# Growing Elephant Garlic in Your Landscape

- Link: https://lifeandwork.blog/growing-elephant-garlic-in-your-landscape/
- Published: 2026-07-06T21:23:28-05:00
- Author: Bert Swope

Garlic is an easy cold-climate crop to cultivate in many parts of California. It
thrives best in deep, well-draining soils amended with compost or aged manure for
best results.

Hardneck varieties such as Rocambole or Purple Stripe produce flower stalks (scapes)
which can be used to replace chives or scallions in culinary applications without
setting seeds.

## How to Grow

Garlic and allium crops require multiple applications of fertilizer throughout their
growing cycles, depending on soil type, location and fertility management practices
employed by their grower. A good starting point would be incorporating 1,000 pounds
per acre of an analytical 5-10-15 fertilizer containing at least 5% sulfur before
planting the crop and sidedressing at least twice during production with 100 pounds/
acre calcium nitrate (CaNO3) sidedress applications during this production period.

Sulfur applications to the soil will help to regulate its pH levels, particularly
acidic ones. An ideal soil pH level should exceed 6.5 to ensure adequate access 
to essential nutrients.

Typically speaking, higher soil nutrient levels lead to better performance from 
garlic crops. Furthermore, its roots cannot withstand an excess of sand content;
hence soils that have been heavily amended with organic material will yield superior
bulbs.

Garlic is an easy crop to cultivate with minimal insect pests. Its scent can deter
deer, rabbits and voles – providing animal control. Garlic is often grown alongside
other vegetables in raised beds to further control insect pests; however, it can
also be grown as an individual crop.

#### Planting Time

Fall planted garlic and leeks should be ready to harvest within eight months; spring
planted varieties typically take seven months.

To achieve maximum yields, cloves should be spaced 1 foot apart evenly across raised
beds or at 1 foot between rows in open fields – this ensures less dense planting
than when planting on regular garden rows.

According to field trials and experience gained by many commercial growers, approximately
2,000 pounds of elephant garlic cloves will produce 4-7 times their original weight
in weight at harvest. While this figure may seem accurate, its accuracy depends 
on variety, planting time, climate conditions and other variables.

## Soil Conditions

Elephant garlic truly lives up to its name in terms of size, producing bulbs three
or four times larger than regular garlic. A member of the Allium (onion, garlic 
and shallot) family, it boasts mild onion-garlic-shallot-esque flavor without the
bite associated with regular garlic varieties. Elephant garlic’s hardiness ensures
it can return year after year when planted correctly – you won’t miss it next winter!

Soil conditions are key to growing garlic successfully. Leeks and elephant garlic
require light feeding but require loose, fertile soil in order to produce large 
bulbs. Get your soil tested prior to beginning so you can make necessary adjustments
for pH balance and nutrition, especially given our cold climate climate.

Managing weeds is another significant challenge to these plants, as weeds are poor
competitors that need to be controlled actively. If possible, begin your weed management
in the fall when temperatures are cooler; hand weeding and herbicide sprays may 
both work; contact your local extension office for the most effective weed control
strategies for your location.

When planting garlic, leeks or elephant garlic bulbs, it’s best to create beds of
1 to 2 inches deep. For heavy clay soils, amend with organic material in order to
break up and improve drainage; light soils require only small amounts of organic
matter or green manure be applied as part of their amendment plan. A cover crop 
of rye or clover is an effective way of improving soil fertility.

Elephant garlic and leeks differ from other alliums in that their growth season 
can be accomplished quickly after spring or autumn planting; autumn-planted garlic
typically matures within eight months while spring-sown leeks take about six to 
seven months to mature.

To stimulate root development and create healthy bulbs, fertilize your bed according
to the results of your soil test with compost or organic manure as recommended by
it. Avoid chemical fertilizers which kill soil bacteria and repel earthworms.

## Planting Time

Garlic and related alliums (like leeks) are biennial plants that produce leaves 
the first year, flower the following year and eventually form large bulbs in their
second season. It grows from cloves planted in autumn; then harvested the following
summer after their flowers have faded away. Cloves may also be grown during spring
planting but will likely fail to produce large bulbs at that point due to not yet
reaching maturity; for asexual propagation purposes mature bulbs should be separated
out into individual cloves before propagation begins again asexually propagation
often works better compared with bulbils/corms which produce underground bulblets
rather than cloves which provide easier growth rates of garlic plants than do tiny
underground bulblets or bulbils/corms (tiny underground bulbslets).

Elephant garlic thrives best in cool environments to produce large bulbs with delicate
flavors, and tolerating frost while being more sensitive to cold than frost. In 
areas with severe cold, its bulbs should be protected with 8 inches of mulch, or
covered by a plastic tunnel or cold frame to ensure they form bulbs in warm temperatures
if growing outside a greenhouse environment. In warmer regions planting season extends
well into winter for harvest in spring.

This crop requires well-drained, fertile soils. A soil test should be completed 
prior to planting to assess what nutrient amendments will best support its growth,
such as adding organic matter or green manures such as clover. Chemical fertilizers
should be avoided as these can kill beneficial soil bacteria and repel earthworms
from returning.

Planting density is essential to producing large bulbs with higher yields. A clover
or rye grass cover crop should be planted between rows of elephant garlic to maintain
adequate soil moisture throughout its long growing season, while using a harrow 
to break up heavy clay soil will further increase planting density.

Fall planting should take place from September to November for optimal results in
both spring and fall planting, giving crops time to flourish before being compromised
by summer heat and winter storm damage. You can plant closer together for larger
bulbs in raised beds while wide spacing increases production in open fields.

## Care

Elephant garlic differs from true garlic in that it grows as a monocot (it forms
bulbs rather than leaves and flowers each year), so no harvest or division needs
to be performed annually; rather it forms large clumps that deter pests. When harvest
time arrives however, plants should be thinned out when their cloves start separating
from one another and drying out in direct sunlight – an indicator that your harvesting
efforts are ready.

Maintain a proper moisture level for optimal plant growth during spring. Aim for
1 inch of water weekly during this period; when plants begin to wilt it is an indicator
that harvest time has arrived.

As garlic plants are self-incompatible and don’t produce viable seeds, propagation
must occur asexually. Cloves from mature 2-year old bulbs are separated and planted
asexually during Autumn in order to produce giant garlic bulbs the following summer.
Spring planting also works but typically produces smaller bulbs that lack cloves
than those planted during Autumn planting; although bulbils or corms may also be
planted but will take three years before producing giant garlic bulbs in one season.

As with other alliums, elephant garlic prefers well-draining soil that’s high in
organic matter. When planting or sowing seed in heavy clay soils, adding compost
or another organic source prior to sowing. Fertilizers containing both phosphorus
and potassium are particularly important when working with these kinds of soils.

Elephant garlic is closely related to leeks and shares their mild flavor. Commonly
consumed as a vegetable, elephant garlic can be prepared much like other alliums
such as scallions (green onions) or chives; additionally it’s often added into soups
or stews, used as garnish or even made into pickles! As with other alliums it can
also be stored in the refrigerator or dried out in the basement over several months
for easy preservation.

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