Growing Garlic

Allium sativum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

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

(Best months for growing Garlic in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Plant cloves

September: Garlic can overwinter. Cover with a good layer of mulch . In areas where frost persists into March/ April, expect to harvest your garlic in June/July.

October: Garlic can overwinter. Cover with a good layer of mulch . In areas where frost persists into March/ April, expect to harvest your garlic in June/July.

  • 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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17 May 11, arthur (Australia - temperate climate)
If you want to grow imported garlic purchased from a super market pick out a nice bulb feel around the cloves near the to top, if there is a slight swelling thats the one you want to buy.Get a small con.that will hold water 5mil deep quarter teaspoon thrive or seasol.leave for about three days.plant out 50mil deep.after 2 weeks my plants are now 80 ml high.
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24 May 11, Phe (Australia - temperate climate)
Thanks, I'm going to try this.
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10 May 11, Adam (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
One other company for great Garlic is garlicworld.com. They are based in Port Campbell in Victoria, Simon and his wife.I got some lovely Californis purple from them. Not sure if they'd have any left now. A couple of years ago, I got some Purple garlic which came from Chile. I really don't like to buy out of area stuff, but I figured it would be a one off, and haven't bought much since, except for the garlicworld stuff. Melanie, the garlic is ready when the top wilts and leans over, as Jen has said. Sometimes, the plant goes into flowering mode, but usually not, usually it just falls over. The stem that falls is the bit you use to tie it up with, so if you let it die too much, you won't get the protective outer skin, or something to plait it with. I tend to wait until it looks a bit ratty, but hasn't died completely, about a week or so after it keels over. Then I dig it up, don't pull it from the stem, I learned that lesson the first year.!! Hope this helps.
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02 May 11, Jen (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi melanie, Garlic is usally ready to harvest when the stalks brown off and lean over. If you are desperate for some fresh garlic you can harvest a bulb earlier but must put up with the bulb being smaler.... good luck ..it gets easier with every year
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25 Apr 11, Tony (Australia - temperate climate)
Just wondering what fertilizer i should use for the garlic after planting Kind regards Tony
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20 Apr 11, Bill (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Another source of organic garlic is Kookaburra Organics(google the name). They are based on the Sunshine Coast (Maleny/Conondale) in Queensland. We've just bought some from them for planting for the first time. They seemed very knowledgeable and definately very helpful.
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19 Apr 11, Garry (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have been growing my own Garlic for years..i got the first bulb from woollies..since then never had to buy any.
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10 Apr 11, Melanie (Australia - temperate climate)
I've seen varying information on when to harvest garlic - some say let it flower, other advice says not to let it flower. Does anyone know which is correct?
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14 Apr 11, elfrieda (Australia - tropical climate)
i have heard that is best to harvest after the flowering when the stem dries up, similar to onions.
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05 Apr 11, Ian (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, you can purchase your seeds through the Diggers Club or Eden seeds. Details for both and other places to find seeds can be located through a search engine such as google. Good luck!
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Showing 721 - 730 of 915 comments
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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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