Garlic · Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

When to plant garlic in Pretoria

Main outdoor window

30 Apr - 14 May

The window this page is built around.

Timed from last spring frost

24 July

In Pretoria, on your chosen risk.

Ready to pick

26 Dec - 25 Jan

If you plant at the start of the window.

The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.

Cautious Balanced Bold

Step by step in Pretoria

Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.

Plant cloves

30 Apr - 14 May

Four to six weeks before your first frost, so roots form before the ground cools.

Harvest

26 Dec - 25 Jan

Frost tolerance

Very-hardy

Damaged below

-20°C (-4°F)

Days to maturity

240–270

Spacing

15 cm

Sowing depth

50 mm (2 in)

Sun

Full

Garlic through the year

Against the frost risk in Pretoria

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Garlic

Frost risk Plant Harvest Today

Why these dates

Plant four to six weeks before your first autumn frost so roots establish before the ground cools. Hardneck types require a genuine cold period and will not bulb properly in mild-winter climates.

Survives -20C under mulch. Hardnecks need six to eight weeks below 10C to form cloves, making this a crop that actively requires winter.

Garlic are anchored to the first autumn frost rather than the last spring one, so the planting window on this page counts backwards from the end of the season in Pretoria instead of forwards from its start.

The median frost-free season here is 322 days, against 240 to 270 days to maturity for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.

See every crop timed for Pretoria →

Nearby

Garlic in places close by

Soweto 67 km

Also in Pretoria

Other vegetables to time

Tomatoes tender Lettuce half hardy Potatoes half hardy Courgettes tender Sweet peppers tender Carrots hardy Cucumbers tender Green beans tender Peas hardy Chilli peppers tender Sweetcorn tender

Growing garlic in Pretoria

When should I plant garlic in Pretoria?

Aim for 30 Apr - 14 May in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 15-29 Apr - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.

When will garlic be ready to harvest in Pretoria?

Expect to start picking around 26 Dec - 25 Jan, based on 240 to 270 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.

How much frost will garlic tolerate?

Survives -20C under mulch. Hardnecks need six to eight weeks below 10C to form cloves, making this a crop that actively requires winter.