How to grow Garlic in New Zealand
Garlic is one of the easiest crops in a New Zealand garden: plant single cloves in late autumn or winter, keep them weeded and watered, and lift plump bulbs in early summer. The old Kiwi rule is to plant on the shortest day and harvest on the longest, and it is a fair guide for most of the country. Start with New Zealand grown seed garlic rather than supermarket bulbs.
📖 Our full guide: When to Plant Garlic in New Zealand: How to Grow, Harvest and Store
At a glance
When to sow by region
| Region | When to sow | Regional note |
|---|---|---|
| Northland | April to July | |
| Auckland | April to July | |
| Waikato & Bay of Plenty | April to July | |
| Central North Island | April to July | |
| Wellington & Lower North Island | April to July | |
| Nelson & Marlborough | April to July | |
| Canterbury | April to July | |
| Otago & Southland | April to July | |
| Central Otago | April to June | Plant Apr to Jun before the ground freezes hard. Garlic needs the winter chill and is fully hardy. |
Where to plant
Plant garlic in full sun, with at least six hours of direct sun a day, in free-draining soil enriched with compost or sheep pellets before planting. Bulbs can rot in prolonged wet weather or in heavy, poorly drained clay, so raise the bed if your soil stays wet in winter.
Use a new spot each year, and leave about three years before garlic goes back in the same bed. This matters all the more because of white rot, a soil-borne disease of the onion family that is serious in New Zealand and can survive in soil for 20 years or more.
- North Island and Nelson and Marlborough: plant from April to July, with May to July the main window. Plantings into August still work.
- Canterbury, Otago and Southland: plant from April to July. Kings Seeds suggests April and May plantings may give better results in the South Island.
- Central Otago: plant from April to June, before the ground freezes hard. Garlic is fully hardy and welcomes the winter chill.
Choosing a variety
There are two main kinds. Softneck garlic does not send up a flower stalk, grows well in warmer areas and stores the longest. Hardneck garlic forms a stiff central stem with a curly flower stalk called a scape, tends to have stronger flavour, and suits cool and cold winters better.
| Variety or type | Notes |
|---|---|
| Printanor | A softneck silverskin type and the main commercial garlic in New Zealand. Reliable, with medium to strong flavour, and stores up to about nine months |
| Takahue | A Northland heirloom adapted to New Zealand conditions over generations, with strong flavour |
| Creole, Turban and Asiatic types (for example Aja Rojo) | Hardnecks for warm and temperate districts, often hotter in flavour |
| Porcelain, Rocambole and Purple Stripe types | Hardnecks for cold-winter districts. Slower to mature; Rocambole is prized for flavour but does not keep well |
| Elephant garlic | Not true garlic but a leek relative, with very large, mild cloves |
Avoid supermarket garlic for planting, as imported bulbs are often treated to stop them sprouting. Specialist hardneck types usually need ordering from a specialist supplier.
How to plant
- Dig compost or sheep pellets into a sunny, free-draining bed before planting.
- Break the bulb into cloves just before planting, leaving the papery skin on. Plant the biggest cloves from the outside of the bulb.
- Push each clove in pointed end up, about 5 cm deep, 10 to 20 cm apart in rows about 30 cm apart. Planting too shallow lets heavy plants fall over later.
- Water in and mulch lightly with pea straw or similar.
- Shoots should appear in about a month.
Watering and feeding
Keep the soil moist but not wet. Garlic needs water most as the bulbs form, which in New Zealand is mostly November and December. Water at the base rather than over the leaves to reduce leaf disease, and never leave the bed waterlogged.
Garlic is a heavy feeder. Feed every four to six weeks through active growth with a vegetable fertiliser, or every one to two weeks with a liquid feed, starting once the leaves are up. Stop feeding once the lower leaves start to yellow and the bulbs are swelling.
Pruning and care through the year
- Weed regularly. Garlic competes poorly with weeds, which also cut airflow and raise disease pressure.
- On hardneck types, snap off the curly flower stalks (scapes) as they appear. Most growers do this so the plant puts its energy into the bulb, and the scapes are good to eat.
- Keep a few of your best bulbs to replant next year, as long as the crop was free of white rot.
Harvesting
Garlic is ready about 7 to 8 months after planting, usually from late November to January, when the lower few leaves have browned but five or six green leaves remain at the top. Lift bulbs gently with a fork or trowel from underneath rather than pulling them by the leaves, as they bruise easily and bruised bulbs store poorly.
Cure the whole plants, leaves and roots attached, in a dry, airy spot out of direct sun for about a month. Once the top leaves are papery and there is no green in the cut neck, trim the stems and roots and store in a cool, dry, dark place. Softneck types can be plaited.
Growing in pots
Garlic grows happily in pots. A pot about the size of a kitchen bucket holds about six cloves. Use vegetable or potting mix in a pot with good drainage, in full sun, and keep it watered, especially in November and December.
Companion planting
Garlic is upright and takes little space, so it tucks in between other crops. Rotation matters more than companions: keep it out of beds where any onion family crop grew recently.
Good companions
- Beetroot A root crop that shares the bed easily alongside slim garlic rows.
- Lettuce Quick lettuce can grow between garlic rows before the garlic needs the space.
- Strawberry A traditional pairing; both suit a sunny, free-draining bed.
- Tomato
- Fruit trees (fruit trees in general. for example lemon tree, apple, peach and mandarin)
Keep apart
Avoid planting these close to garlic.
Pests and diseases
Garlic has few insect pests in New Zealand gardens. The two diseases that matter are rust, which is common and weakens plants, and white rot, which is rarer but ruins the bed for onion family crops for many years.
Pests to watch for
- Aphids Small insects clustered on young leaves; usually minor.
Diseases to watch for
Common questions
When do I plant garlic in New Zealand?
Plant from April to July, with May to July the main window in most areas. The tradition is to plant on the shortest day and harvest on the longest. In the South Island, April and May plantings often do better, and in Central Otago plant by June before the ground freezes hard.
Can I plant supermarket garlic?
It is best not to. Supermarket garlic, especially imported garlic, is often treated to stop it sprouting. Buy New Zealand grown seed garlic such as Printanor from a garden centre or seed supplier.
When is garlic ready to harvest?
About seven to eight months after planting, usually late November to January. Lift when the lower leaves have browned but five or six green leaves remain at the top. Lift gently from underneath with a fork rather than pulling by the leaves.
What are the orange spots on my garlic leaves?
That is rust, a fungal disease common in mild, humid weather. Space plants for airflow, water the soil rather than the leaves, keep the plants fed and rotate beds. Pull out badly affected plants.
What is white rot in garlic?
White rot is a soil-borne fungus of onions, garlic and their relatives. Leaves yellow and die, and the bulb base is covered in white mould with tiny black specks. The specks survive in soil for 20 years or more, so bin affected plants with their soil, never compost them, and keep onion family crops out of that spot.
Should I cut the flower stalks off garlic?
On hardneck garlic, most growers snap off the curly scapes when they appear so the plant puts its energy into the bulb, and they are good to eat. Softneck garlic such as Printanor lacks a central flower stalk.
How do I store garlic?
Cure whole plants in a dry, airy spot out of direct sun for about a month, then trim the stems and roots. Store in a cool, dry, dark place in a mesh bag or plaited. Printanor can keep for up to about nine months.
Sources we checked: Yates NZ: How to grow garlic; Tui: Garlic growing guide; Kings Seeds NZ: Garlic (Printanor, Marlborough grown).