How to Grow Garlic

Choose a sunny spot in the garden with well-drained soil. Garlic needs at least six hours of sunshine a day.

Improving the soil before planting will help give your Garlic a great start. Soil improvement is as simple as mixing two handfuls of Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser into each square metre of soil.
Garlic does best in slightly acidic soil (pH 5.5-7). In alkaline soils (pH greater than 7), the soil pH can be reduced by applying Yates Soil Acidifier Liquid Sulfur.

Separate the Garlic bulb into individual cloves and push the cloves into holes 2-5 cm deep and 10-20 cm apart. Ensure the clove is planted pointy end up! Water in well and mulch lightly with an organic mulch, like sugarcane or pea straw. Mulch helps to keep the soil moist.

As soon as leaves emerge, feed the Garlic plants every 1-2 weeks with Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food. Regularly feeding your Garlic plants promotes healthy leaf growth and plump Garlic bulbs.

Water regularly throughout the growing season to keep the soil moist, but not wet. Garlic bulbs can rot during prolonged wet weather or in poorly drained or heavy clay soil, so grow Garlic in a well-drained position and monitor soil moisture levels. To help reduce the incidence of leaf diseases, water around the base of the plants and avoid watering the leaves. 

Garlic can be harvested around eight months after planting. Bulbs are ready when a few of the leaves start to yellow and brown or any flower stalks start to bend. Using a small trowel, gently lift from underneath the bulb and pull on the stem.

Hang harvested plants, with the leaves still attached, in an airy sheltered spot for about a month to dry and cure. Then your Garlic is ready to use!

Choose a pot at least 30-40 cm wide and 20 cm deep. Position in a sunny spot that receives at least six hours of sunshine a day.

Fill the pot with quality potting mix, such as Yates Premium Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter.

Separate the Garlic bulb into individual cloves and push the cloves into holes 2 5 cm deep and 10-20 cm apart. Ensure the clove is planted pointy end up! Water in well and mulch lightly over the surface of the potting mix with an organic mulch, like sugarcane or pea straw. Mulch helps to keep the potting mix moist. 

As soon as leaves emerge, feed the Garlic plants every 1 – 2 weeks with Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food. Regularly feeding your Garlic plants promotes healthy leaf growth and plump Garlic bulbs.

Water regularly throughout the growing season to keep the soil moist, but not wet. Soil that is too wet can lead to Garlic bulbs rotting. To help reduce the incidence of leaf diseases, water around the base of the plants and avoid watering the leaves.

Garlic can be harvested around eight months after planting. Bulbs are ready when a few of the leaves start to yellow and brown or any flower stalks start to bend. Using a small trowel, gently lift from underneath the bulb and pull on the stem. 

Hang harvested plants, with the leaves still attached, in an airy sheltered spot for about a month to dry and cure. Then your Garlic is ready to use! 

There are two main types of Garlic: hard and soft neck. Hardneck varieties are better suited to cool to cold areas, while softneck varieties grow best in temperate and warmer climates. 

Softneck garlic, also known as 'non-bolting' or subtropical garlic, includes varieties like Italian Red, Italian Pink, Australian White, Glenlarge and Southern Glen. Softneck garlic is ideal for growing in warm climates and is day-length neutral, meaning it doesn't require long days of sunshine to initiate the formation of the bulb. These varieties are also known as 'short day' garlic. 

The best time to planting time for Garlic in Australia is early Autumn. 

Garlic can be harvested around eight months after planting. Harvest when a few of the leaves start to yellow and brown or any flower stalks start to bend. 

Plant individual Garlic cloves 2-5 cm deep and 10-20 cm apart. Ensure the clove is planted pointy end up! 

To promote healthy leaf growth and plump garlic bulbs, as soon as leaves emerge, feed the Garlic plants every 1-2 weeks with Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food. This contains the right balance of key nutrients to feed Garlic.  

There are several reasons why Garlic plants don't form cloves including issues with planting, harvesting, nutrients, and Garlic seed choice and quality. 

