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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18 Mar 16, Jessica (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, Im a first time garlic grower, and I wanted to find out if I should be putting in sticks or something to keep the leaves straight up? Or can they just bend over the pot with out issues?
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26 Mar 16, tony (Australia - temperate climate)
I have been growing garlic for a few years now and I just let them do what they want to do...
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03 Mar 16, Greg (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
You can get great fruit n veg stock, lots of great garlic from a nursery at crystal creek near numanba vally . Greg
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29 Feb 16, Tony (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Thanks for your reply Ann - I have been searching the web for a week and I think I have exhausted all the web-sites, including green Harvest. GH have seed but what they have in stock is more suited to cooler winters than we experience here. I have found some Italian Red in the Hunter Valley - but it has sprouted - I guess I'll just have to take the risk and plant it now - at least a month early and hope for cooler weather. Thanks again for taking the time Tony
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29 Feb 16, Anne Gibson (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Tony, I suggest you try Green Harvest online catalogue. Or pick up from Witta (near Maleny) if you're on the Sunshine Coast. They have a mail order supply of garlic from March. March/April is the ideal time for planting in subtropical climate.
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29 Feb 16, Tony (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi - I am looking to purchase seed garlic. Because I live in sub-tropical Australia, I believe I should grow soft neck garlic such as Southern Glen, GlenLarge or Italian Red. Not interested in Russian (Elephant) garlic.Hoping to buy 1kg. does anybody know of a supplier of seed-stock of any of these? Every supplier I have tried has run out of stock - I have left my enquiry a bit late. Many thanks for any replies.
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20 Feb 16, Rhonda (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, We have been growing garlic successfully for years and loving it. When they were harvested this year they were left in the sun to cure and some of them went green. Can I still cook with the green ones or will they be bitter. Cheers, R
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04 Oct 15, Kate (Australia - temperate climate)
I have forgotten to plant my garlic , but have garlic nodes that are shooting out of the soil. The temp is 10-30 most days and the garden only gets sun til midday.
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10 Jul 15, Arthur Makhalemele (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)
where do I get garlic seeds or bulbs in south Africa?
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17 Jun 15, Wendy (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I was rod to leave in the ground/pot for 2 years before harvesting Is this correct
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Showing 261 - 270 of 577 comments
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Heres an answer for garlic, I grow about 300 plants a year and get good results with about 90% of the cloves coming in at 5cm in diameter plus. Season. Garlic takes up to 9 months to mature. Plant in autumn, late March to May, harvest November to December. Clove selection. Plant only the largest cloves, at least the size of your top thumb joint, I have big hands so I plant cloves 2- 2.5 cm across. Its easy to eat the biggest and the best, its better to plant the biggest and the best. Spacing. I plant 15 - 18 cloves per square metre, 25cm apart in rows 25 cm apart. With 30 cm + paths between 4 rows. It's easy to crowd them, and the yield in terms of weight may be much the same, but bigger garlic are a lot more fun and much easier to use in the kitchen. Sunlight. Whilst garlic can tolerate low sun during the winter months it needs 8 hours direct sunlight during the early and late growth stages. So lots of clear sky when it's maturing, September onwards. If your nutrition is right, (and soil acidity is right) then water could be the problem. While not much water is needed in winter, the ground should be kept moist through the season, especially in spring. A shallow watering is best the roots don't go down more than 30 cm max. Once to twice week during the maturing season. We cant control the weather, but avoid flooding (and applications of nutirients) during the final few weeks to lessen the chance of fungus attacks and sprouting. Garlic likes a moderate amount of lime (dolomite), you can rely on the recommended amount at least two weeks before planting and once every three years. Maturity. Look for tops fading in colour, a weakening of the stem near the base and a flattening of the top of the bulb when (gently) exposed Thats a lot and there's a lot more. It's a labour of love and a lifetime. And I'm sure others will have other suggestions, this is just a framework of what has worked for me. Planting at the moment actually. Regarding shallots most of the above also applies but Im not much of an authority. Shorter season length, but most of the above applies. I plant under the same conditions as garlic but only a few dozen and get good results.

- Ken WIlson

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