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

11 May 09, kembo (Australia - temperate climate)
Have planted a few cloves of garlic and they're sprouting nicely but wondering what else they need in the way of fertilizer. We power feed every 3 or so days and water regularly. Soils pretty good. We want to make sure they're good and pungent when they're ready to eat, any hints?
04 May 09, Barb Burnet (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I have planted 2500 garlic cloves in prepared raised ( well drained soil) with lots of grass mulch . 4weeks later little shoots appearing daily. Needs warm sun and plenty rain.Good luck.
19 Apr 09, kembo (Australia - temperate climate)
thanks for all the tips, haven't tried garlic but we love it so we're looking forward to growing our own :)
18 Apr 09, brenda (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The website of the organic garlic growers I bought my garlic from is www.snog.com.au They do mail order. (Super Natural Organic Garlic) Good luck.
18 Apr 09, brenda (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
On the Gold Coast at present try to buy organic Australian garlic at the farmers markets. I just bought some in Noosa, so they should have it on the Coast.
13 Apr 09, Patricia (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi Steve, I'm in Canberra and I didn't peel the individual cloves.
13 Apr 09, Gerry (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Steve, no you don't need to peel garlic cloves before planting, just break up the head and plant individual cloves. Paula, try any specialty shop like spice shops, asian grocers, delicatessens, markets etc, you should be able to get decent local stuff for $30/kg or less. I have an arrangement with a small local supermarket who sell local garlic. They keep all of the loose cloves from the bottom of the garlic bin for me to buy less than 1/2 price.
12 Apr 09, Steve (Australia - temperate climate)
Is it really necessary to peel the garlic cloves before planting?
12 Apr 09, paula (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
i live on the gold coast in qld, where can i buy australian garlic from? the supermarkets only stock chinese and mexican stuff....and i don't want that rubbish, thankyou
06 Apr 09, barbara burnet (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I have some extra garlic ' THE PEARLS OF LIFE" for sale. This year my garlic seed is large and still tastes beautiful. Prepare beds now with blood and bone and lime. Planting can take place now for the next 4 weeks. This garlic seed originally was grown in queensland so can handle warm conditions as well. Mainly my garlic loves to be grown out in the open. Love the frosts , sun and water. and just love and care. Email me if you want to buy a few gaurenteed garlic seed. Australian Golden Garlic the 'Pearls of Life.'
Showing 831 - 840 of 916 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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