Instructions

Whatever your reason for growing garlic, it is easy!

Garlic is a bulb from the lily family and closely related to the onion. There are several varieties available. White is the most common variety. Elephant garlic has large cloves, a mild flavour and is a good insect deterrent. There is also a red skinned variety. Planted among roses, garlic is said to enhance their scent and deter insects.

Planting

Traditionally, garlic is planted in June on the shortest day of the year and harvested in December on the longest day although can be planted as early as April and in cooler districts in May.

Garlic thrives in any well-drained garden soil in a sunny position, and also in pots. Before planting, get your soil ready by digging in plenty of compost or well-rotted organic material and applying a dose of vegetable fertiliser. If planting in pots, plant with a potting mix and line the base of your pot with scoria or small pebbles to improve drainage. Mix fertiliser through your potting mix of use a mix already enriched.

When your soil or pot is ready, break the garlic bulb up into individual cloves taking the largest undamaged cloves from around the outside of the bulb. Only do this just before planting as the clove will start to "grow" as soon as it is broken up.

Press the cloves into the soil with the narrow, pointy end up, so they are at least 5cm deep. Planting garlic deep enough is very important, as when the bulb grows it becomes too heavy to be supported by its roots and if not buried can fall over and pull the whole plant out of the ground.

Garlic roots can grow quite large so plant each clove 15cm apart and if planting several rows, keep 30cm between the rows.

Shoots will sprout within about a month of planting and as leaves appear you’ll know your bulbs are staring to form. When leaves appear you can feed the bulbs fortnightly for a couple of months with a liquid fertiliser high in nitrogen.

Garlic does not like competing with weeds, so keep the area weed-free and if conditions are dry, water frequently. Garlic likes moist soil so you will need to water regularly for a good crop. If you are growing garlic in pots, you’ll need to keep a close eye on how moist the soil is as pots tend to dry quicker. 

One month before harvest you should reduce watering to improve the keeping quality of your garlic.

If flower stalks appear, remove them, as this will reduce the size of the garlic bulbs when harvested.

Harvesting and storage

Harvest garlic in December on the longest day of the year when your plant’s leaves turns brown and begin to die back.

To harvest, loosen the soil around the bulb with a fork and gently pull the bulbs up by the tops. Store the bulbs, foliage and all, in a cool, dry, well ventilated place for at least a week. When the tops are dry trim them back to the top of the bulb and store in a string bag in a cool, dry well ventilated shed until needed. Alternatively leave about 15cm of foliage on top and braid the bulbs into bunches.

Pests and Diseases

Garlic is relatively pest and disease resistant. However, here are some common problems and treatments: