folk grow elephant garlic specifically for scapes, planting densely and not worrying too much about bulb size. If you’re tight on space, this approach makes sense because you get a worthwhile crop without the long wait for mature bulbs.

Dealing with Regional Variations

UK growing conditions vary enormously from the mild, wet Southwest to the drier East Anglia and the colder Scottish regions. In maritime climates like Cornwall or the Western Isles, fungal diseases are more problematic due to high humidity. Ensuring excellent air circulation and avoiding overhead watering helps considerably. I visited an allotment near Truro where the grower spaced plants 25cm apart specifically for this reason.

In drier eastern counties, you might need to water more regularly through summer. A friend growing near Bury St Edmunds found that mulching heavily with straw made a huge difference to moisture retention. In colder areas, fleece protection through the worst of winter isn’t just nice-to-have but often essential. The Scottish Borders can be brutal on autumn-planted alliums.

Improving Your Soil

Elephant garlic isn’t particularly demanding nutritionally, but it responds well to good soil. Rather than chasing specific fertiliser formulations, focus on building organic matter. Each autumn, I spread a layer of compost over beds destined for elephant garlic the following year. This improves structure, drainage, and nutrient availability.

If your soil is acidic (common in areas with high rainfall), adding garden lime six weeks before planting helps. Don’t lime and manure simultaneously because they react. Get the pH sorted first, then add organic matter. Conversely, if you’re on chalk downland with alkaline soil, you won’t need lime at all.

Saving Your Own Planting Stock

Once you’ve grown elephant garlic successfully, you can save your own bulbs for replanting. Choose the largest, healthiest bulbs from your harvest and store them properly. Come autumn, break them into cloves and plant as before. This saves money and, over several generations, you’ll develop a strain adapted to your specific conditions. I’ve been replanting saved stock for years now, and it performs better than bought-in bulbs.

Watch out for gradual size reduction, though. If you always save the largest bulbs for eating and plant smaller ones, you’re inadvertently selecting for smaller plants. Reserve your absolute best specimens for seed stock, even if it pains you not to eat them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I grow elephant garlic in containers?

Absolutely, and it works surprisingly well provided the container is large enough. Use pots at least 30cm deep and 30cm wide, with excellent drainage. Fill with a mixture of multi-purpose compost and grit or perlite to ensure good drainage. Container-grown elephant garlic typically produces slightly smaller bulbs than ground-grown, but the quality is identical. You’ll need to water more regularly because pots dry out faster than beds. I’ve grown perfectly respectable elephant garlic in large terracotta pots on a sunny patio. The advantage is you can position containers in the sunniest spots and protect them easily from extreme weather.

Why are my elephant garlic bulbs small and undivided?

This happens when plants don’t receive adequate cold exposure. Elephant garlic needs that period of cold temperatures (below 10°C for several weeks) to trigger the biological process that divides the bulb into separate cloves. If you planted late in autumn or in spring, or if we had an unusually mild winter, the bulb may develop as a single round rather than dividing. These rounds are perfectly edible and, if replanted, will usually produce proper divided bulbs the following year. It’s frustrating but not a disaster. To avoid this, plant by early November at the latest and choose a variety suited to UK conditions.

How do I know if my elephant garlic has developed rust or other diseases?

Rust appears as orange or brown pustules on leaves, typically during damp weather in late spring or summer. It looks alarming but rarely kills plants outright. Remove badly affected leaves and ensure good air circulation. Avoid wetting foliage when watering. White rot is more serious, causing yellowing leaves and fluffy white fungal growth on the bulb. There’s no cure, and affected plants should be removed and binned (not composted). Don’t plant alliums in that spot for at least eight years. Botrytis causes grey mould on leaves and bulbs, usually in very wet conditions. Good drainage and air circulation are your best prevention. I’ve found that problems are rare if you start with healthy planting stock and provide the right growing conditions.

When exactly should I stop watering before harvest?

