Strawberries with Garlic
Autumn-planted garlic between strawberry rows helps keep fungal pressure and pests down until both are harvested next summer.
Season timeline
- Plant the strawberries
- Plant the garlic
- Harvest the strawberries
- Harvest the garlic
- Clear garlic rows and tidy the runners
Bed layout
Crops in this bed
Step by step
- Plant the strawberriesAug–Sep
Plant young strawberry plants in rows in late summer so they establish before the frosts.
- Plant the garlicOct
Push single cloves 5 cm deep into the rows between the strawberries, pointed end up.
- Harvest the strawberriesJun–Jul (next year)
The following June, pick ripe berries every other day, ideally in the morning.
- Harvest the garlicJul (next year)
Lift the bulbs when the lower leaves brown, and dry them in an airy, shaded spot.
- Clear garlic rows and tidy the runnersAug (next year)
Clear the empty garlic rows, then remove old strawberry leaves and surplus runners.
Harvest calendar
| Crop | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan (next year) | Feb (next year) | Mar (next year) | Apr (next year) | May (next year) | Jun (next year) | Jul (next year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden strawberry | Garden strawberry: Jun (next year) | Garden strawberry: Jul (next year) | |||||||||||||||||
| Garlic | Garlic: Jul (next year) |
The bed over the season
- Garden strawberry · Sowing
- Garden strawberry · Growing
- Garden strawberry · Growing
- Garden strawberry · Harvest
- Garlic · Sowing
- Garlic · Growing
- Garlic · Growing
- Garlic · Harvest
Why this combination works
Garlic releases sulphur compounds that are traditionally credited with suppressing fungal diseases such as grey mould and with deterring spider mites. Planted in October between freshly established strawberry rows, it shares the bed all winter without competing — garlic roots deep and narrow while strawberries spread shallow mats. Both crops mature in the same summer: strawberries in June, garlic in July, so the bed clears in one sweep.
Tips
Plant strawberries by early September at the latest so they root well before winter. Use certified garlic cloves, not supermarket bulbs, which may carry disease. Mulch strawberries with straw in spring to keep the fruit clean and dry. Stop watering the garlic two weeks before harvest so the bulbs cure well.