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 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

Your comments and tips

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27 Nov 13, sandy O'Brien (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
beautiful huge flowers on garlic, when do i harvest ?
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21 Nov 13, jo (Australia - temperate climate)
hi all, My Garlic (planted in late may) is throwing out flower stems which I keep snapping off, hoping that it will redirect energy into making big fat bulbs - is this the right thing to do ? when do I harvest it ? thanks Jo
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27 Apr 14, Jo (Australia - temperate climate)
It is not entirely necessary to snap off the flower stems - called scapes - some people do as they claim it makes the garlic store longer, others think it makes no difference. Either way, they are delicious eating, toss them in a stir fry, or stem them and eat like a vegetable with a dob of butter. The garlic flavour mellows out well when cooked!
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09 Nov 13, Karen (Australia - temperate climate)
I have always grown my garlic from bulbs. Can you tell me if there is also good success rate growing from seed? If I collect the seed what time of year would you start to germinate.
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18 Nov 13, Bill (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
It is really hard growing from seed. You should not try it. You should leave it to the experts who know what they are doing. Thanks
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08 Nov 13, joseph mastropaolo (Australia - tropical climate)
I live in north qld where tempretures get quit warm is there a variaty that will grow in hotter climate. We do not get a lot of cold weather also. I am growing some garlic this year but it seems to only be growing one bulb and not making clover
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30 Oct 13, Susie (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Can you tell me about the tiny, hard growths forming on the outside of the garlic bulbs just harvested? They seem to be the beginnings of new bulbs attaching to the existing bulbs.
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19 Oct 13, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Garlic cloves were planted late March early April due the very wet soil. Location Killivan Qld . Wondering why No flowers have appeared yet. Usually harvest in November.
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17 Aug 13, fred (Australia - tropical climate)
what is the best variety of garlic to grow in NQLD for commercial production
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29 Oct 13, allen (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
i grow purple stripe at childers qld i have found it easy to grow.harvesting late aug.i have 50000 seed to plant this year. allen
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Showing 311 - 320 of 577 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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