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 USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Plant cloves

September: Garlic can overwinter. Cover with a good layer of mulch . In areas where frost persists into March/ April, expect to harvest your garlic in June/July.

October: Garlic can overwinter. Cover with a good layer of mulch . In areas where frost persists into March/ April, expect to harvest your garlic in June/July.

  • 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

Post a comment or question Display Newest first | Oldest first, Show comments for USA | for all countries
02 May 10, peter h (Australia - temperate climate)
garlic suppliers - perth and south west LOCALLY GROWN GARLIC OUTLETS IN ALBANY WA Farmers Fresh Markets - at least three stalls AVeg - Sanford Road Reeves on Campbell - 27 Campbell Road. Solomon Merchants - Stirling St. LOCALLY GROWN GARLIC OUTLETS IN KALAMUNDA WA Delish - Kalamunda Shopping Centre NORTH PERTH: ORGANIC ON CHARLES, Charles St North Perth, just before Scarborough Beach Road.
Reply or Post a new comment
29 Apr 10, Michele (Australia - temperate climate)
I have grown three crops of garlic, the first small but very tasty - laster about 3 months, well worth the initial investment.. It's best to use the largest cloves so you get a larger bulb. Make sure you have rich organic compost. This year I bought about 2 kilos of the best organic elephant garlic from my local food coop. It was grown locally so I expect it will be happy here. To save money plant it in a community garden with a group of people and share the cost and the yield.
Reply or Post a new comment
15 Apr 10, emily (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
i like to grow garlic but i don't know when is the right time because i live in melbourne.
Reply or Post a new comment
29 Apr 10, (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Emily, you can plant garlic in Melbourne from late autumn into winter.
Reply or Post a new comment
15 Apr 10, (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
@daga, anytime from late autumn into winter is ok for planting garlic in Melbourne. They need a winter chill to get started.
Reply or Post a new comment
08 Apr 10, Raji (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I planted organic garlic cloves which started to grow in the basket last year around June 22nd and harvested a healthy crop around December. Make sure the garlic cloves are from Australia and not imported - even better if it is organic.
Reply or Post a new comment
06 Apr 10, daga (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
i want to plant garlic now'. Is it right time? Pl advice. I am in melbourne.can i plant same bulb we used daily or can get seeds for this. Thanks
Reply or Post a new comment
28 May 13, Harry Butler (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Go for it right now and best to buy seed stock from your local nursery or mitre 10. Your first crop should have been in by now and subsequent crops up until mid June. You should be able to keep yourself in supply for the whole year with 3 crops well spaced. There is no excuse for buying the imported rubbish.
Reply or Post a new comment
23 Feb 13, Robert (Australia - temperate climate)
From Melbourne, born again organic gardner, just started on garlic late last autum here , a whole 2 bulbs! Good size and taste. Put some more in around late November, healthy but small bulbs, hower very tasty and nothing like the unadventurous supermarket variety. Looking forward to planting plenty this season.
Reply or Post a new comment
06 Apr 10, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
We planted 2 bulbs worth of cloves last winter and they were brilliant. Just buy them from the market - make sure they have some roots left on them, separate the cloves (don't peel) and plant pointy end up. We harvested 2 lots in Oct then Dec. The earlier ones were biggest, and I'm guessing that it was the stock that they came from which made the difference.
Reply or Post a new comment
Showing 781 - 790 of 923 comments
See comments for all plants

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

Please provide your email address if you are hoping for a reply


All comments are reviewed before displaying on the site, so your posting will not appear immediately

Gardenate App

Put Gardenate in your pocket. Get our app for iPhone, iPad or Android to add your own plants and record your plantings and harvests

Planting Reminders

Join 60,000+ gardeners who already use Gardenate and subscribe to the free Gardenate planting reminders email newsletter.


Home | Vegetables and herbs to plant | Climate zones | About Gardenate | Contact us | Privacy Policy

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.
We cannot help if you are overrun by giant slugs.