I'm in NH and plant hardneck garlic in late October. You can see what happens but it's probably not worth the garden space. I expect scapes to start forming in another month. I don't think your cloves would have a chance of developing into bulbs but it depends on the garlic season in your area. Harvest is sometime in August I think (I'd have to check my notes) so it would be a good time to find fresh bulbs. Farmers markets will have some.

Without knowing your location it is impossible to answer the question with any accuracy. But the odds are that yes it is far too late to plant garlic and have any hope of a harvest this year unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere.

Dave

I plan on planting on Halloween (and usually forget), then harvest June/July. Nancy

Thanks all.

I meant to add that I'm in S.E. Pa. (zone 6B).

I guess I'll have to wait another year...

I planted some grocery store garlic a couple years ago in late spring after it had been sitting on the counter too long and growing little green nubs. It didn't grow very big, but, it was garlic.

If you plant now, you won't get large bulbs; you might get a round (which would grow into a bulb next year) or just garlic scallions. Garlic scallions are not bad - if you choose to grow store-bought garlic for that purpose, plant them densely, a couple inches apart. A square foot of space will grow a lot of garlic scallions.

it's so late that it is early. :)

Plant in October/November for next year's harvest.

"it's so late that it is early. :)"

haha I thought the same thing when I first read this thread. The OP is about 5 months too early for planting garlic.

Rodney

I think defrost49 has the right advice there, wait till fall, in the mean time, search out a bit of garlic that has been grown in your area, probably give you the best results, then start saving your best bulbs for your own seed, won't take many years to build your own stock.

It can't hurt anything to find a spot for 6 garlic bulbs. I'd go ahead and plant them, then depending on what they've done, either just leave them till next year or dig, harden off and replant in late Fall.

Just buy it from your grocery store. Plant a clove or two. I do this all year whenever the cloves start to sprout. I now live where there are no gardeners who "STEAL" my garlic that is drying! THAT really makes me upset! Any garlic that forms into a nice bulb gets dried in the shade, and eaten by us. Those bulbs are good, and not about to sprout, so I just keep up my supply from the grocery. We use a lot of garlic here.

I planted some garlic I had leftover last spring. It comes up but it doesn't make big heads. It makes tiny cloves that all have shoots. Then it volunteered this spring. I've been pulling garlic shoots and then they just grow back. I learned my lesson garlic is for fall.