Your comments and tips

07 Aug 09, John (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi, we have been growing garlic now for 5 years on a pretty small scale, about 1 acre. Have been to field days, read literature & spent too many hours looking on the net. This has to be one of the most frustrating things I have ever been involved with. Some say it is swamp plant & you can't over water, others say to let them dry out a few times as it encourages growth. Heaps of fertilizer, very little fertilizer, sandy soil is best, loam is best etc. etc. Like an earlier post let the bulb tell you, ha ha. But it is true. For our purple garlic plant in March April with mild fertilizer, we use blood & bone. We water as you would any other plant, use a moisture meter or stick you fingers in the soil to see how dry/wet it is. Occasionally top dress with b&b. Pull one out every few weeks & see what it says. One thing that is common to all advice is to not water for the last 3-4 weeks (noted when the leaves start to turn yellow & die off) as this will produce a very slimy skin not easy to work with & hard to stop rot. Again pull one up & have a look at what it's doing, it will let you know same as a citrus, potato or anything else. Just takes time to get to know it. Hope this adds to the confusion, I know I still am.

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31 Jul 09, Tam (Australia - temperate climate)

I put my garlic in a while ago, and it sprouted well with strong leaves. However, it all then died off all at once - I don't think I was doing anything different at the time!!! Any suggestions about what might of happened. Am in Geraldton WA...

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28 Jul 09, Mel (Australia - temperate climate)

I've only had my garlic cloves in the ground for a few months. they are growing well and the leaves are nice and tall. The leaves are starting to turn yellow. some leaves green some yellow. what does this mean? do they need fertilizer? are they dying? is it too cold?

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25 Jul 09, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hi Al - Good companion plants for potatoes include horseradish, or comfrey planted between then slashed as mulch (its deep roots bring potassium up into its leaves - as a mulch the potassium is then released into soil for the potato) Also peas/beans used in same way. Haven't heard of garlic with potato. I do scatter chopped up garlic amongst lettuce seedlings as a temporary deterrent against slugs.

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01 Jul 09, Al (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Is garlic a good companion plant for potatotes? Or should potatoes grow in their own space?

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23 Jun 09, Garry (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

The aussie garlic seems to grow well in Coraki.Nth NSW.

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21 Jun 09, gareth (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

somethings eating my garlic HELP PLEASE!!!

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08 Jun 09, potato queen (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

aussie Garlic season starts again in Aug/Sept. Aussie garlic has small cloves unless you buy the Russian (elephant) garlic (still Aussie) which is related to leeks. Chinese garlic looks better because it has been bleached and sprayed with a sprout deterent (which is why you wont grow cloves from Chinese garlic only green shoots). Aussie garlic is better for you & supports our ecomony (it is expensive because we only grow 10% of the garlic we use , our farmers are not subsidised and can charge for the good quality they produce).

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29 May 09, Tricia (Australia - temperate climate)

I want to plant some garlic, but Im really confused as to what type! I have bought some local garlic as well as chinese, the chinese cloves look so much better and the local is very small! help!! can someone tell me the difference between them apart from looks?

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26 May 09, patsy (Australia - temperate climate)

I have just put in my cloves but this time in large pots where tomatoes have just finished up. Soil was well fertilised home made from compost with added magnesium. Cloves are Australian as the Chinese are apparently bleached. Looking forward to great garlic, fingers crossed. Good for the chooks too. Natural wormer:)

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