Elephant Garlic Bulbs – Giant Garlic

With its mild, sweet flavour and subtle garlic notes, Elephant Garlic offers a delicious alternative to traditional garlic and is especially wonderful roasted, grilled, or incorporated into savoury dishes.

Despite its name, Elephant Garlic is actually more closely related to leeks than true garlic. Its oversized bulbs and broad, blue-green foliage make it an interesting addition to the edible garden, while its easy-going nature makes it rewarding for home gardeners. Plant cloves in fall for a large summer harvest, then cure the bulbs for use in the kitchen.

Why You'll Like It

Impressively Large Bulbs: Produces oversized bulbs with substantial cloves that are easy to peel and prepare.

Mild, Sweet Flavour: Offers a gentler taste than traditional garlic, making it excellent for roasting, grilling, and fresh culinary applications.

Easy-to-Use Cloves: The large individual cloves make food preparation simple and convenient.

Unique Edible Garden Addition: Broad foliage and giant bulbs bring something different to vegetable plots and culinary gardens.

Plant Details

Botanical Name: Allium ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum
Common Name: Elephant Garlic
Plant Type: Perennial bulb, commonly grown as an annual crop
Bulb Colour: White to creamy white, sometimes with purple markings
Flavour: Mild, sweet, and subtly garlicky
Harvest Time: Summer, typically after fall planting
Established Height: Approximately 60–120 cm (24–48 inches), including flower stalks
Light: Full sun
Planting Depth: Approximately 5–8 cm (2–3 inches) deep, pointed end up
Plant Spacing: Approximately 20–30 cm (8–12 inches) apart
Soil: Fertile, loose, well-drained soil
Maintenance Level: Low to moderate
Frost Tolerance: Cold hardy; fall planting is suitable in many cool-climate gardens
Edible: Yes; grown for its large, flavourful cloves

Growing Information

Light Requirements: Plant in full sun for the strongest growth and best bulb development.

Watering: Water consistently during active growth, keeping the soil evenly moist but never waterlogged. Reduce watering as the foliage begins to yellow near harvest.

Planting: Separate the bulb into individual cloves just before planting. Plant cloves pointed end up in fall, approximately 5–8 cm deep and 20–30 cm apart to allow room for the large bulbs to develop.

Maintenance: Keep the planting area weed-free and provide consistent moisture through spring and early summer. Remove flower stalks if you want to direct more energy toward bulb development.

Long-Term Care: Harvest when the lower leaves begin to brown and the bulbs have developed fully. Cure in a dry, shaded, well-ventilated location before trimming and storing. Small corms that develop around the bulb may take additional seasons to grow into full-sized bulbs.

Great For

Home Vegetable Gardens • Culinary Gardens • Fall Planting • Roasting • Grilling • Giant Edible Bulbs