Growing Garlic

Allium sativum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
        P P            

(Best months for growing Garlic in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Plant cloves
  • Easy to grow. Plant cloves. Best planted at soil temperatures between 50°F and 95°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 4 - 5 inches apart
  • Harvest in 17-25 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Beets, Carrots, Cucumbers, Dill, Tomatoes, Parsnips
  • Avoid growing close to: Asparagus, Beans, Brassicas, Peas, Potatoes

Your comments and tips

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04 Oct 15, Kate (Australia - temperate climate)
I have forgotten to plant my garlic , but have garlic nodes that are shooting out of the soil. The temp is 10-30 most days and the garden only gets sun til midday.
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22 Sep 15, Sharoomadee Naidoo (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
Hi, when should I start planting garlic in MALAWI (Mulanje). Thanks.
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10 Aug 15, Pam (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
I buy my seeds online from Living Seeds which supply organic seeds and products. I have had great success with their seeds. I recently found another site called Organic Seeds, but have not as yet bought from them. Both sites have a large variety of all vegetables, Cape Gooseberry and other seeds. Both sites offer assistance from growing, to product use etc.
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02 Aug 15, PERCY KAGISO MARUMO (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
WHICH IS THE BEST GARLIC VARIETY THAT CAN BE GROWING IN BOTSWANA ?
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10 Jul 15, Arthur Makhalemele (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)
where do I get garlic seeds or bulbs in south Africa?
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17 Jun 15, Wendy (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I was rod to leave in the ground/pot for 2 years before harvesting Is this correct
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21 Jun 15, Brian (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Wendy, Just wait until the tops die off and harvest. Leave them there and the bulbs will just multiply and shoot next year but be very small. If you want, just keep a couple of the bulbs to put back in. I just go to the local roadside market and get new bulbs starting to shoot and plant them each year. Got about 20 this year for $2.00
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02 Jun 15, Thomas tan (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
What fertiliser is best for garlic
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13 Jul 15, Gilberte (Australia - temperate climate)
Compost tea compost tea can be made from your compost. Compost: 1 layer of straw 1 layer of greens (alfalfa, lucern ....)or kitchen scraps sprinkle of wood chips sprinkle of soil sprinkle of cow or other manure sparingly sprinkle with water mixed with two tablespoons of unsulfured molasses and then start the layers all over again until the bail of straw is finished. Cover with black plastic. After 4 days turn compostheap and then every 2 days until no warmth is felt. Fill a bag with the compost and hang it in a drum with water. Either blow air into the water with an airpump or turn the water with a stick so it shapes a vortex. Do this several times during the day. You will have enough organic fertilizer from one compost heap for about a season. (sprinkle your garden vegetables every week or 2 weeks). Always keep your compost heap covered. If you have leafy vegies add a little bit of seaweed concentrate. Do not give sea weed concentrate to your fruiting vegies eg tomatoes, capsicum etc as it will encourage folliage but not the fruit.
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23 Apr 15, (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
I WANT TO GROW GARLIC IN NORTHERN BOTSWANA . WHEN CAN I START GROWING THE CLOVES AND WHERE DO I GET QUALITY CLOVES?
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my Zone 10A garlic, all in rectangular containers 24" length x 7.5" width, x 6.5" height, is sprouting well also, with some shoots up to about two inches. I had several garlic bulbs I intentionally kept in my refrigerator for a couple months, divided them into cloves, peeled them to avoid mold and decay, and kept the separated cloves open to the light at room temperature until they started sprouting. When the majority had tiny green shoots, I selected the best cloves (solid, no spongy or discolored parts) and planted them shallow with the very top of the clove showing as per advice from an internet container gardening site. I am really being careful not to overwater and it looks like all the cloves sprouted green shoots, but after a couple weeks I did have birds pull up maybe eight out of thirty or so of the newly sprouted cloves, so I replanted the missing ones with a more cloves, then added about an inch more soil over the top, and so far the birds have not raided again with the cloves now about two inches deep. Lesson learned: the internet advice for container gardening to plant the cloves with the tip showing is an invitation to be raided by birds. Solution: plant deeper, maybe two inches below the soil surface, even in shallow containers.

- Dave in California Zone 10A

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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