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

04 Jan 09, Maureen (Australia - temperate climate)
I don't want to buy bleached Chinese garlic & can't find Aussie kind so have decided to grow some, if I plant the bleached Chinese bulbs will the toxic chemicals transfer to the new garlic while growing?
03 Jan 09, Cooper (Australia - temperate climate)
Jodie - a local producer here in the Uppper Hunter is growing organic garlic and selling online - google the name 'Patrice Newell Garlic'. Happy hunting.
31 Dec 08, Ben Knox (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Gday, we live right up the mountain end of the Ovens Valley,N.E. Vic and have just harvested our first galic crop, fully organic. Its a good one! We grew tommies, capcicums, eggplants and corn in that patch last summer and are thinking to do a green manue crop like clover instead of more vegies then letting it rest for the winter. Wondering if this is the best way to go. Our soil is some of the finest untouched flood plain soil you will ever see, is well drained, full of worms and grubs, well mulched and completly clean. What are the thoughts of our fellow organic growers? Have a great day and happy new year to you all. Ben and Katie.
18 Dec 08, Wendy (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I live in Ballarat I planted mine in March and when I pulled some up in October they were like spring onions..so I phoned a grower who told me "Don't pull them up.. they look like that for ages and then they "bolt" and you will get a nice bulb.. which is what has happened.. We have had a cold wet winter and a not much better spring and summer ..I just just pulled some up as the tops fell over.. and still I have 20 plants till going strong.. If you put the cloves in oil please keep it in the frig and/or only cook with it ..as it can produce the botulism toxin in an anaerobic environment and this toxin is destroyed by cooking .. I am wondering now when to plant my next crop so would like to hear from anyone in my area Wendy
14 Dec 08, jason (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
hi we have been getting good rain at our farm in newry victoria , what happens if i plant some garlic now, as lm about to head away for 3 weeks over christmas and had some laying about my kitchen used, and its still cool weather?
03 Dec 08, Don Owen (Australia - temperate climate)
Christine, be aware that storing garlic in olive oil can produce dangerous toxins as it is too alkaline. Some acidifier such as vinegar must be added. There are many net references to this so I'd google this for more info. Don
23 Nov 08, Susie (Australia - temperate climate)
I also have the same problem as Wayne ... single bulb like an onion and the tops have browned off. I purchased the plant at a local Nursery (Melbourne). I look forward to hearing from anyone on this. I am a first time garlic grower.
16 Nov 08, Jodie (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, could anyone tell me where I can find Australian garlic online?
14 Nov 08, Rosie (Australia - temperate climate)
So happy to have found this site!! I have planted garlic for the first time and it is just starting to flower- i remember reading somewhere that if I cut the flower off the energy which would have been used for the flower goes down into the bulb and makes the garlic stronger. Is this an old wives tale or true??
11 Nov 08, Wayne (Australia - temperate climate)
I planted garlic in march this year and the tops have already statred to brown off. I am in Sydney is this normal??? secondly i pulled up one plant which was only one bulb, the same shape as an onion! where are all the small cloves to make up my bulb???
Showing 851 - 860 of 909 comments

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.

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