A gardener has shared a warning to anyone planting garlic, as she explained the common mistake that many people make
Amber O’Connor Money and Lifestyle reporter U35s
02:18, 25 Oct 2025
The gardener shared the advice in a social media post (stock photo)(Image: Getty)
A gardener has urged people not to repeat a common error when planting garlic this autumn. Sharing her tip on social media as Rosa’s Kitchen Garden, the nutritionist and gardener shared advice on her popular TikTok account. She said: “If you’re planting garlic this autumn, then please don’t make this mistake.
“The mistake that a lot of people make is planting it too shallow. Garlic needs to feel the cold in order for the cloves to properly divide, but not so shallow that it freezes and gets lifted up by the frost, especially in the UK with our cold, damp winters.
“So you want to plant your clove about two inches deep, pointed at the end up, and around six inches apart from each other, to allow itself some room.” She explained: “If it’s too close to the surface, then frost can push it out, and it will just sit there and never really form into a proper bulb, and you’ll be really disappointed come next July to August.”
Rosa also shared a warning about a common supermarket mistake. She explained: “Another thing is don’t plant supermarket garlic. It’s often treated to stop sprouting, and you’ll just end up disappointed.
“Also, some supermarket garlic comes from China, so if you’re trying to grow Chinese garlic in a UK climate, then it’s just a recipe for failure basically. So if you’re going to plant garlic this autumn, then buy seed garlic or elephant garlic from a proper supplier.”
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Rosa added: “Once your garlic is planted, I always top mine with mulch. I use leaves, compost, or even a thin layer of straw just to protect it from the heavy frost and to keep in the moisture, and then I just forget about it. I let the cold do its thing and divide up the cloves.
“So don’t worry if you see nothing for weeks, come spring, you’ll have some little green shoots. and then hopefully by summer some big green shoots will start to die back, and then it will be ready to harvest.”
Viewers appreciated the tips, and the video gained over 20k views. Several commenters also shared questions, reports the Express. One such social media user wrote: “Should I cover it with straw or more compost (left from my tomatoes)?” Rosa replied: “Yes that’d be great mulch!”
The gardener shared advice for fellow enthusiasts (stock photo)(Image: Getty)
Someone else asked: “I’m just about to build my new greenhouse, is this good to grow in? I’m based in Ireland.” Rosa said: “I garlic needs the frost, so the bulb divides. So I wouldn’t recommend growing it in a greenhouse!”
Another comment said: “How much do you water? Also some of mine have already produced green shoots, I’m not sure if I should be worried it’s a big soon.” Rosa answered: “I only water over summer when it’s really dry, in winter they shouldn’t need watering! When did you plant them?”
The viewer clarified it had been a few weeks, to which Rosa said: “It’s usually a good sign, just leave them, don’t cut back. Check soil isn’t waterlogged, and keep your fingers crossed!”
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