Growing garlic through the mild Spanish winter

Garlic, Allium sativum, grows through the cool season and forms bulbs as days lengthen. In much of Mediterranean Spain, autumn planting gives cloves time to root before active spring growth. Local conditions still matter: a waterlogged bed, a warm coastal winter and a cold inland plateau require different timing and cultivar choices.

Plant cloves, not a supermarket mystery

Buy healthy planting stock from a nursery or seed supplier. Food-shop bulbs may be treated, carry disease or belong to a cultivar unsuited to the area. Separate the bulb shortly before planting and keep the papery skin around each clove.

Set the flat basal plate down and the pointed end up in sunny, free-draining soil. Space cloves so the final bulbs do not touch and leave room to weed. If heavy rain sits on the bed, raise the planting line or improve the drainage before planting.

Water with the season

Keep the root zone evenly moist during active growth without saturating it. Reduce watering as leaves begin to yellow and stop before harvest so skins can mature. Wet foliage and constantly damp soil increase disease risk.

Harvest on the plant's signal

Lift when lower leaves have yellowed but several upper leaves remain green. Waiting until every leaf is dead can leave split bulbs with poor storage skins. Use a fork to loosen the soil and avoid pulling against firm ground.

Cure before storing

Dry bulbs in shade with strong airflow for two to four weeks, protected from rain. Once skins and necks are papery, trim or braid suitable softneck types. Store in a cool, dry and ventilated place, not a sealed plastic box. Use damaged bulbs first.

Sources and review

This guide was reviewed in August 2026 using the Royal Horticultural Society garlic guide and the Kew Plants of the World Online record for Allium sativum.