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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03 Apr 11, Zora singh (Australia - arid climate)
Where from one can purchase the australian garlic varieties for planting in this season
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04 Apr 11, Alexis (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Zora - The Digger's Club sells garlic for planting (www.diggers.com.au), but it's not cheap, especially if you're not a club member.
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25 Mar 11, Dallas (Australia - tropical climate)
like coriander they thrive next to other plants, companions
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19 Mar 11, Gen (Australia - tropical climate)
Will My Garlic Grow? I am in Venezuela. Normally its 25C peaking at 35C and we go between humid and soggy. I planted a bunch of garlic cloves that had already sprouted in containers on my balcony. They get a half day of direct sun and I'm watering them about every day and a half (when the soil looks dry, before the other herbs wilt) After 2 weeks they all have 5 - 10 cm growth, two have leaves that look grass like the other 5 look sprouty still (they have one twisty stalk thing that hasn't quite separated into leaves ) Should I persist with my garlic or should I rip it out and put in something that has half a chance? It was just an impulse plant when I realized that I had a clove that had sprouted so no big loss if they are a disaster, but I would feel like a super gardener if I could make something other than mint and basil grow.
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29 Jan 11, Ilenora (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My family uses a lot of garlic cooking, so several times I have tried to plant them, using cloves bought from the grocery store that started to sprout green shoots out the top. I've read on many sites that you can do this and it produces plants. But only a day or two after planting (straight into the garden) the green shoots shrivelled and the cloves quickly rotted and died. This happened, exactly the same, every time. Not one has survived. Why can't they grow? Would it be hot weather, over/under watering, poor soil conditions? I want to get some seeds and see if they work, but I'm not sure if they are going to be any more successful.
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06 Feb 11, Stephen (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Ilenora, I panted garlis brought from the shop (not Chinese) in early october and have just picked some to use in some spag bol and it is beautiful. We have had days of up to 45 degrees and our garlic seems to grow anytime I plant it, but it must not be shooting and do not overwater. Good luck.
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03 Feb 11, James (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Ilenora, Try planting your cloves before they start shooting - they are too old and past their prime. Youll have more success that way. Plant them in March -> June. youll see a shoot come up in a month or so after planting (so dont be tempted to dig them up to look at their progress.) Also, dont plant chinese garlic from supermarket if you can help it - they have growth inhibitors on them to stop them from reproducing James
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30 Jan 11, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi there Ilenora...the rule of thumb for garlic is to plant on the shortest day of the year, and to harvest on the longest day of the year. Perhaps you planted your storebought cloves at the wrong time of the year. Otherwise, they should still grow.....I have had success with even the chinese garlic.
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18 Jan 11, Michele Downward (Australia - temperate climate)
What is the best varietal type of garlic to grow in far East Gippsland? I have free draining soil, slightly sandy loam
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14 Apr 11, Michael Ouellette (Australia - temperate climate)
Best depends on taste. But I buy my garlic from Diggers Club in Dromana (www.diggers.com.au). Been doing it for years and just recycle some for the following year. For two of use we grow about 80 plants per year, saving 10 for replanting. This year I just purchased 4 more varieties from Diggers so we'll be planting about 100 extra plants! We love garlic in case you haven't worked that out... NOW is the time to plant.
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This is a transcript of a article on growing garlic in central Australia (desert). It is on ABC Rural News and may be a help to you. Trials reveal potential for garlic-growing in Northern Territory Posted 7 Oct 2016 MAP: Alice Springs 0870 A trial exploring the capabilities of seven garlic varieties in the red centre is showing some early positive results. Seven varieties of garlic are being trialled at the Northern Territory's Arid Zone Research Institute (AZRI), alongside the standard industry garlic variety, Glen Large. The Alice Springs environment will demonstrate how varieties that have never been grown commercially in the Northern Territory respond to extreme cold and extreme heat. Central Australian Horticulture Development Project manager and researcher Stuart Smith said despite challenges such as poor water quality, the results so far had been positive. "We're hoping, because we're just south of the Tropic of Capricorn, we're just a bit a little subtropical, that we're in the right area," he said. "We've got the right heat profile, right day length and we're able to grow some good bulbs. "If it'll grow here, it'll grow anywhere. "Central Australia is a bit isolated from the rest of Australia so it doesn't have the pests and diseases of the other garlic-growing areas." Plan to get garlic onto market early in season Mr Smith believes there is a market opportunity for garlic that grows early in the traditional growing season. We thought we could get a few varieties to come early on the market, so we can get some good prices for them and replace the imported garlic," he said. The first successful harvested trial crop has reached a stage of maturity that would be ready for market. "It's got a code name called AF. We're getting some good-sized bulbs out of this," Mr Smith said. "I estimate we're getting 6-8 tonnes per hectare." The DPI's Stuart Smith and agriculture minister Ken Vowles stand in a field of garlic PHOTO: Stuart Smith and Primary Industries Minister Ken Vowles discuss the garlic crop trial near Alice Springs. (ABC Rural: Katrina Beaven) Mr Smith said the early trial results were encouraging despite poor water quality and salty soils. "We have to keep watering them pretty constantly to keep moving the salt out of the root zone," he said. "The water we're using at AZRI is pretty low quality. "Most of the water other people are using in horticulture around the Central Australian region is a lot better quality than this." Mr Smith said the research results would also add value to what was being learned by a grower at Orange Creek Station, south of Alice Springs, who is conducting a commercial garlic trial this year.

- John

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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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