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 Canada - Zone 4b Temperate Warm Summer regions)

  • P = Plant cloves
  • Easy to grow. Plant cloves. Best planted at soil temperatures between 10°C and 35°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 10 - 12 cm 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
  • Mature cured garlic
  • Almost ready to harvest
  • Garlic cloves
  • Mature cured garlic
  • Young garlic shoots

Garlic is traditionally planted in cold weather and harvested in summer ("plant on the shortest day, harvest on the longest"). Plant the cloves (separated from the bulb), point upwards, deep enough to just cover with soil. A fairly tough and easy-growing plant but in better soil with regular watering you will get a better crop. On poorer soil, and forgetting to water them, you will still get some garlic, only not quite so much, maybe just a single large bulb.

Leave a garlic to go to seed, and you will probably get plenty of self-sown plants the following year.

To keep for later use, dig up and leave to dry out for a day or so after the green shoots die down. To use immediately, pull up a head when you need it, or cut and use the green shoots.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Garlic

Cut the growing shoots or use the entire young garlic plants as 'garlic greens' in stir-fry.

Your comments and tips

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22 Oct 23, Catherine Morritt (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Is it recommended to separate the cloves from the bulbs right before plating or to do it a day or two before?
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13 Nov 23, Christian (Canada - Zone 7b Mild Temperate climate)
Just remember to only select the largest cloves and eat all the small ones for yourself. The cloves determine the size of the harvested garlic. If you select only the largest cloves then as the garlic grows and the protective outer cloves develop around the centrally planted seed, they will develop to a size that matches the original clove you plant. Small clove = small yield. Large cloves = much larger yield. Being selective about saving only the very best and largest seeds for many different types of plants is going to serve you well. I think my kids are always slightly disappointed that we always have to 'eat the mistakes' while the very best of what we grow is saved as seed for an even better harvest next year. I guess it is the same principle as animal husbandry.
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28 Oct 23, (Canada - zone 4a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Either way.
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13 May 22, CJ (Canada - Zone 5b Temperate Warm Summer climate)
HELLO THERE PLEASE HELP I WANT TO PLANT TOMATOES, CUCUMBERS, LETTUCE, HOT PEPPERS , BELL PEPPERS, GARLIC & ONIONS. I LIVE IN OSHAWA NORTH ONTARIO IN A CONDO SO CAN ONLY PLANT IN CONTAINERS. I HOPE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO HELP - THANK YOU
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See comments for all plants

You could dig up and dry for a day, but in storing them put them in an open tray only one bulb/clump deep. Don't store in a big clump - they will sweat and rot. Your suggestion is pretty spot on. I pull my shallot bulbs out and leave them in the sun for a week or two. Trim the top off and put them in a tray 40mm x 60mm about 50cm deep. Store in the shade so they have air flow around them.

- Anonymous

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