Curious about growing garlic in Arizona? Garlic grows well in AZ, and we're going to look at exactly how to grow it here.

garlic organic hanging from ceiling curing for storage
Garlic hanging to cure for storage

What Type of Garlic to Grow in Arizona

You can grow hardneck or softneck garlic in Southern Arizona!

If you're in a particularly hot microclimate, though, you may have more trouble with hardneck. Conversely if you're in a cold pocket, the hardneck should grow tremendously well for you in Arizona.

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If you'd like to learn more about the difference between hardneck and softneck garlic, check out our article on garlic varieties. Otherwise, keep reading to learn about growing both hardneck and softneck in AZ.

garlic plants harvest grown in garden

Can You Grow Hardneck Garlic in Arizona?

garlic plants growing in raised bed pine needle mulch chop and drop
Hardneck garlic produces delicious garlic scapes, a rare and fleeting culinary treat.

Despite hardneck garlic not usually being grown in the south, Southern AZ is an exception.

Hardneck garlic would never fly in Southern Florida, for instance, because the humidity keeps the winter nights warmer than in the desert.

garlic plants growing in organic hugelkultur raised bed garden
A raised bed garden full of garlic

In Arizona, though, we get more frost and chilly nights in the winter than many other Southern states. The low humidity of a desert climate causes extreme temperature drops not seen in more humid climates. This winter I saw 17F (-8.3C) in my garden, in a climate that regularly hits 117F (47.2C) in the summer!

These chilly nights and frosts seem to be enough to allow us to grow hardneck varieties quite successfully in Arizona.

pink hardneck garlic cloves organic black background
You can't beat home-grown garlic

If you decide to grow hardneck garlic in Arizona, I would suggest vernalizing it in a refrigerator for at least six weeks before in October planting, however.

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Refrigerate in a plastic zip bag with a few holes poked in it. This will maintain some moisture in the garlic, but also allow it to slowly dry out somewhat, and not go moldy.

I have had great success with an unknown red hardneck here in Arizona, which I found a local farm was growing.

I trusted that they had picked a variety of garlic, which would grow in this climate.

I was surprised to find it was a hardneck, but after growing at myself, I can see why. hardneck varieties can absolutely crush it in Arizona!

Check out the red hardneck after I grew it out here:

pink hardneck organic garlic grown in arizona
Red hardneck variety that grew incredibly well for me in Arizona.

This may seem surprising to see in the Southwest, but the cold desert nights and refrigerator vernalization make it possible.

Can You Grow Softneck Garlic in Arizona?

Sure, it'll work!

garlic scapes harvested in bowl from garden
Remember that softneck garlic does not produce scapes like these. If you want garlic scapes, go with a hardneck variety.

Final Thoughts...

fresh garlic cloves and scapes with onions and eggplant on cutting board cooking
Try growing both varieties and see which ones works best for you. The important part is that you're growing your own! Your meals will never be the same again.

Most folks would likely assume that hardneck varieties of garlic would just not do well at all in Arizona. Well, now we know that this just ain't the case!

I encourage you to give hardneck a try if you were located in or around Arizona, and let us know in the comment section whether you have success or not. I believe you will find it to be well worth your while.

garlic plants harvest grown in garden
Fresh hardneck garlic is best-harvested in May in Arizona

Arizona gives us the best of both worlds with a choice of hardneck or softneck garlic, as well as a shorter 7 month garlic season (late-October -to- early-May).

Some climates take as long as 10 months for garlic, so be thankful that this climate can turn out amazing garlic quick!

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garlic plants growing in raised bed regenerative garden
A vertiable forest of garlic, a glorious addition to any garden

It may be unexpected if you're new to Arizona, but garlic may soon become one of your favorite garden crops even in the desert.

Once you've got your first harvest in the bag, check out How To Cure Garlic For Storage.

Happy garlic growing, y'all!

Additional Reading

Want to take your garlic growing to the next level? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Growing Garlic to keep learning.