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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27 Oct 08, Grahame (Australia - temperate climate)
Warren, I have had the same thing happen in some of my red garlics this year. I grow quite a lot and I have them in different beds and soil types this year. The ones that are shooting seem to be the ones in the richest soil and the ones that are getting a lot of water. I suspect too much water is causing the problem but I can't be sure. It's probably time to back off on the water anyway and let them concentrate on setting bulbs. Jane, I reckon late march is the best time to get your garlic in. If you want to grow lots or a few different types I suggest getting some seed garlic. But if your not too concerned about what type you want, find some you like in a good greengrocer - locally grown if you can. I'd steer clear of the imported stuff if I were you as it is treated with all sorts of nasty stuff! Good luck
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25 Oct 08, jane (Australia - temperate climate)
what time of the year can I plant garlic, on an island in a river (murray) by the sea (goolwa) and how do I get started?
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22 Oct 08, warren (Australia - temperate climate)
I have planted italian red garlic and is looking great but it has shoots coming up through the centre which are actually each clove shooting from the bulb .Is this normal? I have friends growing it on commercial scale and theirs are doing the same .( My russian garlic is not doing this and is now pushing up its seed head already.) If this is not normal what do you do to get the bulb to stop shooting?
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30 Dec 10, Dennis (Australia - temperate climate)
Too much nitrogen causes the wiskas growing between the leaf / stem in soft necked varieties. Once started it cannot be stopped, at best hope it is not to bad and then you can detach the "side shoot" (small bub consisting quite a few small cloves) that devalopes from the main bulb leaving it only a little deformed. When the nitrogen is realy excessive the whole bulb distorts and breaks up and is not only ugly but also difficult to find good seed cloves for next years planting. They say that if you have a very small amount of side shooting then your nitrogen application was very accurate
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20 Oct 08, Jaci (Australia - temperate climate)
Maria, yes it sounds like garlic to me. You might not want to eat any plants that have gone to seed though as they may not taste as nice. If they haven't gone to seed, let the leaves yellow and die off before pulling them out of the ground to hang and dry for a few weeks before eating. This drying out allows the garlic bulb to form properly and separate into cloves.
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19 Oct 08, Maria (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I have something growing in my garden that I hope someone could recognise from my description. I thought it may be garlic as when i tear the leaves they smell like garlic. It comes out of the ground as one single stem with the leaves coming off the centre like onion or garlic, the stem is the thickness of a leek and it gets a purple flower head on the top almost the size of a tennis ball. Is this garlic, can i eat it?
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22 Nov 10, jared (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
sounds like an ornamental Allium. If you feel the flowers are beautiful you can nurture the plant.
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15 Oct 08, colin (Australia - temperate climate)
We have planted garlic for the first time this year, we thought we would try supermarket garlic which was china ,and it grew really well,also califorian late and spanish all gowing great
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14 Oct 08, barbara burnet (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I have been growing aussie garlic for 12 years. First in Qld. now in Sth Victoria. My garlic is known as Australian Golden Garlic. 'The PEARLS of LIFE. tm. All is vibrant seed garlic . lasts stored 15 months or more. And grows and multiplys 10 fold. Flavour hot sweet and very moorish.Cloves med-large , purple colour. Delicious.!!
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14 Jun 18, Peter (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Barbara, are you still in the market with your garlic? I'd love to get hold of some. Cheers! Peter
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Showing 881 - 890 of 923 comments
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my Zone 10A garlic, all in rectangular containers 24" length x 7.5" width, x 6.5" height, is sprouting well also, with some shoots up to about two inches. I had several garlic bulbs I intentionally kept in my refrigerator for a couple months, divided them into cloves, peeled them to avoid mold and decay, and kept the separated cloves open to the light at room temperature until they started sprouting. When the majority had tiny green shoots, I selected the best cloves (solid, no spongy or discolored parts) and planted them shallow with the very top of the clove showing as per advice from an internet container gardening site. I am really being careful not to overwater and it looks like all the cloves sprouted green shoots, but after a couple weeks I did have birds pull up maybe eight out of thirty or so of the newly sprouted cloves, so I replanted the missing ones with a more cloves, then added about an inch more soil over the top, and so far the birds have not raided again with the cloves now about two inches deep. Lesson learned: the internet advice for container gardening to plant the cloves with the tip showing is an invitation to be raided by birds. Solution: plant deeper, maybe two inches below the soil surface, even in shallow containers.

- Dave in California Zone 10A

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