Reader question: why is my garlic so small?

In 2022, my neighbour gave us some homegrown garlic of a really good size and flavour. We ate some, and saved a few to plant the next season. Our crop last year was just as good. We planted some again this year, but ended up with very small garlic with poor clove definition. Each crop was in a different raised bed, fertilised with worm tea and mulched with sugar cane mulch. Cow manure was also used. I wasn’t able to water much in the winter due to knee surgery, but it rained and they had a good soaking when I was back up and about in July. Why is my garlic so small?

Marilyn Mifsud, Modbury Heights, SA

Hi Marilyn,

Sorry your garlic was not as successful this year. It has been a difficult year for garlic in many regions. After a very dry winter and early spring in SA and western Victoria, many garlic growers were caught by surprise, didn’t water enough, and ended up with smaller bulbs. This is what I think has happened to you. While in parts of Queensland whole commercial crops of garlic were abandoned after intense rainfall just before harvest. Garlic adapts slowly over time to new climate and soil conditions but does not deal well with sudden changes.

From what you’ve said, you provided a good balance of nutrients for early development. Once plants are well established with good root and leaf growth, bulb swell is triggered by a combination of longer days and higher temperatures. So colder than usual nights may also have affected bulb size. Some extra nutrients in the form of organic liquid feed every 2–3 weeks during bulb swell will also help to increase size. Bulbs are harvested when there are still 4–6 green leaves, and bulbs have reached a reasonable size. Pull the soil back to check. If left in the soil for too long, bulb skins start to break down and the cloves are exposed. They are still completely edible, but need to be carefully cured and will only store for short periods. Turban Group garlics with thin, fragile, usually purple-striped bulb skins, are particularly prone to splitting.

Penny Woodward

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