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 New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Plant cloves
  • 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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11 Aug 09, Barbara Burnet (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
weather in sth west victoria has been wet and cool.and windy. My Pearls of life are standing nearly two feet high. Folier spray once every 10 days, fish emulsion ,worm castings organic lifter.all in liquid form. The weeds are loving it also. But they ae protecting the garlic from those Northerly winds. Good luck to all.
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07 Aug 09, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, we have been growing garlic now for 5 years on a pretty small scale, about 1 acre. Have been to field days, read literature & spent too many hours looking on the net. This has to be one of the most frustrating things I have ever been involved with. Some say it is swamp plant & you can't over water, others say to let them dry out a few times as it encourages growth. Heaps of fertilizer, very little fertilizer, sandy soil is best, loam is best etc. etc. Like an earlier post let the bulb tell you, ha ha. But it is true. For our purple garlic plant in March April with mild fertilizer, we use blood & bone. We water as you would any other plant, use a moisture meter or stick you fingers in the soil to see how dry/wet it is. Occasionally top dress with b&b. Pull one out every few weeks & see what it says. One thing that is common to all advice is to not water for the last 3-4 weeks (noted when the leaves start to turn yellow & die off) as this will produce a very slimy skin not easy to work with & hard to stop rot. Again pull one up & have a look at what it's doing, it will let you know same as a citrus, potato or anything else. Just takes time to get to know it. Hope this adds to the confusion, I know I still am.
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31 Jul 09, Tam (Australia - temperate climate)
I put my garlic in a while ago, and it sprouted well with strong leaves. However, it all then died off all at once - I don't think I was doing anything different at the time!!! Any suggestions about what might of happened. Am in Geraldton WA...
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28 Jul 09, Mel (Australia - temperate climate)
I've only had my garlic cloves in the ground for a few months. they are growing well and the leaves are nice and tall. The leaves are starting to turn yellow. some leaves green some yellow. what does this mean? do they need fertilizer? are they dying? is it too cold?
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25 Jul 09, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Al - Good companion plants for potatoes include horseradish, or comfrey planted between then slashed as mulch (its deep roots bring potassium up into its leaves - as a mulch the potassium is then released into soil for the potato) Also peas/beans used in same way. Haven't heard of garlic with potato. I do scatter chopped up garlic amongst lettuce seedlings as a temporary deterrent against slugs.
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01 Jul 09, Al (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Is garlic a good companion plant for potatotes? Or should potatoes grow in their own space?
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23 Jun 09, Garry (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The aussie garlic seems to grow well in Coraki.Nth NSW.
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21 Jun 09, gareth (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
somethings eating my garlic HELP PLEASE!!!
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08 Jun 09, potato queen (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
aussie Garlic season starts again in Aug/Sept. Aussie garlic has small cloves unless you buy the Russian (elephant) garlic (still Aussie) which is related to leeks. Chinese garlic looks better because it has been bleached and sprayed with a sprout deterent (which is why you wont grow cloves from Chinese garlic only green shoots). Aussie garlic is better for you & supports our ecomony (it is expensive because we only grow 10% of the garlic we use , our farmers are not subsidised and can charge for the good quality they produce).
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29 May 09, Tricia (Australia - temperate climate)
I want to plant some garlic, but Im really confused as to what type! I have bought some local garlic as well as chinese, the chinese cloves look so much better and the local is very small! help!! can someone tell me the difference between them apart from looks?
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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. GardenGrow 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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