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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25 Aug 18, Edward Shayne Solomon (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)
When do i plant garlic.Iam in St Helena Bay Western Cape
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13 Aug 18, Michael (Australia - temperate climate)
Over the last couple of years I have had really poor garlic crops which I have put down to fusarium rot. I have since read that it is endemic to Australian garlic (shop purchased).Same this year , so I bought some Mexican or Argentinian stock, planted it in April and it grew beautifully, until most of it started to sprout shoots up the middle from the developing cloves. I left it until the middle of July then pulled it all up.to use as soft fresh garlic. Surprisingly about 10% of the plants were fully mature and dried well, also had a very good root system.Too much N2 climate change or just a warm Perth Autumn. My Australian garlic (March) is still struggling away Any other ideas
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14 Aug 18, Mike L (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Perth's climate is the opposite to East Coast - wet winter and dry summer. It says here plant April to June. It takes about 6 mths for garlic to grow. Maybe better to plant May or June - don't over fertilise it. It is variable weather - not climate change. Climate is the weather of 30 years.
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20 Jul 18, Prakash (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Is it late to plant garlic in July in nz subtropical
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13 Jul 18, Julie hall (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Where iam at the moment it get verry cold and forsty in the morning I know it.s may be a bit late to plant garlic but will it still be ok to plant it now or preferably when the frost almost over towards modd August i think ingoulburn Unless the cloves are not effected by the frost
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16 Jul 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
For cool/mountain it say plant Apr/May so you are too late. If you plant now the crop may fail. You could try - wouldn't plant too many though.
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16 Jul 18, Ray S (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
You could certainly try planting now, the sooner the better because garlic needs to go through the cold to get a decent size to it. The plants are totally unaffected by frosts down to at least -12°C which is what we get here in July. Just for your information, I usually plant garlic late March for a November harvest. In Goulburn you could probably wait until April/May. Good luck with it.
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17 Jul 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
A saying - plant the shortest day of the year and harvest the longest day. 21st June - 21st Dec.
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15 Jun 18, Jeff Hann (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
During the garlic growing period. What fertiliser, how often & how much to use, please.
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16 Jun 18, Mike L (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
If you started with good rich soil then you don't need to add more fert. Any all round fert will do. 10-14 N 4-8 P 10-14K @ 2-3 teaspoons per 9 L of water. Or use an organic fert at the recommended rate.
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my Zone 10A garlic, all in rectangular containers 24" length x 7.5" width, x 6.5" height, is sprouting well also, with some shoots up to about two inches. I had several garlic bulbs I intentionally kept in my refrigerator for a couple months, divided them into cloves, peeled them to avoid mold and decay, and kept the separated cloves open to the light at room temperature until they started sprouting. When the majority had tiny green shoots, I selected the best cloves (solid, no spongy or discolored parts) and planted them shallow with the very top of the clove showing as per advice from an internet container gardening site. I am really being careful not to overwater and it looks like all the cloves sprouted green shoots, but after a couple weeks I did have birds pull up maybe eight out of thirty or so of the newly sprouted cloves, so I replanted the missing ones with a more cloves, then added about an inch more soil over the top, and so far the birds have not raided again with the cloves now about two inches deep. Lesson learned: the internet advice for container gardening to plant the cloves with the tip showing is an invitation to be raided by birds. Solution: plant deeper, maybe two inches below the soil surface, even in shallow containers.

- Dave in California Zone 10A

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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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