Growing Garlic

Allium sativum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
  P P P                

(Best months for growing Garlic in South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical regions)

  • P = Plant cloves
  • Easy to grow. Plant cloves. Best planted at soil temperatures between 10°C and 35°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 10 - 12 cm 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
  • Mature cured garlic
  • Almost ready to harvest
  • Garlic cloves
  • Mature cured garlic
  • Young garlic shoots

Garlic is traditionally planted in cold weather and harvested in summer ("plant on the shortest day, harvest on the longest"). Plant the cloves (separated from the bulb), point upwards, deep enough to just cover with soil. A fairly tough and easy-growing plant but in better soil with regular watering you will get a better crop. On poorer soil, and forgetting to water them, you will still get some garlic, only not quite so much, maybe just a single large bulb.

Leave a garlic to go to seed, and you will probably get plenty of self-sown plants the following year.

To keep for later use, dig up and leave to dry out for a day or so after the green shoots die down. To use immediately, pull up a head when you need it, or cut and use the green shoots.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Garlic

Cut the growing shoots or use the entire young garlic plants as 'garlic greens' in stir-fry.

Your comments and tips

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15 Apr 08, tiarem (Unknown climate)
Can someone please supply a set of rules for growing garlic. I've not grown it before. My garlic has just shot and is looking healthy but I don't know if I have to fertilize or not, nor do I know how much water to give it
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17 Apr 08, Liz (Unknown climate)
Garlic has a long growing season. The old saying "Plant on the shortest day and dig on the longest day" is the easiest way to remember how long. If it is planted in good soil you won't need to fertilize it. In the hot months water regularly, it doesn't like long dry periods.
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21 May 08, Leontine (Unknown climate)
So when it says plant garlic cloves, you can just break up and plant the individual cloves that you get from the supermarket?
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30 May 08, Abbie (Unknown climate)
You might not be able to plant the garlic from the supermarket depending on where it has come from. Most imported stuff is sprayed with all sorts of toxins, and many are sprayed with various growth inhibitors. Try getting some Australian garlic, or even better some organic garlic. Otherwise, try diggers.com.au as they have garlic for sale online.
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30 May 08, Chris (Unknown climate)
Leontine, I second what Abbie said. I've tried to grow supermarket garlic. When it was cheap imported garlic it just rotted in the ground. Local stuff, when available, grew ok.
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07 Jul 08, Wayne (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Garlic I have grown purple Australian garlic over the past 4 years. I plant the toes on 1 April and pull bulbs early October.This works for my climate. It is trial and error on the pulling up, as too soon they will not keep. I have some bulbs if anyone wishes for me to send. Please email hobbfarm (at) yahoo dot com dot au
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12 Apr 15, Richard (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, I am just a beginner at this and will thank you for any assistance In growing garlic. I believe the season for growing garlic is Apr -Jun Or there thereabouts . I will be grateful if you can send me some of your garlic bulbs. Thanks. And regards. Richard (Check under plant names for your zone. We do not supply seeds -Liz)
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08 Nov 19, Chris Dawson (Australia - temperate climate)
No Richard, that is not the growing season for garlic. People plant the cloves in April to June. We normally harvest around November to December. The old farmers used to say plant on the shortest day (June 21) harvest longest day (December 21).
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06 Mar 17, Tony (Australia - temperate climate)
I haven't planted garlic before. Would love some bulbs to try at planting
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05 Apr 17, Sakinah (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi there, I know it has been years since you posted about these garlic cloves. But I will try my luck anyway. I have been trying to grow garlics for the past few years but they all eventually rot here in Adelaide. I can give you my address or send to you a prepaid envelope; and I am willing to pay to cover your costs too. Thanks so much!
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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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