Growing Garlic

Allium sativum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
    P P P P            

(Best months for growing Garlic in Australia - sub-tropical 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

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16 Jun 23, (USA - Zone 7a climate)
They should take 17-25 weeks before they're ready to harvest
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11 Jun 23, Allan (Australia - temperate climate)
Can I grow Garlic next to Onions.
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11 Jun 23, (Australia - tropical climate)
Onion, garlic, shallots, and leeks are all vulnerable to onion maggots, so they don't make good companion plants for each other. These maggots can easily move from plant to plant, causing significant damage. To prevent their spread, it's best to plant these allium plants far apart from each other.
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01 Jun 23, Opal Ezell (USA - Zone 8b climate)
Which garlic can I plant in Ms?.When is the best time to plant cloves?
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02 Jun 23, (USA - Zone 8b climate)
For MS (zone 8b), February and March are suitable months for planting cloves. Most garlic varieties are suitable for this region.
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20 May 23, Rich (USA - Zone 8a climate)
If you planted your garlic in early November it should be up now in mid-May. I'm in 6B and mine broke ground in March and April. One thing that will slow it down is if you have a lot of light-colored mulch. That reflects the sunlight so the soil stays cold. If that's the case scrape it back and see what happens. Also if mulch is too thick straw the soil may be too soggy for garlic, although garlic does like quite a lot of water. But not sogginess.
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14 May 23, Trish (USA - Zone 4b climate)
I planted my garlic in early November in a raised garden bed. It’s now mid May. Temperature has been cool. I am not seeing anything coming up yet. Is it too soon to worry?
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20 Apr 23, Carol (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
Hi Feb to April is that the only time to grow Garlic in south africa Or is there another time slot Thanks
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08 May 23, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Probably yes. If you could grow it other times it would say so. Plants need certain soil temperature to germinate and climate conditions to grow and mature.
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27 Mar 23, Tony (Australia - tropical climate)
I live in Townsville and want to see if we can grow garlic. Any suggestions?
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Showing 51 - 60 of 915 comments
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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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