I Want to Grow Garlic!
We understand how you feel. Garlic is a compelling plant. We've put together a brief guide to help you get started:
Buy Quality "Seed"Buy the healthiest, named variety of bulb garlic from a reputable grower like Wildes Lane. Do not plant imported or supermarket garlic (these have been chemically treated).
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Plant in AutumnTake your quality seed garlic and break into cloves. Plant into prepared soil, 20cm apart. Be generous with the compost. Mulch and keep moist. Make sure you do your weeding.
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Hang it up after HarvestYour garlic is ready to harvest when there are 4 or 5 green leaves left on the plant. Pull up carefully, trim roots with garlic shears and tie in bunches. Label and hang in a sheltered spot.
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Once dry (after 4-8 weeks depending on the weather), trim the stems to two fingers' width in length and rub off dirty outer skins. Place in netting bags and hang in a sheltered spot away from moisture and direct sunlight.
Which Variety will Suit my Climate?
This can be a complicated topic, and there is no substitute for experimentation, but here are a few basic guidelines:
WARM CLIMATE/SUBTROPICAL:
This means warm weather more or less all of the time, usually in locations north of northern NSW. Italian Red is suitable for these areas.
WARM TEMPERATE CLIMATE:
Areas with cooler but generally frost-free winters. The Turban group of garlics do well here; also Italian Red and the Creoles.
COOL TEMPERATE CLIMATE:
If cool means that summer temperatures don't often get to 30 degrees Celsius or more, try Dunganski, the Silverskins and Deerfield. If you get nice hot daytime temperatures some of the time, like we do here at Wildes Lane, then have a go at Creoles too. In fact, most garlic varieties do well in these conditions.
WARM CLIMATE/SUBTROPICAL:
This means warm weather more or less all of the time, usually in locations north of northern NSW. Italian Red is suitable for these areas.
WARM TEMPERATE CLIMATE:
Areas with cooler but generally frost-free winters. The Turban group of garlics do well here; also Italian Red and the Creoles.
COOL TEMPERATE CLIMATE:
If cool means that summer temperatures don't often get to 30 degrees Celsius or more, try Dunganski, the Silverskins and Deerfield. If you get nice hot daytime temperatures some of the time, like we do here at Wildes Lane, then have a go at Creoles too. In fact, most garlic varieties do well in these conditions.