Growing Garlic

Allium sativum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

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

(Best months for growing Garlic in Australia - 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

18 Aug 22, Gladys (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Can i plant garlic in August?
21 Sep 22, Bee-Pie (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
Hi Gladys That is not adviced. Garlic is a cool weather crop with a long growing period. Garlic is a relatively easy crop to grow if one follows the "rules" so to speak. The cloves only form and expand during the last few weeks of its growing period. Watch Sean's video on growing great garlic.
22 Aug 22, (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
It does say Feb to April.
15 Aug 22, Jacques Labuschagne (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
Can I plant garlic in KZN. It's a hot humid climate in the summer. Will get irrigation and water often.
06 Aug 22, R Hulse (USA - Zone 7b climate)
There are several types of garlic, but the main two are hardneck and softneck. Hardneck is for colder climates and softneck is for warmer climates. Not sure about elephant garlic or any of the others but you can search the internet to find out what zones they grow best in.
03 Aug 22, Jeanette (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
I ask if I plant the galic now is a problem or what's time which season I must plant the the galic?
13 Aug 22, Michael (Australia - temperate climate)
Mid Autumn - late March, April, early May. Harvest in November here in South Australia.
21 Jul 22, mini me (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
I get my elephant garlic cloves started in egg trays, with a little water in the bottom . too get them to start rooting before i plant them. Its Way quicker then the fridge method. Also nothing worse then planting a garlic clove that wont root. This method works for me ,so i will continue to do it :)
09 Jul 22, Terry Scott (USA - Zone 3b climate)
I'm confused, nothing is said about over wintering for garlic, I live in zone 3b. Can I do all the above prep and cover with hay in my plot?
03 Jul 22, Rhonda Bowen (USA - Zone 6b climate)
Just to clarify what I think I understand…. If I buy one bulb of garlic and break it apart into individual cloves, I plant each clove and expect to get a growing bulb. Am I one the right track here?
Showing 131 - 140 of 919 comments

Jennifer,Buy cloves, glriac is a bulb plant not a seed plant, although the cloves are used as the seed' (confused yet?). :-)In this case the term seed' has a general meaning in so far as anything that can be sown i.e. seed potatoes, seeds of corn or sunflower seeds . In the case of sunflower and corn seeds , what is sown is the seed enclosed in a shell or hull, and the potato is a tuber and one can propogate them by planting small pieces of a spud that has grown an eye'.For best results, plant in the fall for next summers crop and because it is a bulb, think drainage.Hope that helps

- Pranav

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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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