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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07 Mar 18, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Read through the information and comments on the Garlic page - Click on the Vegetables and Herbs tab and then Garlic. Set the zone to Temperate Australia at the top of the page.
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24 Feb 18, Leonie (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Have just discovered your website, wow, it's fantastic!
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08 Feb 18, Hermien (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
Can I plant in Nort West.
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17 Jan 18, Monika (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi when it the best time to plant garlic in Qld in a sub-tropical climate .
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19 Jan 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
This site is a self help site. It is for people to look up when how and why to plant vegetables in the their part of the world and their climate zone. Go to the home page and work it out. Go to vegetables - select the crop - select climate zone and read. It is all there.
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07 Jan 18, Carolyn (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, I have 4 Pearl Garlic Plants that all have a head of seeds on them. The seeds are still white. do I wait for them to go black before I collect the seeds. And when I do - how do I go grow from seeds. when do I plant the seeds in the ground? I also have a bag of pearl garlic dried cloves from the Barossa (I am in Melb) - when can I plant the dried cloves. Would it still be in March/April? Any help would be appreciated :-)
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09 Jan 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I would suggest you research on the internet - how to grow garlic from seed. A lot easier and quicker from the bulbs I think.
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18 Jan 18, DavidG (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I suggest saving 4-6 bulbs from each crop, divide the cloves and plant them. Simple and 100% strike rate
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22 Feb 18, Tony.E. (Australia - temperate climate)
If your plant that smells like garlic has a stem with a seed pod at the top then it is not a garlic, it has the name giant russian garlic or elephant garlic, but it is not a true garlic it is closer related to the leek family. True garlic does not grow seeds.
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17 Jul 18, Ray S (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I’m afraid that’s not quite correct Tony. Garlic can and does set seed though only some varieties manage it. There is at least one breeding program, in Israel I believe, using true garlic seed to develop new varieties, among other things. It took them a while to track down varieties that do set seed but they managed. I have heard that the variety Duganski sets seed readily.
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Thanks for the tip on shortest / longest day stuff. How do you distinguish between a soft and hard neck? I looked up a website and all they had was a white bulb and a light purple bulb.

- Anonymous

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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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