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 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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09 May 18, Brenton (Australia - temperate climate)
I am also in Adelaide, and wanting to try Garlic. Hopefully you will still get this (as it's been over 12mths since you posted). Being in Adeliade, may I ask when you plant/harvest, and any other ideas that may assist me (ie glass house/ in the open/ type of fertilizer if used - natural (cow/horse/chicken etc), and any other tips you would suggest. Regards.
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15 Jul 08, Glenyss Richardson (Australia - temperate climate)
Yes, hobbfarm I would love some corms/bulbs/ cloves or whatever garlic plant. It is great of you to offer. Australian garlic is best and not always easy to find. Thank you, glenyss r
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20 Jul 08, firsttimegardner (Australia - temperate climate)
Sooo if you plant garlic in July it wont grow? are the rules for planting them in certain months hard and fast or can you get away with a couple of weeks here or there? Mind you i should have started last month, but now its towards the end of July... should i not bother?
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20 Jul 08, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi firsttimegardner. Garlic planted in July should grow ok. It apparently grows best with a few weeks cold to get it started. If you're planting it into spring you could pop it in the fridge (not freezer) for a couple of nights to arrange some chilling. These planting dates are a general guide and prompt to action, certainly not hard and fast rules.
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21 Jul 08, wayne (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Glenyss Richardson I still have a couple of bulbs left please tell me a postal address so I can send. They are starting to shoot so get them in quick
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22 Jul 08, garliclover (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi there, can you grow garlic all year round, so you have an all year round supply? Is there a type of garlic (Australian) that is easier to grow than others? Also, if I planted some bulbs now, when would they be ready?Thanks for you knowledge...
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09 Aug 08, Chris N (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Oooh, does anyone still have any garlic left. I am perfectly will ing to pay for them. I have tried absolutely everywhere to find Australian garlic, but to no avail. (we are now in early august). I would really appreciate it. Thanks
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21 Aug 08, Kylie (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
We have put in about a 1/4 acre of Australian White garlic after successfully trialing some last year. We are growing it organically which means hand weeding and mulching with four kids in tow in the middle of winter. We plant in early May and harvest when only a few green leaves are left, the others having turned brown. We didn't fertilise and had great size cloves so we were lucky. I've heard it can be very site specific. We'd be happy to sell mail order bulbs come Dec/Jan when we harvest. If anyone knows of an effective dab-on organic herbicide please let us know, or if you have detailed info on how meticulous the weeding has to be, as the sites I've read say garlic does not compete well with weeds. The mulching really helped with the weeds last year and we found we didn't need to water as the mulch kept the moisture in (we have a nice wet block which also helps).
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07 Sep 08, Jaci (Australia - temperate climate)
I have some garlic growing well (I think) in my semi-shaded vegie garden. I planted them in late April this year and all the shoots are pointing up nicely right now. They are different thicknesses, so predict that I will have some bulbs that are much smaller than others. My question to put out there is; how should I best store my bulbs? When the tops yellow off and I harvest say 20 bulbs, and use about 1 bulb per week, would they last me the 5 months I'd have them for? Can they be stored within any medium to keep them longer (like dry sand)? Or just the dark?
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22 Sep 08, SUE G (Australia - tropical climate)
CAN GARLIC BE GROWN IN TOWNSVILLE QLD? WOULD IT BE BEST TO REFRIGERATE FOR A FEW DAYS AND PLANT EARY DRY SEASON SO IT GETS THE COOL NIGHTS IN MAY?
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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. 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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