Stop watering about two weeks before you plan to harvest. This allows the soil to dry somewhat and helps the outer bulb layers cure naturally whilst still in the ground. The timing depends on weather conditions. If we’re having typical British summer weather with regular showers, you might not be watering much anyway. If it’s genuinely dry, stopping water when you see the lower leaves starting to die back is about right. The bulbs won’t suffer from a fortnight without additional water at this mature stage. In practice, I watch the weather forecast and, if rain is predicted, I harvest before it arrives rather than waiting for perfect conditions. Wet soil makes harvesting messy and increases drying time afterwards.

Can I plant elephant garlic cloves from supermarket bulbs?

Technically yes, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Bulbs sold for eating haven’t been certified disease-free and may carry problems into your garden. They’re also sometimes treated with sprout inhibitors to extend shelf life, which obviously prevents them growing. You might get lucky and have them grow perfectly well, but you’re taking a risk. Proper planting stock isn’t expensive when you consider that one bulb gives you multiple cloves, each producing a full bulb. I’ve heard of people having success with bulbs from markets or farm shops, but I stick with certified stock because I’ve worked too hard improving my soil to risk introducing white rot or other persistent issues.

Do I need to rotate elephant garlic like other alliums?

Yes, rotation matters. Don’t plant elephant garlic (or any alliums including onions, leeks, chives, or true garlic) in the same spot more than once every three to four years. This reduces disease build-up and prevents nutrient depletion. Alliums are generally light feeders, so they fit well after heavy feeders like brassicas or potatoes. I follow elephant garlic with legumes, which fix nitrogen and benefit from the residual soil structure improvements. Keeping track of rotation on an allotment can be challenging, but even a simple sketch map saves confusion. Some persistent allium diseases like white rot can survive in soil for years, making rotation absolutely essential for long-term success.

What’s the difference between elephant garlic and regular garlic in terms of growing?

Despite the name, elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum) is more closely related to leeks than true garlic (Allium sativum). In practical growing terms, elephant garlic is generally easier and more forgiving. It’s less fussy about soil, more tolerant of less-than-perfect drainage, and less susceptible to diseases. The bulbs are much larger, sometimes reaching the size of a small apple. The flavour is considerably milder and slightly sweeter than true garlic. Growing techniques are similar, with autumn planting and summer harvest, but elephant garlic typically needs more space due to its size. True garlic varieties are often categorised as softneck or hardneck, whilst elephant garlic doesn’t fit neatly into these categories. For beginners, I actually recommend starting with elephant garlic because it’s more likely to succeed even if conditions aren’t perfect.

Wrapping Up

Growing elephant garlic successfully comes down to understanding its basic needs and working with your local conditions. The long growing season from autumn planting to summer harvest means patience is required, but the actual work involved is minimal. Once planted, these robust plants largely look after themselves provided drainage is adequate and they’re not competing with weeds.

I’ve found elephant garlic to be one of those crops that builds confidence. When you pull those enormous bulbs from the ground, there’s genuine satisfaction in having grown something so impressive from a single clove. The mild flavour makes them versatile in the kitchen, and they store brilliantly if cured properly. Whether you’re working with a small container on a balcony or a full allotment plot, elephant garlic deserves a place in your growing plans.

The key points to remember are straightforward: plant in autumn for best results, ensure excellent drainage, provide full sun, keep beds weed-free, and harvest when the foliage tells you the time is right. Avoid the common pitfalls of waterlogging and late harvesting, and you’ll be rewarded with bulbs that last months in storage. Start with good quality planting stock, and within a few seasons, you can be saving your own. Give it a go this autumn and see for yourself just how straightforward this impressive crop really is.

Author: Megan Walker

Megan focuses on seasonal food, kitchen garden growing, and how households can reconnect with where their food comes from. Her writing blends practical growing advice with ideas for cooking and eating in season. With a passion for fresh ingredients and sustainable living, Megan’s articles help readers make the most of local produce while supporting British farms.