Growing Garlic

Allium sativum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

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

(Best months for growing Garlic in Australia - 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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08 Jun 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The one with a bit of a butt or root looking area. Look at a clump of garlic and you will work it out.
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17 Jun 17, Joanne (Australia - temperate climate)
I managed to plant some upside down. They still grew.
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07 Jun 17, Tony Baker (Australia - temperate climate)
I planted my elephant garlic on the 21st April, a bit late this year and it is i going great never have a problem with it. I usually plant it on the shortest day of the year and pull it out on the longest day of the year. Good Luck
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10 May 17, Geraldine Holmes (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Not sure if Brisbane is tropical or sub-tropical but here is my question... I planted garlic last weekend without realising that it shouldn't be near to asparagus. Could you tell me why please? There's just one batch there the othets are near tomatoes and in a pot.
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01 May 17, Fiona (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I planted my garlic in mid April, and it's coming up really well. At the same time, I planted some elephant/giant garlic cloves a friend gave me (grown in his garden nearby). The elephant garlic isn't showing above ground at all. Is this normal that it takes longer to shoot, or did I plant it at the wrong time?
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02 May 17, Jack (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Some bulbs are slower to emerge from the ground. You could carefully scratch around the bulb site with your finger and see if is coming up. The only negative thing I can think of is that the bulbs may have been damp and have rotted. I doubt this.
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03 May 17, Fiona (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Thanks Jack. I might have a scratch around and see. I don't think the cloves would have rotted either. Probably I just need to be patient!
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25 Mar 17, Hannah (Australia - temperate climate)
I am in Sydney, When will be good time to grow garlic ?
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27 Mar 17, Jonno (Australia - temperate climate)
Garlic is normally planted as the season cools down and is harvested in late December. It likes a sunny spot but dislikes competition from weeds so keep it well mulched. Consistent watering is also important for the best yield.
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17 Mar 17, Dianne (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi I have tried growing garlic a couple of times now. Generally I plant on the 23 March and harvest 23 June. First few times garlic was small except for a couple decent sized ones. Last year, I ended up with one large bulb only, on each plant; almost like a small onion. What would cause this to happen?
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David, I also live in Zone 10A but in California (hot and dry, average 10 inches of rain per year), and please IGNORE the Aussie who thinks we do not check our Zone 10A recommendations. I have been container gardening here for a couple years and am still learning, with notable mistakes being not knowing correct planting/harvesting times (I now use this website over anything on a seed package), overcrowding, and overwatering. I have successfully grown garlic in Zone 10A, from store bought garlic cloves that were sprouting tiny green shoots, and they produced but the heads and cloves were only about half the size as the original store-bought, which might be caused by the climate, or more likely from be the mistakes I was making trying to grow new things like crowding, overwatering, and not knowing when to plant or harvest. Anyway, give growing garlic a try and my best advice is to avoid overwatering. I had a lot of cloves rot instead of growing and I think it was because of overwatering. After doing more research I'm trying to grow garlic again by planting some in NOV, and some in DEC, and really monitoring the watering. Even though my garlic was half sized, it still tastes great, so I would rather have half sized garlic I can grow myself than not growing garlic.

- Dave in California Zone 10A

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