Looking to harvest your garlic and onions a little earlier? Planting them in the fall and leaving them in the ground through winter can give a better yield than garlic and onions planted in the spring.
You can grow them in beds or in containers nearby your house to watch their progress as they thrive and for easy access to garlic chives and onion greens!
What are the Best Conditions for Planting Winter Garlic and Onions?
Garlic and onions are some of the most carefree crops you can cultivate. However, they do have preferences when it comes to their growing conditions.
When to Plant Your Garlic or Onion
The bulbs need 6 to 8 weeks of freeze-free growth to be ready for winter, so estimate your zone’s the first killing frost or hard freeze in the fall and count back 8 weeks. This will give the garlic and onions time to acclimate before the weather turns cold.
Where to Plant Your Garlic and Onions
Garlic and onions do well in full sun and like fertile, well-drained soil. This allows the bulbs to grow larger and helps to prevent rot.
It is best to rotate your crops’ locations. So, don’t plant garlic in a bed where you had onions the previous year, and vice versa.
How to Plant Winter Garlic and Onions
Prepare Your Planting Site
You can directly sow your garlic and onion into the ground or you can plant them in containers. If you choose to plant in containers, select a container that is at least 18-inches in diameter.
- Use a spade to loosen the soil where you want to plant them.
- Then level the ground.
- Next, dig the furrows 3 to 4 inches deep.
- Add 1 to 2 inches of compost to the center of the furrow. This helps with drainage and adds nutrients.
- You might want to add a nitrogen-rich fertilizer in the late winter to prepare the plants for growth once the weather warms.
Prepare Your Bulbs
When you receive your bulbs, you will want to prep them to improve their growth rate and size. Here’s what you need to do:
- The first thing that you need to do is soak the bulbs in water that has not been chlorinated or treated in any way because the chemicals can harm the bulbs.
- Then, just fill a container with water, dump the bulbs in and leave them overnight. This will hydrate the bulbs and give them a 5-to-7 day head start on bulbs that have not been soaked.
Plant Your Bulbs
- Place the bulbs in the compost that you added to each furrow and cover them with soil, about 3 inches deep for garlic and 2 inches deep for onions.
- Plant them every 4 inches in rows 6 inches apart. Put them root-side down, pointed end up.
- Then add 1 inch of mulch over the top of the bulbs.
- When sprouts appear a few weeks later, add 3-5 inches more mulch or straw. This will protect the bulbs over the winter and minimize the weeds.
What Garlic and Onion Varieties Are Best for Winter Planting?
The best varieties depend on where you live. Filter your garlic and online search by your zone. You can also check your state’s agricultural department for suggestions then find them in our inventory.
You can also ask others what varieties they’ve had luck with in your area, then experiment with varieties until you find several that do well and give you the garlic flavor that you desire.
Two fan favorites of onion include Yellow Stuttgarter and White Snowball.
And a great winter variety of garlic is Chinese Pink Hardneck, but most varieties will winter well. Remember that there are a lot of varieties, each with its own unique flavor, so keep experimenting until you find the ones that you and your family love.
Some popular winter onion varieties are:
- White multiplier onions
- Yellow potato onions
- Kentucky Hill
- Red
- Yellow
- Greeley
- Valencia
- Talon F1
- Bandit Leeks
- Red Baron
- Evergreen
- Hardy White
- Ailsa Craig
- Walla Walla
What Should You Do as the Weather Warms?
If the weather warms, you might want to water the beds and do your best to keep them weed-free. Adding mulch between the plants can help with both.
Keep notes on what you have planted and what the conditions were over the winter, then track your harvest and how you like the garlic and onions that you harvest. This way you will be able to determine what you will want to plant in the future.
Garlic, Onion, and Chives: Culinary Staples
You might not make a meal of either garlic or onions, but you will love the extra flavor that they will add to your home-cooked meals. Additionally, these lovely crops provide you with a wonderful winter gardening activity that the whole family can enjoy. Just remember to plant some mint, too, to help freshen your breath.
