1. Autumn Sowing

Suitable Regions: Areas with relatively cold winters but stable soil freezing periods. This is the mainstream planting method in most parts of China (such as Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, and Hebei).

Specific Time: Generally from late September to mid-October.

Core Principle: Ensure that the garlic seedlings have grown 4-5 true leaves before the soil freezes in winter, at which time the plants have the strongest cold resistance. If sowing is too early, the seedlings will grow too vigorously before winter, consuming too many nutrients and reducing cold resistance; if sowing is too late, the seedlings will be small and weak, also not frost-resistant.

Advantages: After the vernalization process, the garlic bulbs expand fully, resulting in high yield and good quality.

2. Spring Sowing

Suitable Regions: Areas with extremely cold winters, thick frozen soil layers, and seedlings unable to safely overwinter, such as Northeast China, Inner Mongolia, and northern Xinjiang.

Specific Time: Generally from early March to early April, after the soil thaws and the surface temperature stabilizes above 5℃, sowing can begin.

Core principle: Sow as early as possible to extend the growing season and compensate for the lack of natural vernalization. Some spring-sown varieties also require low temperatures during the seedling stage to better form bulbs.

Disadvantages: Shorter growing season; bulbs are usually smaller than those of autumn-sown varieties.