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 USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Plant cloves

September: Garlic can overwinter. Cover with a good layer of mulch . In areas where frost persists into March/ April, expect to harvest your garlic in June/July.

October: Garlic can overwinter. Cover with a good layer of mulch . In areas where frost persists into March/ April, expect to harvest your garlic in June/July.

  • 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 Sep 22, (USA - Zone 6a climate)
Did you plant it the right time of the year.
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18 Aug 22, Kristi (USA - Zone 8b climate)
Hello, we’d like to purchase garlic to grow in FL zone 8b. Which types would you recommend? Thanks so much!
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06 Oct 22, Melinda Schwab (USA - Zone 8a climate)
We use Sam's Club garlic because it is cheap and quickly available.... ours were huge by May after we planted in October. We dug a deep rectangular in ground spot about a foot deep and filled the lower half with horse manure bedding and put blended sandy compost on top of the horse bedding manure (we actually planned on making a "hot bed"/cold frame there but termites usually destroy wood structures here at ground level) and our garlic were big as tennis balls! We recently tried planting in a bed that we didn't put a lot of fertilizer first and got VERY depressing results so I say go big or go home on nutrients in the bed first or you may be disappointed. I really do not think the type as much as the preparation of the bed is what gives the best results. We just wanted a lot of food for the least investment... you may have other goals. Either way... doesn't hurt to fluff up most anyplace with fresh soil/nutrients first.
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18 Aug 22, Gladys (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Can i plant garlic in August?
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21 Sep 22, Bee-Pie (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
Hi Gladys That is not adviced. Garlic is a cool weather crop with a long growing period. Garlic is a relatively easy crop to grow if one follows the "rules" so to speak. The cloves only form and expand during the last few weeks of its growing period. Watch Sean's video on growing great garlic.
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22 Aug 22, (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
It does say Feb to April.
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15 Aug 22, Jacques Labuschagne (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
Can I plant garlic in KZN. It's a hot humid climate in the summer. Will get irrigation and water often.
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06 Aug 22, R Hulse (USA - Zone 7b climate)
There are several types of garlic, but the main two are hardneck and softneck. Hardneck is for colder climates and softneck is for warmer climates. Not sure about elephant garlic or any of the others but you can search the internet to find out what zones they grow best in.
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03 Aug 22, Jeanette (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
I ask if I plant the galic now is a problem or what's time which season I must plant the the galic?
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13 Aug 22, Michael (Australia - temperate climate)
Mid Autumn - late March, April, early May. Harvest in November here in South Australia.
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Just to clarify what I think I understand…. If I buy one bulb of garlic and break it apart into individual cloves, I plant each clove and expect to get a growing bulb. Am I one the right track here?

- Rhonda Bowen

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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. Gardenate 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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