How to Grow Garlic in Australia
Updated June 2026
Autumn planting, curing, and variety picks for every Australian region
Garlic is a must-grow for any kitchen garden. It takes up very little space, needs minimal attention once planted, and home-grown bulbs have far more flavour than anything from a shop. The timing is simple: plant in autumn, harvest in summer.
This guide covers the best garlic varieties for Australian conditions, planting times by region, and how to cure and store your harvest properly.
What it looks like as it grows
Garlic Planting Calculator and Timing
How many cloves do you need?
Based on planting cloves 15 cm apart. About 8 to 12 cloves come from each bulb, and you get roughly one bulb back for every clove you plant.
When to plant and which type suits you
Garlic needs a cold period and lengthening days to form bulbs. Plant in autumn so cloves root through winter.
Best Varieties
Australian White
The standard garlic for most Australian gardens. Reliable producer in all climates, stores well for 6 to 8 months. Strong flavour that mellows when roasted. Available everywhere.
Monaro Purple
Purple-streaked hardneck variety from the Monaro region. Rich, complex flavour with moderate heat. Produces edible scapes. Best in cooler climates (Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide hills).
Italian Late
Large bulbs with strong flavour. Softneck type that stores well and is easy to braid. Performs across most Australian climates. Matures later than other varieties, giving bigger bulbs.
Elephant Garlic
Not true garlic but a type of leek. Enormous mild-flavoured cloves, excellent roasted whole. Easy to grow and impressive looking. Each clove can weigh 30 to 50 grams.
Printanor
French softneck variety suited to milder climates. White skin, reliable yields, and good storage life. Popular with market gardeners for its consistent bulb size.
Autumn Planting Guide
Garlic needs a cold period to form bulbs properly. Plant individual cloves (not whole bulbs) in autumn, pointed end up, 5 cm deep and 15 cm apart. The cloves will root through winter and form bulbs as days lengthen in spring.
Choose your biggest, healthiest cloves for planting. Small cloves produce small bulbs. Break the bulb apart no more than 48 hours before planting to keep cloves fresh.
Timing shifts with your climate. Cool-temperate gardens (Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Perth) plant from March to May. Subtropical and tropical gardens (Brisbane, Northern NSW, Darwin) plant a little later, from April to June, and lean on softneck types. The genuinely cold districts (Hobart, Canberra, the highlands) can plant from March through to early winter and are the only places hardneck garlic reliably thrives. Use the timing tool above for a quick read on your zone.
Position and Soil
Garlic wants full sun, at least 6 hours a day, and free-draining soil. Waterlogged ground rots the cloves over winter, so raised beds or mounded rows help in heavier soils. Aim for a soil pH of 6.0 to 7.0.
Garlic is a hungry crop. Dig in plenty of well-rotted compost or aged manure a couple of weeks before planting. Loosen the soil to a spade's depth so the bulbs can swell freely. A light mulch of straw keeps weeds down and moisture even through the growing season.
Feeding and Watering
Keep the soil moist but never soggy through autumn and winter while the cloves root and put up leaves. Garlic does most of its leaf growth in late winter and its bulbing in spring as the days lengthen.
Feed with a nitrogen-rich fertiliser through winter to drive leaf growth, then switch to a potassium-rich feed in early spring as bulbs begin to swell. Stop watering two to three weeks before harvest so the bulbs firm up and the skins cure on the plant. Weeds compete heavily with shallow-rooted garlic, so keep the bed clean.
Curing and Storage
Harvest garlic when the bottom 3 to 4 leaves have browned but the top leaves are still green. Dig carefully with a fork, never pull by the stem.
Cure bulbs in a warm, dry, well-ventilated spot out of direct sun for 2 to 4 weeks. The outer skins should become papery and the neck should be completely dry. Once cured, trim roots and cut stems to 3 cm (or leave long for braiding softneck varieties).
Properly cured garlic stores for 4 to 8 months in a cool, dry spot. Never refrigerate garlic or store it in plastic bags.
Common Problems
White rot
This is the most serious garlic disease in Australia. It causes white, fluffy mould at the base of bulbs and can persist in soil for 15 to 20 years. There is no cure. If white rot appears, do not grow garlic, onions, leeks, or shallots in that spot again. Prevention is the only option: use clean seed stock and rotate beds every year.
Rust
Orange pustules on leaves. Common in humid conditions. Improve air circulation, avoid overhead watering, and remove badly affected leaves. Mild rust infections rarely affect bulb quality.
Small bulbs
Usually caused by planting too late, using small cloves, or insufficient feeding. Plant on time, use your biggest cloves, and feed with a potassium-rich fertiliser in early spring as bulbs begin to swell.
Track Your Garlic Growing
Add garlic to your garden in the Planting Season app and get reminders for planting, feeding, and harvest time.
Open the App →Frequently Asked Questions
When should I plant garlic in Australia?
Plant garlic in autumn. In cool-temperate regions (Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra), plant from March to May. In subtropical regions (Brisbane, Northern NSW), plant from April to June. Garlic needs winter cold to form bulbs properly.
How long does garlic take to grow?
Garlic takes 6 to 9 months from planting to harvest. Planted in autumn, it is usually ready to harvest in late spring to early summer (October to December depending on region and variety).
Can I plant garlic from the supermarket?
It is not recommended. Supermarket garlic is often imported, treated to prevent sprouting, and may carry diseases. Buy Australian-grown seed garlic from a nursery or online supplier for best results.
How do I know when garlic is ready to harvest?
Harvest when the bottom 3 to 4 leaves have turned brown but the top leaves are still green. If you wait until all leaves are brown, the bulb wrappers may have deteriorated, reducing storage life.
Should I grow softneck or hardneck garlic?
Most of Australia should grow softneck garlic. It does not need a hard winter, stores the longest, and suits mild and warm climates. Hardneck garlic only reliably succeeds in genuinely cold-winter areas such as Hobart, Canberra, and the highlands, where it also produces edible scapes.
How far apart should I plant garlic cloves?
Plant cloves 15 cm apart, pointed end up, about 5 cm deep, in rows 20 to 30 cm apart. Use the planting calculator above to work out how many cloves and bulbs you need for your bed.
What are garlic scapes and should I remove them?
Scapes are the curling flower stems that hardneck garlic sends up in spring. Cut them off once they curl, because removing them sends the plant's energy back into the bulb. The scapes are delicious in stir-fries and pesto. Softneck garlic does not reliably produce scapes.
See also: Garlic in the Plant Library
