How to grow garlic and intercrop to make the most of space | Gardening 101 | Gardening Australia

Prepare a site in full sun, ideally with some wind protection. Hannah aerates her soil with an aerating tool but you can use a garden fork, too. The key is to ensure the soil is well drained as garlic will rot in wet soil. Clay soils especially will need building up with lots of organic matter and gypsum.

Hannah tops her bed with a fresh load of compost but no fertiliser - too much nitrogen will encourage leaf growth rather than root growth, and cause sappy growth that attracts aphids and other pests.

There are lots of varieties of garlic, some suited to cold climates, others suited to warmer areas, and flavour variants too.

Buy cloves from a certified, local grower - don’t plant cloves bought from the supermarket as many are chemically treated so may not even shoot, and if they do they may not be suited to your soil and climate.

Choose cloves that are big, healthy, and firm. Hannah soaks her cloves overnight in a diluted seaweed solution to encourage fast root growth, as well as adding some beneficial nutrients.

Plant cloves in rows about 20-25cm apart, with cloves spaced about 10cm or a hand’s width apart. them with the flat bottom down, making a hole with your finger down to the second knuckle – the growing tip should be just below the surface.

Because garlic can take up to 6 months to grow, Hannah doubles her harvest in the valuable garden space by intercropping with some fast-growing lettuce. These will also help to keep down weeds, which garlic hates, but it’s important you don’t intercrop with plants that will compete for nutrients or water (such as other alliums).

Featured plant:
Garlic ‘Tasmanian Purple’ (Allium sativum cv.)

Filmed on Muwinina Country in Hobart, Tas
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[tonycollins]

Old time gardening tip is to dust around garlic plants with wood ash and see how much better quality. Tony Collins.

[rumbeach]

Hannah I sprout mine in river sand first before planting. Your soil looks super rich. 👍

[uschiaala]

My garlic bed is prepped and ready, and I was planning to intercrop cut-and-come-again style lettuce, greens, and baby beets/carrots (and perhaps some flowers later). Last year I grew in pots and they did great - this year I'm really looking forward to a much bigger dedicated space.

[jessicamiller]

Fantastic tips. Just in time to plant my garlic beds up. Love your garden and your work Hannah!

[fionapayne]

Can you do before and after videos, so we can see planting and harvesting in the same videos, thankyou😊

[ianwilsongardendesign]

You could try planting in a tub/pot if you only wanted a few. I remember that you plant on the shortest day and harvest on longest as a rough guide.

[barbaravogtmann]

Well ! That was v
Ery informative, young Lady ! Amazing what one finds when searching through the internet ! I have Sandy Loamy Soil about 25km East(inland) from the NSW Coast in Port Stephens and I have had really no success with Garlic ! I LOVE the big Garlic Cloves like Russian Garlic but they are hard to come by around here ! I hate peeling little fiddly Garlic Cloves ! Your Method on how to plant Garlic Cloves into the Ground seems very good ! I Always bury them deeper and maybe that way the do not thrive for me ? Thank You for your Video, Gardening Australia ! At least it is Australian and NOT Always the overkill American way ! Cheers ! Goldy Red Head ! Is that your real Hair ? You sure got plenty of it there, lol !

[ralsharp]

Lovely thank you. Garlic rust is the nuisance in our garden

[CoreTorque]

Appreciate your work and thank you for sharing 💚
Where can we get one of those amazing Broadforks? 💥
Thank you ✌

[naomihynes]

Could I soak overnight in Charlie Carp or worm tea if I don't have seaweed solution?

[matthewfarrell]

We always plant our brown and red onions with the garlic and never had issues with them. Or is it only things like leek and spring onions?

Then we can leave the bed for 8 months and they usually get picked at the same time.

[denisemiller]

Why are people saying to plant in the fall. I just stuck some peeled sprouting garlic in the ground they were organic we will see lol

[barbaravogtmann]

That “very” did not come out like it should have ! Typed v Ery, hmm ! Darn Touch Keypad on my ipad, lol !

[littleowlbooks]

Is there some sort of equal opportunities thing going on at the ABC for people with lisps?

[catey]

I've just planted some Garlic in one of my tiny raised beds I have in my courtyard, looking forward to seeing how they go. 🙂🧄

[dannyboy]

Look what feminism has done to Australian vvomen.

[osaja]

Hi Dear,

Could you please provide me you contact email so that I can send you some of my question related to garlic growing.

Thank you.

[onimeshrishi]

Fantastic tips. Just in time to plant my garlic beds up. Love your garden and your work Hannah!