Growing Garlic

Allium sativum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
		P	P	P	P	P

(Best months for growing Garlic in Australia - cool/mountain 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

18 Jul 10, (Australia - cool/mountain climate): My garlic is being eaten almost completely by some animal - best guess rabbits, wallabies or possums.
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27 May 10, Chris@Gardenate (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Jim, there are successful commercial growers in Australia. There was an item on radio 2BA breakfast show in Bega around 8th March this year interviewing a local garlic producer - their website probably has it still available.
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13 Jun 10, hzprstn (Australia - temperate climate): Excellent coverage of garlic growing in Oz on Landline ABC tv Sunday 13th June 2010, program repeat on Monday 14th probably also available online later....... every time I buy a bulb in Woolies I plant half the cloves, I'm not quite self-sufficient but getting there ! the fresh stuff is so much better ! Like onions, it's the bulbing up phase that is tricky - sometimes the weather is against you. I plant anything that sprouts in the kitchen lol
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24 May 10, marina (Australia - sub-tropical climate): we planted garlic and on checking under the mulch there seems to some mould forming,any information on what we should do.thnks
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27 May 10, (Australia - cool/mountain climate): If the garlic is going mouldy it might not be viable. If it's just coming off the mulch then it won't be a problem as it's just the mulch breaking down.
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24 May 10, James (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I have planted my garlic in March / april this year .. leaves are up nicely but many starting to show yellowing in the leaves .. does anyone know what this means ? is it a nitrogen deficiency or something else I should be fixing?
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15 May 10, Neville Chandler (Australia - temperate climate): Eden seeds in Queensland supply garlic bulbs for planting. They appear to sell in minimum of 1 kg lots. I bought some purple garlic and it appeared within 7 days of planting.
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11 May 10, Maryanne (Australia - cool/mountain climate): My question isn't about garlic but ginger. I'm wondering why gardenate has no reference to ginger? :(
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13 May 10, Chris@Gardenate (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Hi Maryanne, we set up gardenate to provide reminders for planting veges. It's expanded a bit since then, but we haven't got around to ginger yet.
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10 May 10, Glen (Australia - cool/mountain climate): can someone advise where to buy good garlic for planting in the Blue Mountains/western sydney area?
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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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Allium sativum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

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