Garlic is a wonderfully fragrant herb to add to many cooked dishes. It has numerous health benefits, acts as an antibiotic, helps with chest infections, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure and prevents strokes by thinning the blood.
Garlic has a specific planting window from mid-February to the end of March. For best results one should use organically grown garlic.
How to plant garlic:
- Prepare the planting area in a spot that will drain freely and receive at least 6 hours of sunshine
- Enrich the soil with well-rotted compost
- Break up a head of garlic into individual cloves
- Push the cloves into the soil with the tip of the clove pointing upward, to a depth of three times the length (about 5cm deep)
- Plant the cloves 15-20cm apart
- Firm down gently
- Cover with a layer of mulch
- Keep moist but don’t overwater
- Shoots should start pushing through the mulch within 4-8 weeks of planting
- Garlic can also be planted in pots filled with a quality potting soil.
Growing tips
- Foliar feed with a kelp-based plant food once a month from September to November
- Remove flower stalks as they affect the quality of the bulbs
Harvesting
- It is time to harvest when the leaves turn yellow-brown, usually within 6 months
- Gently dig out the bulbs, tie them in bunches and hang them in a cool, dry, well-aerated room for about 4-6 weeks to cure
If you’re living in the Southern hemisphere, February to April is the ideal time to plant garlic, so go out there and plant your own garlic!
Goodday I bought a few sprouting cloves from my Local Checkers veggie stand, can I plant them now and in pots how deep do I plant them and can I plant them in normal potting soil. It is about ten galicbulbs so I believe it will be a few pots that is needed. How much water per week in pot of about 45cm x 50cm. My husband loves garlic so I want to surprise him with his own supply this year.
Hi MJ
Thanks for visiting our site.
Plant the cloves in your pots spaced 15cm apart using a mixture of topsoil and compost at a ratios of roughly 80:20 and ensure that the pots drain easily. Place in full sun and water with 1 litre every second day, ensuring that the soil isn't too moist as that will rot the bulbs.
All the best.
Flourish!
Glenice
Is it the right time for me to grow garlic in sterkspruit in the Eastern cape
Hi Lungile
Typically the best success growing with garlic is to plant it in February and March.
Please note that our advice is for domestic gardeners and not for large-scale farmers. If you are planting on a large scale, rather consult with a farming organisation in your area.
Flourish!
Glenice
Thankyou. I put mine in a pot
Hi thank U for the advise I'm Gauteng Soweto I'm going to plant mine as of tomorrow 🙏🙏🙏
Hi Ntutu
Thanks for visiting our site and wishing you success in your plantings.
Flourish!
Glenice
Thak you for the information. I live in Pietermaritzbug KZN and have planted garlic as per your advice . Shoots already protruded.
Hi Jerome
Thanks for visiting our site.
All the best for a successful harvest.
Flourish!
Glenice
Can i successfully plant garlic in November in kzn in shaded area?
Hi Sidney
You can certainly experiment with planting in November in a shaded area and you may have some success. However,however the ideal time to plant garlic is February - April in an area that receives at least 6 hours of sunshine.
Flourish!
Glenice
Hi,
I am on the north coast in KZN, La Mercy to be exact and have about 1/2 hectare available and am really keen to start growing garlic.
Is the conditions favorable this close to the ocean and when is the ideal time to start?
Hi Lourinda
You'd have to check whether your soil conditions are suitable.
Perhaps check with the Garlic Grower's Association for additional information specific to your area.
Flourish!
Glenice