When to Plant Onions & Garlic

Onion Seeds

• To grow onions from seeds, start the seeds in flats in early spring approximately eight weeks before planting time. Plant seeds in plant tray, spacing seeds 1 to 2 inches apart. Cover lightly with seed starter and keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate. Transplant seedlings to the garden as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring.

Onion Transplants

• Onion transplants can be purchased in plant nurseries or greenhouses in early spring. Transplant the seedlings to the garden as soon as the soil can be worked. Space onion transplants 4 inches apart in rows. Position the transplants at their original planting depth.

Onion Sets

• Onion sets are miniature onions ready to be planted in the garden. Plant them with the pointed end facing upward to a depth of 1 inch spaced 4 inches apart in rows. Onion sets may contain a green or yellowish shoot as they often begin to sprout before planting time. Unless the bulb is soft, planting onion sets with sprouts does not harm your onions.

Garlic Cloves

• Plant garlic in the fall, particularly in areas with short summers. Choose the largest and firmest cloves -- generally those on the outside of the head of garlic -- for planting. Plant to a depth of 3 inches and cover with soil. Garlic can also be planted in the spring, but it must be planted early to allow the foliage to develop before weather warms and bulb formation begins. Spring planting can be done as soon as the soil can be worked.

Considerations

• Onion varieties are typically labeled as long or short day. This refers to the length of the daylight when bulb formation begins. Choose long day varieties for northern climates and short day varieties for southern gardens.

  Both hard-neck and soft-neck garlic can be grown in the home garden. Hard-neck varieties produce a flower and small bulbs at the tip of the stalk, whereas soft-neck varieties do not. For the home gardener, soft-neck varieties often produce a bigger head of garlic with larger cloves, especially in northern climates.