April is garlic-planting time and it’s easier than you think to grow a year’s supply for your family.
Garlic does best in areas with a cold spell of 10 ̊C or below for longer than a month. Without this, the cloves may remain whole and not divide into little bulblets. You’ll need to plant at least 36 cloves in a square metre (six-by-six plants at 15cm apart) to provide a small family with garlic for a year – we plant 100-150 cloves for our family! Garlic takes approximately seven months to grow, so the garlic you plant now will be ready for Christmas.
How to grow
Garlic needs friable, well-drained soil and full sun. They will be in the garden throughout winter so it is a good idea to mound the soil so it doesn't retain too much moisture that could cause the bulbs to rot. Dig in compost and a cup of blood and bone per square metre.
Plant out cloves purchased from a reliable mail order company, or Australian garlic (with the roots on) from the green grocer. Note: Garlic grown in China will have the roots cut due to quarantine requirements. If you grew garlic last year, select some of your biggest cloves and plant them.
Do not split bulbs until just before planting. Cloves at least 1cm across at the base will give the best bulbs. Plant cloves 8cm deep and 15cm apart. Ours sprung into life within a week. We found that winter rainfall was enough water but remember to water throughout spring.
For green garlic, dig up bulbs in late spring and use straight away. For the true harvest, wait until the leaves yellow. Dry the bulbs completely by spreading them out on trays in the sun for two weeks until they are dry and the skin is papery. Remove any soil, plait the leaves and hang them in a cool airy place until you need them.
Pests & Diseases
Garlic is prone to a few pests and diseases, including sap-sucking insects like thrips and aphids, and diseases like rust and downy mildew. Control thrips and aphids with an organic insecticidal soap, repeating every 7-10 days, if needed. Treat rust with lime sulfur and downy mildew with Mancozeb.
We hope you have enjoyed this article so far.
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