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

12 May 10, tony (Australia - temperate climate)
hello,is there a good hot garlic verietiy that i can plant in the warmer months,such as summer.
03 Apr 10, cees koeman (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
what is the best variety of garlic to plant in the high country 1200meters above sealevel .Snowy mountains of NSW. and where do I buy ? I want to start now! Thanks ,Cees.
02 Apr 10, lee (Australia - temperate climate)
hi, we would love to grow organic garlic but i have no idea where to buy seeds/bulbs,can you buy them online,we are in port macqurie,will they grow in our climate?
28 Apr 10, peter (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi, We can supply organic Russian garlic seed if you need some. We are in Coffs area cheers Pete
04 Nov 10, Garry (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hey i am after some Russian Garlic Peter,Can you help me out ? Gusrok@ymail.com
29 Mar 10, Cathii (Australia - temperate climate)
@Donna & Mathew ... I tend to just pick up a few heads of garlic from green grocers or supermarkets. You can find some 'seed' suppliers at the Canningvale Markets on Bannister road.
27 Mar 10, Donna and Mathew Anderson (Australia - temperate climate)
Could you please advise on where we can buy Garlic seed supplies from in Western Australia. Starting to get very frustrated. We feel we have just about exhausted all avenues. Your help would be greatly appreciated
12 Apr 16, lenard mcglew (Australia - temperate climate)
we also would like to know where to purchase the Australian garlic [preferably]
26 Jan 16, Deb Ross (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in the New England area, Australia.I live in Inverell; I am wondering what would be the best type of garlic to grow in this area. Cold winters and hot summers. Any advice would be welcomed. Deb
14 Mar 10, Miranda (Australia - temperate climate)
When is the right time to plant garlic and soil preparation for Melbourne climate.
Showing 791 - 800 of 919 comments

David, I also live in Zone 10A but in California (hot and dry, average 10 inches of rain per year), and please IGNORE the Aussie who thinks we do not check our Zone 10A recommendations. I have been container gardening here for a couple years and am still learning, with notable mistakes being not knowing correct planting/harvesting times (I now use this website over anything on a seed package), overcrowding, and overwatering. I have successfully grown garlic in Zone 10A, from store bought garlic cloves that were sprouting tiny green shoots, and they produced but the heads and cloves were only about half the size as the original store-bought, which might be caused by the climate, or more likely from be the mistakes I was making trying to grow new things like crowding, overwatering, and not knowing when to plant or harvest. Anyway, give growing garlic a try and my best advice is to avoid overwatering. I had a lot of cloves rot instead of growing and I think it was because of overwatering. After doing more research I'm trying to grow garlic again by planting some in NOV, and some in DEC, and really monitoring the watering. Even though my garlic was half sized, it still tastes great, so I would rather have half sized garlic I can grow myself than not growing garlic.

- Dave in California Zone 10A

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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