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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10 May 12, Michele Dorey (Australia - tropical climate)
As we are going into winter without barely any rainfall how often should I water my garlic I've planted them in today. Thanking you
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25 Apr 12, Dave Taylor (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi, I've just moved to Brisbane from the UK (where I left a healthy crop including Elephant, Albigensian, Solent and Lautrec White growing on my allotment) and I'm just starting a veg bed here. Where is the best place to get my seed garlic and do you get different varieties or should I just buy a bulb of Australian garlic and plant the cloves?
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11 Jun 12, (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Supermarkets recently had 'Australian-grown' garlic labelled as 'suitable for planting'
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27 Apr 12, janama (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Dave - I bought Australian grown garlic from the local supermarket and all have sprouted. I noticed it didn't seem to matter what size the cloves were as the small ones sprouted just as well as the large ones. As I mentioned before some of the Chinese and Mexican garlic won't sprout.
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08 Jun 12, selena (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
the imported garlic is treated with a chemical that retards sprouting. - all the more reason to grow your own.
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03 May 12, Tim (Australia - temperate climate)
Diggers Club have a comprehensive range Garlic varieties including early and late.
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15 Apr 12, janama (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Kate - where did you get the cloves? Some of the imported garlic has been irradiated so it won't sprout. The best bet is to get Aussie grown garlic bulbs .
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14 Apr 12, kate (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I have planted 20 cloves of garlic and only 3 have come up? Can anyone tell me why I only got 3 out of of 20 cloves to shoot? Very odd.
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09 Apr 12, janama (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Tonight, at the height of the Virgo Moon (earth sign) in the third quarter (root crops) I planted over 50 garlic cloves into soil fortified with composted cane mulch and cow poo. They were aussie grown garlic cloves.
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12 Mar 12, kylie (Australia - temperate climate)
hi I was wondering what the best soil conditions are and can i plant AFTER a crop of tomatoes has been in?
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Showing 671 - 680 of 908 comments
See comments for all plants

It is a bit of trial and error. Have good draining soil. Little plants need little waterings more often, daily, big plants a lot more water less often, 2-3 times per week. General rule dig down into the soil 50-70mm to see how moist the soil is. You will quickly learn that say a crop of lettuce might need 60 sec of watering. Whereas some mature tomatoes plants need 2-3 minutes.

- Another gardener

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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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