These tiny buds will develope into new cloves. When the daytime light lengthens these buds will begin to grow faster. The plant begins to grow rapidly when the ground temperature warms up in spring. Where winters are harsh and cold and the snow cover is so unreliable that garlic freezes, plant soft-necked varieties in the spring after the danger of hard freezing has passed. Preparing the Garlic Bed Select a sunny area for planting and growing your garlic.
Full sun is good.
Garlic needs a deep fertile well drained soil with lots of organic matter worked in. Raised beds work fine. Use a powdered dolomite lime applied a least 6 weeks before planting if needed to change the soil pH. For sandy loam or rocky soils, work in about two inches or more of well rotted compost. For clay soils work in 4 or more inches of compost and other organic matter. The soil should be loosen to a depth of a least 8 inches.