Allium sativum
Garlic
Photo: Ivar Leidus · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Description
Garlic is robust, hardy and a natural health guardian in the bed; its smell keeps pests away from carrots and strawberries. Planted in autumn it produces the strongest bulbs.
Care instructions
Push individual cloves into the ground tip upwards, ideally in October so they form roots over winter, or early from February. Garlic needs sunny, free-draining soil and little water; harvest once the foliage has yellowed by two thirds.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, well-drained
Feeding
Medium feeder
Companion planting
Good neighbors
carrot family (Apiaceae)
Umbellifers and alliums confuse each other's pests (carrot fly, onion fly).
For example celery rootDillParsleyCarrot fennelCorianderCelery (Stalk Celery) and 16 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
rose family (Rosaceae)
You can plant garlic and chives under strawberries and roses; their scent repels aphids and other pests.
For example ApplePearAroniaApple roseMirabelle plumplum and 46 more species in the catalogue
Source: Bio-Gärtnerei Mixed Culture Practice
Rather not
legume family (Fabaceae)
particularly well establishedAllium species inhibit the nitrogen‑fixing rhizobia of legumes through their root exudates, which slows their growth.
For example Red CloverRed CloverWhite CloverLupineWisteriaVelvet vetch and 18 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop‑rotation rule
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
Onions slow down the growth of nightshade family plants next to potatoes and tomatoes; the classic crop-rotation rule also applies in the bed side by side.
For example PotatoTomatoSweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberry and 9 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop-rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
Diseases & pests
3 relevantFrom the knowledge base, automatically linked by affected species. How to spot and prevent them is covered in full in the lexicon.
Acrolepiopsis assectella
The leek moth is a small nocturnal moth whose larvae bore into the leaves and stalks of leeks, garlic, and onions.
More on Leek mothPuccinia allii
Leek rust is a fungal disease on leek, garlic, onion and chives. Bright orange yellow, elongated spore pustules form on the leaves and leaf sheaths, which burst open and dust off rust coloured powder.
More on Leek rustDelia antiqua
The onion fly (Delia antiqua) lays its eggs on the leaf sheaths of young onion plants, and the larvae then tunnel into the bulb, the neck and the roots.
More on Onion flyVarieties
4 varieties‚Germidour’
*‚Germidour’* is a violet‑striped softneck garlic from France that is especially well suited for autumn cultivation in milder locations.
‚Messidrome’
*‚Messidrome’* is a proven white autumn planted garlic from France with large, firm bulbs and a robust, classic garlic aroma.
‚Sprint’
*‚Sprint’* is a winter hardy autumn planted garlic bred for growing in the climate of the German speaking countries, and it copes well with cool winters.
‚Thermidrome’
*‚Thermidrome’* is a French autumn planted hardneck garlic with large, white skinned bulbs and usually seven to nine sturdy cloves.
Notes from real gardens
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From the magazine
Foraging Wild Garlic Safely: Telling It Apart From Its Three Dangerous Look-Alikes
Foraging wild garlic is easy once you know its poisonous look-alikes. Here is how to tell it apart from lily of the valley, autumn crocus and lords-and-ladies, and how to gather it hygienically.
Planting garlic in autumn: the trick with the cold stimulus
Garlic needs the winter to divide into large cloves, so you plant it in October, not in spring. Here is how to choose the right stock, plant the cloves the right way up and harvest a whole bulb from every single clove in July.
Wild Herb Cooking in Spring: Nine Edible Herbs on Your Doorstep
Dandelion, nettle, wild garlic and six more wild herbs grow right outside your door in spring. Here is how to harvest them young and mild, tell the toxic look-alikes apart, and know where not to gather.