Garlic planting time – again

Posted on by Lyn 2 Comments

garlic1 March and April are good months for planting garlic in temperate to warmer parts of Australia. This year we are going back to growing the ‘Italian White‘ variety as our winters are becoming too mild for the hard-necked varieties. ‘Italian White‘ is a soft-necked garlic more suited to warmer areas. Cloves are slightly smaller than the purple hard-necked garlic but it has a lovely flavour and keeps longer than the hard-neck varieties.

We will sow ours in the middle of April (during Full Moon phase), after separating the knobs into individual cloves. The larger cloves from each knob will be planted, flat end down, just below the surface into soil rich in compost with a pH close to neutral. We usually plant our cloves 15 cm apart in rows 30 cm apart so that the canopy formed by the leaves helps to keep the mulched soil cooler. Garlic needs regular, deep watering (not a daily sprinkle) and hates competing with weeds. Green Harvest has a range of garlic for planting, and their garlic page will help you to decide which variety is best suited to your local climate and needs.

If you want to grow a small quantity of garlic from knobs purchased from your greengrocer, make sure it is Australian garlic. Imported garlic is treated with methyl bromide, a nasty gas that has been banned in Europe and may prevent cloves from growing.
Garlic takes 6 to 8 months to develop a bulb depending on the variety and climate.

It’s garlic sowing time

Posted on by Lyn 1 Comment

April is a good time to plant garlic in most areas. Garlic needs a soil that is rich in humus but doesn’t require a lot of nitrogen so avoid adding manures to the bed. Uncomposted manures can cause garlic bulbs to rot, although processed poultry fertiliser is quite suitable for garlic. Garlic needs a full range of plant nutrients and trace elements for healthy growth. A drink of seaweed extract tea over the whole planting area will supply a full range of trace elements. Garlic also needs a soil pH of that is close to neutral. Working a 5 cm layer of well-made aerobic compost into the topsoil will help to buffer the cloves from an unsuitable pH in surrounding soil.
We always sow garlic (and other bulbs) during Full Moon phase. That is from the 19th to the 24th of this month. Gardeners in areas with very mild winters can put the cloves (in a plastic bag) into the vege crisper of the fridge until then – because garlic likes a bit of a chill before starting to grow. As garlic needs dry conditions at harvest time, sowing in April usually allows the bulbs to mature before wet weather in late spring–summer.
Sow each clove (pointy end up) in a 5 cm deep hole, and water thoroughly. If sowing large quantities, place them 15 cm apart. Don’t forget to mulch the bed afterwards because garlic plants don’t like competing with weeds.

Organic garlic for sale

Posted on by Lyn 1 Comment

SOLD OUT

New stock will be available around December 2011.

Once again, we have a small quantity of our own certified-organic ‘Italian White’ garlic for sale direct to the public. This variety has a lovely flavour and has been grown under strict organic conditions on Australia’s east coast*. Organic garlic is rich in antioxidants and the health benefits of garlic have been known for thousands of years.
Organic garlic can be used in food preparation or you can separate the cloves and grow your own garlic in autumn for next year. You can order 400 gram bags of garlic knobs to be sent by mail in a padded bag.
Ridgie-didge Organics Manning River – OGA Producer 371A

* Imported garlic is fumigated or irradiated, and some of it has been bleached. By the way, Elephant Garlic (that has huge cloves) is not garlic but a leek with a garlic flavour, and it does not have the same health-protecting properties of true garlic which is why we don’t grow it.

Australian organic garlic

Bag size: 400g

Price: $20.00

Postage: $7.50


Garlic beds

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It is still a bit too early to plant garlic in most areas, but not too early to prepare soil. Garlic needs a soil that is rich in humus but doesn’t require a lot of nitrogen so avoid adding manures to the bed. Uncomposted manures can cause garlic bulbs to rot, although processed poultry fertiliser is quite suitable for garlic. Garlic needs a full range of plant nutrients and trace elements for healthy growth. A drink of seaweed extract tea over the whole planting area will supply a full range of trace elements. Garlic also needs a soil pH of that is close to neutral. If you know that your soil is acid, give the bed a dose of dolomite or agricultural lime. Dissolve a generous handful in a full watering can and apply this to each square metre of the bed. Repeat again in a week or so for very acid soil.