Garlic is the gardener's gold for one simple reason: it's harvested in July, when summer is only half over. After the harvest, you're left with a bed of freshly loosened soil enriched by the residual nutrients from the garlic roots — with six to eight weeks of the growing season still ahead. That's plenty of time for a second crop.
Garlic beds have one interesting characteristic: garlic's allicins suppress some soil micro-organisms and partially disinfect the ground. For follow-on crops, this is only a disadvantage on paper — in practice it manifests as clean, well-rested soil, ready for a new sowing.
What to plant immediately after garlic (July)
Radishes — harvest in 3–4 weeks
Radishes are the undisputed champion among follow-on crops after garlic. They're ready in just three to four weeks and you can still fit in a second batch. Sow directly into the prepared bed straight away, thickly in rows. In July and August they germinate in two to three days. The only threat is heat — in extreme temperatures they quickly turn woody and tasteless. Sow into a partially shaded spot or mulch after sowing to keep moisture in and temperatures down.
Lettuce — harvest September–October
A summer sowing of lettuce after garlic is one of the most productive combinations in a small garden. Sow dense rows or transplant lettuce seedlings you've been growing on a windowsill from mid-June onwards. By September you'll be harvesting fresh lettuce while other beds are already finished.
Choose heat-tolerant, bolt-resistant varieties — such as 'Batavia', 'Lollo Rossa' or 'Oakleaf'. If direct sowing, expect to water daily — summer heat dries out the bed fast and young lettuce handles drought badly.
Spinach — autumn and winter harvest
Sow spinach after garlic in August and you'll have a first harvest by October. A hardy variety ('Matador' or 'Giant Nobel') will survive a mild winter and reward you with an early spring harvest from that autumn sowing. Sow in sparse rows 20 cm apart — late-season sowings produce fewer leaves but they're more compact.
Chinese cabbage and pak choi
Chinese cabbage is made for late summer — it struggles in heat but from early August, when temperatures begin to drop, it takes off. Harvest comes at the end of September and in October. Sow directly or transplant seedlings 25–30 cm apart. Excellent for kimchi, stir-fries or braising.
Pak choi is even simpler — harvest the whole plant after six weeks, or pick outer leaves continuously.
What to plant a little later after garlic (August–September)
Winter radish (daikon)
Winter radish grows more slowly but the results are worth it. Sow in August, harvest in October. The large white roots, over a kilogram each, are ideal for fermenting, grating into salads or as a side dish. Grow like carrots: deep soil, regular watering, no nitrogen-heavy fertiliser (the roots would crack).
Lamb's lettuce (mâche)
Sow from late August through to September. Lamb's lettuce overwinters and the first harvest comes in early spring — when there's nothing else in the garden yet. It's a crop that makes every bed earn its keep through winter. Undemanding, hardy, with delicious delicate nutty leaves perfect in salads.
Peas for an autumn harvest
A less common but rewarding choice. Late varieties of peas — 'Kelvedon Wonder' or 'Douce Provence' — sown into the garlic bed in August will be ready to harvest in October, before the first serious frost. Peas root quickly, don't tie up nutrients unnecessarily, and after harvest leave the soil enriched with nitrogen from their root nodules.
What not to plant after garlic
Garlic belongs to the allium family (Alliaceae). After garlic, avoid planting:
- Onions, shallots or leeks — they share the same diseases and pests (onion fly, white rot)
- Garlic again — leave a gap of at least three years before returning to the same spot
- Potatoes — they share blights and diseases that can persist in the soil
How to prepare the bed after garlic harvest
The process is simple and takes about an hour:
- Remove all residues — pull out the garlic foliage and small roots. Healthy leaves can go to the compost heap; diseased ones (showing mould) should be burned or disposed of in garden waste.
- Aerate the soil — lightly loosen with a fork to a depth of 15–20 cm. Garlic compacts the soil over its long growing period.
- Add mature compost — spread a 2–3 cm layer and work it into the top soil.
- Water and wait — leave the bed for one or two days for the soil to settle, then sow or plant.
The garlic bed in July is one of the rarest opportunities in the garden. You're playing with time — and with the right choice of follow-on crop, you'll get a second harvest you hadn't even imagined at the start of spring.