• Plant Garlic at the right time of year. Garlic planted too late or too early can affect the development of cloves. The best time for planting Garlic around Australia is early Autumn. 
• Don't harvest Garlic too early. Garlic needs around 8 months to form a large, plump bulb. Garlic that is harvested too early may not have had the chance to develop separate cloves. If the first Garlic plant harvested hasn't formed cloves, leave the rest of the plants for another few weeks and try again. 
• Lack of nutrients. Help promote plump cloves by feeding plants regularly with Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food.
• Choose the right variety for your climate. For best results, choose a variety that is suitable for your climate.
• Plant quality seed Garlic. Supermarket-bought Garlic may have been treated with a growth inhibitor and may also carry disease. That's why it's best to grow Garlic purchased from your local nursery. 

Garlic can be prone to a few common pests and diseases, including Thrips, Aphids, Mites, Downy Mildew, Rust and White Rot.

Thrips are tiny slender insects, only 1-2 mm long, and can be different colours ranging from yellowish to black. They're sap-sucking pests and cause Garlic leaves to develop silvery or mottled patches. You may also notice small dark droppings.

As soon as Thrips or their damage are noticed, spray plants every 5-7 days with Yates Nature's Way Vegie & Herb Spray, ensuring all sides of the foliage are covered.

Aphids are small sap-sucking insects that can cause Garlic leaves to yellow. The most common Aphids that attack Garlic are 'Black Aphids', which are dark grey or black. They often congregate on the bases of the leaves.

As soon as Aphids are noticed, spray plants thoroughly every 5-7 days with Yates Nature's Way Vegie & Herb Spray. It's important to spray all sides of the foliage and down in amongst the leaf bases, as the spray works via contact action.

Mites are very tiny sap-sucking pests that can attack either the leaves or bulbs of Garlic. Symptoms of Mite infestations include yellowing leaves, stunted plants, new leaves being twisted, or bulbs being stunted or shrivelled.

Control Mites on foliage with regular sprays of Yates Nature's Way Vegies & Herb Spray and only plant clean, unblemished cloves.

Downy Mildew is a disease that first appears as discoloured leaves, followed by patches of downy white or grey tufts on the leaves. Downy Mildew is more prevalent during periods of high humidity.

At the first sign of downy mildew, spray plants with Yates Mancozeb Plus Garden Fungicide & Miticide every 7-10 days. Avoid planting Garlic (or onions) in that area for the next 3 years.

Rust is a disease that appears as small powdery orange-brown spots on the leaves. It's most common on mature leaves, towards the end of the Garlic season.

The incidence of Rust can be reduced by keeping the leaves as dry as possible and only watering gently at the base of the plants. If it is early in the season, you can spray plants with Yates Lime Sulfur.

Garlic bulbs can be prone to diseases like White Rot, which can cause yellowing leaves, dead outer leaves, and rotten stems and bulbs.

To help reduce the incidence of rot, plant Garlic in well-drained soil (or grow Garlic in pots), only plant clean disease-free cloves each year and avoid planting Garlic (or onions) in the same area for the next 3 years. There is no spray to control rot.

Garlic leaves falling over, drooping or wilting can be caused by various things including lack of light, watering issues, pests and diseases.

Garlic needs at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. If there is not enough sun, the soil stays too wet, and leaves will become pale and may look droopy.

Garlic does best in consistently moist soil, however, if the soil stays too wet this can cause rotting and droopy leaves. Wet soils are prone to fungal diseases such as White Rot - which can also cause droopy leaves (see Common Pests & Diseases of Garlic).

Pests that suck out the sap from leaves will cause twisted, stunted and droopy leaves. Check the leaves and down into the leaf crevices to see if any pests are hiding (see Common Pests & Diseases of Garlic).

If you find your Garlic leaves are drooping in late spring or early summer, this is a good sign that your Garlic is ready for harvesting!