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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02 Jun 13, Andrew (Australia - temperate climate)
Hello there, can anyone tell me if I can use cloves from garlic that has been sitting inside my fridge to plant them? Im new to this but would like to start growing my own garlic as I eat it a lot, thanks heaps!
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05 Jun 13, Matty T (Australia - temperate climate)
Buy some Australian grown garlic as it won't have been treated. Put in the fridge for a week. Separate the cloves and plant out, but you'd better do it soon. Make sure you put some compost and NPK fertiliser on them. Add some nitrogen fertiliser in the spring. They are ready for harvest when the stalk goes a bit soft and droops at ground level. Enjoy your fresh garlic!
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13 May 13, John Shannon (Australia - temperate climate)
Can I plant, just a organic garlic clove? Says can plant in May.
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07 May 13, lizzy (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi. Last year we planted organic garlic that sprouted very well. When the sprouts died off we harvested the same clove we planted! No bulb had formed in any of them. It had been pretty rainy. Have planted in a pot this time. Was it something I did or just the rain? I'm in the Northern Rivers.
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13 May 13, Garry&Denise (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Lizzy,we also live on the Nth Rivers..I have been growing the same Garlic for many years and find that if i prep beds with cow poo & Blood and bone with a little garden lime.You may get the same great results we get,failing that get some new bulbs and try them...Cheers
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02 May 13, Joe Cassar (Australia - temperate climate)
When is the best time to sow garlic, living on the south coast of NSW. Best methods of nurturing and general care?
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24 Mar 13, Christine (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I would be interested in some of the pearls of life. How do I contact you? And of course how much? Planting location is Laidley. Is this suitable? (retyped by Liz)
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14 Feb 13, Sharon (Australia - temperate climate)
Can anyone please tell me where I can get seeds for the Chinese green garlic leaves - I buy it from my veggie shop in bunches and use it for stirfrys. The garlic chives are not as big as the ones the Chinese sell
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18 Feb 13, Sara (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Your Garlic stems are just plain garlic growing in the garden. Instead they harvest the shoots before the bulbs mature. It is a wise thiNg to grow your own.
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21 Jan 13, barry (Australia - tropical climate)
Hi i am in Palm cove and planted argentine garlic last march, and only now i have one sprouting what variety is suitable forcairns climate
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Hi, we have been growing garlic now for 5 years on a pretty small scale, about 1 acre. Have been to field days, read literature & spent too many hours looking on the net. This has to be one of the most frustrating things I have ever been involved with. Some say it is swamp plant & you can't over water, others say to let them dry out a few times as it encourages growth. Heaps of fertilizer, very little fertilizer, sandy soil is best, loam is best etc. etc. Like an earlier post let the bulb tell you, ha ha. But it is true. For our purple garlic plant in March April with mild fertilizer, we use blood & bone. We water as you would any other plant, use a moisture meter or stick you fingers in the soil to see how dry/wet it is. Occasionally top dress with b&b. Pull one out every few weeks & see what it says. One thing that is common to all advice is to not water for the last 3-4 weeks (noted when the leaves start to turn yellow & die off) as this will produce a very slimy skin not easy to work with & hard to stop rot. Again pull one up & have a look at what it's doing, it will let you know same as a citrus, potato or anything else. Just takes time to get to know it. Hope this adds to the confusion, I know I still am.

- John

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