Succeeds in most soils but prefers a sunny position in a moist light well-drained soil. Dislikes very acid soils. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.5 to 8.3. The bulb is liable to rot if grown in a wet soil. Hardy to at least -10°c. The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply. Garlic has a very long history of use as a food and a medicine. It was given to the Egyptian labourers when building the pyramids because it was believed to confer strength and protect from disease, it was also widely used by the Romans. It is widely cultivated in most parts of the world for its edible bulb, which is used mainly as a flavoring in foods. There are a number of named varieties. Bulb formation occurs in response to increasing daylength and temperature. It is also influenced by the temperature at which the cloves were stored prior to planting. Cool storage at temperatures between 0 and 10°c will hasten subsequent bulb formation, storage at above 25°c will delay or prevent bulb formation. Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.

Bulb - raw or cooked. Widely used, especially in southern Europe, as a flavoring in a wide range of foods, both raw and cooked. Garlic is a wonderfully nutritious and health giving addition to the diet, but it has a very strong flavor and so is mainly used in very small quantities as a flavoring in salads and cooked foods. A nutritional analysis is available. The bulbs can be up to 6cm in diameter. Leaves - raw or cooked. Chopped and used in salads, they are rather milder than the bulbs. The Chinese often cultivate garlic especially for the leaves, these can be produced in the middle of winter in mild winters. The flowering stems are used as a flavoring and are sometimes sold in Chinese shops. The sprouted seed is added to salads.

Plant out the cloves in late autumn for an early summer crop. They can also be planted in late winter to early spring though yields may not be so good. Plant the cloves with their noses just below the soil surface. If the bulbs are left in the ground all year, they will often produce tender young leaves in the winter.

Not known in a truly wild situation.