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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28 Dec 09, Vicki (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Has anyone had any experience of garlic virus? Is is easy to recognise, and is it a problem anyway? I've heard that it may affect keeping qualities, and also that it can be spread by aphids and/or thrips. I planted several varieties this year, and some were starting to develop yellow "stripes" (lengthwise) on the leaves. I'm not sure if I should be using any of this to plant next year, or whether it's safer to buy new bulbs. If so, does anyone know where I can get certified virus-free bulbs?
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26 Dec 09, (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
my garlic seems to have a head of garlic seed that has shot from the plant that grew well. this started in oct . i have harversted it all. The head is purple and has about 50 tiny garlic bulbs in it and the size of a 50 cent piece i assume this is a head of seed
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19 Dec 09, Julie (Australia - temperate climate)
Well, the large garlic seems to have come good after all! I gave up on it and left it alone, but when I dug up a few, they had fomed cloves after all. I'm sure now that if I had continued to water them they would have split.
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02 Dec 09, Julie (Australia - temperate climate)
Pete and Wendy, you might be right about the fertiliser. It was planted on time, and we had late rain, right through spring, so plenty of moisture. Though I thought it got enough feeding, the bulbs did turn out smaller than usual - very disappointing! But when I stopped watering and let it dry it had formed cloves. Not so the large garlic - I've given up on that. More like a leek with a bulbous end. Oh, well, better luck next year!
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27 Nov 09, Pete&Wendy (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
We have been growing organic garlic on the Sunshine Coast for nearly 20 years Garlic that is falling over and not forming full bulbs can be caused by late planting, lack of nutrient, either from invasive tree roots, or not enough fertiliser. Lack of moisture can also cause this. The "round" is still either edible or will still grow a bulb the following season. For Garlic that is reshooting this can be caused by planting seed stock that has been "long cold stored" 1degree will cause this to happen. For growing garlic in the warmer climates, variety is important. Try and get a variety that is climatised to our warmer winter. Garlic likes it cool. A trick a customer told me was he gave it a frost by mulching it with a bag of ice regularly!
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17 Jul 23, Karen sakas (USA - Zone 10a climate)
Trying to get an answer I’m in west palm beach Florida zone 10. I want to grow garlic. Can I?
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05 Jun 22, Janelle Jeffery (Australia - arid climate)
Just wondering can I plant garlic bulbs early winter ? I live outback NSW
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20 Nov 09, Frank J (Australia - temperate climate)
Some of my Garlic is not developing properly,(about 50% of the plants bulbs are not turning into cloves), It all came from the same stock, i have about 200 plants.It is Garlic that i have used for 5 - 6 years.
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20 Nov 09, ken cook (United Kingdom - cool/temperate climate)
garlic is very forgiving, it would grow if you dropped one on the ground. Garlic is best using some of each crop the following years. it will acclimatise itself to the surroundings and soil type and eventually be top quality stock.alternate location to avoid disease.
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12 Nov 09, Randall679 (Australia - temperate climate)
I'd really like to buy some new seasons garlic ... maybe 10kg. I live in Melbourne. Will pay shipping.
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Showing 801 - 810 of 919 comments
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Heres an answer for garlic, I grow about 300 plants a year and get good results with about 90% of the cloves coming in at 5cm in diameter plus. Season. Garlic takes up to 9 months to mature. Plant in autumn, late March to May, harvest November to December. Clove selection. Plant only the largest cloves, at least the size of your top thumb joint, I have big hands so I plant cloves 2- 2.5 cm across. Its easy to eat the biggest and the best, its better to plant the biggest and the best. Spacing. I plant 15 - 18 cloves per square metre, 25cm apart in rows 25 cm apart. With 30 cm + paths between 4 rows. It's easy to crowd them, and the yield in terms of weight may be much the same, but bigger garlic are a lot more fun and much easier to use in the kitchen. Sunlight. Whilst garlic can tolerate low sun during the winter months it needs 8 hours direct sunlight during the early and late growth stages. So lots of clear sky when it's maturing, September onwards. If your nutrition is right, (and soil acidity is right) then water could be the problem. While not much water is needed in winter, the ground should be kept moist through the season, especially in spring. A shallow watering is best the roots don't go down more than 30 cm max. Once to twice week during the maturing season. We cant control the weather, but avoid flooding (and applications of nutirients) during the final few weeks to lessen the chance of fungus attacks and sprouting. Garlic likes a moderate amount of lime (dolomite), you can rely on the recommended amount at least two weeks before planting and once every three years. Maturity. Look for tops fading in colour, a weakening of the stem near the base and a flattening of the top of the bulb when (gently) exposed Thats a lot and there's a lot more. It's a labour of love and a lifetime. And I'm sure others will have other suggestions, this is just a framework of what has worked for me. Planting at the moment actually. Regarding shallots most of the above also applies but Im not much of an authority. Shorter season length, but most of the above applies. I plant under the same conditions as garlic but only a few dozen and get good results.

- Ken WIlson

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