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 USA - Zone 4a 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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07 Nov 20, Cici (USA - Zone 6b climate)
Zones 5 and 6 plant garlic mid Oct-early Nov. Cover with straw lightly. Then after good frost/freeze cover with total of 4-6" straw. Come spring, pull back some of straw to allow shoots to see sun. Garlic is usually harvested In mid July for most. Softnecks are more late June early July. Either one, when bottom 2-3 leaves start turning brown it's time to harvest. Don't wait or it will split and rot. Dry 2-3 weeks by hanging in shaded airy place under cover like barn, shed, porch etc. Then trim leaves and roots and store in paper bags or baskets for long storage out of direct sun or bright light. Will keep 6-12 months depending on variety.
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29 Feb 20, Ian Cummings (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Ok In Canberra, due to the late summer season here I have run out of space to plant out my garlic this month. Can you plant them out in seedling trays and transfer them later on? Or as the are a root crop like carrots do they not respond well to transplanting?
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02 Mar 20, anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Try Styrofoam boxes from supermarkets.
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29 Feb 20, Dion young (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Best variety of galic for Canberra Act Australia
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02 Mar 20, Anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Look up the internet about garlic varieties for different climate zones.
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12 Feb 20, janick whan (Australia - temperate climate)
whith is the best month to plant garlic .thank you
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13 Feb 20, Cas (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Look it up. Hit , make sure it's your zone at the top of the page. Likely Apr/May/Jun
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02 Feb 20, william kerr (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
what garlic is best to grow in the gympie region for a commercial crop? where would I get it?
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17 Mar 20, Graham Bower (Australia - temperate climate)
For many years I stuck rigidly to old theory of "plant shortest day" and Harvest longest day. Always very successful, but recent years have experimented to early as mid April. Reasonable success with slightly earlier harvest. but quality not quite as good as later planting.... . In Berwick Vic.
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03 Feb 20, anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Contact the agricultural department in your state.
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Showing 261 - 270 of 917 comments
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Lucky for you, you're in the same climate zone as the famous garlic producing town of Gilroy, CA. I understand they plant around late October/November and harvest in June or July. I'm not sure what the result will be for you since you planted yours later and garlic needs a very long season. Try pulling them up in July. If your weather gets very hot before then I'd put some light shade cloth over the garlic to bring the temperature down a few degrees. You may find that your bulbs are smaller than you hoped for, or that it only makes one large clove instead of separate cloves. They should still be good, just not ideal. Then try planting again around Halloween and your garlic should be much bigger next year. Btw, I'm not sure why the chart says garlic shouldn't be planted in 9a. Certainly 9a on the West Coast can and does plant it.

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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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