Growing guide
How to grow garlic
A long winter spice crop with costly seed cloves and storable produce.
At a glance
- Planting window
- Late September – October
- Duration
- 150–180 days
- Climate
- 12–24 °C; cool for growth, warmer for bulbing
- Soil
- Friable loam; pH 6–7.5
- Water need
- Moderate · about 350–450 mm a season
- Seed
- About 200–240 kg of cloves per acre
- Spacing
- 15 × 8 cm
- Yield
- 40–50 quintals per acre.
What to do, and when
Dates assume planting around 5 Oct. Change the plan to shift them.
- Day 0 — Plant cloves: Largest outer cloves only.
- Days 30–45 — Nitrogen splits: Then weed.
- Months 5–6 — Harvest when leaves yellow: Cure 1–2 weeks in shade.
Varieties to consider
Buy certified seed or planting material from an authorised source.
- Yamuna Safed series (e.g. G-282) — NHRDF varieties for the plains.
Water
- Every 8–10 days; stop 10–15 days before harvest.
- Never let it go short at: Bulb formation
- Drip irrigation suits this crop.
Nutrition
- Dose: About 100 kg N, 50 kg P₂O₅, 50 kg K₂O and 50 kg S per hectare
- Planting: all P, K, S and half N.
- 30 and 45 days: remaining N.
Pests and diseases to watch
Prevent first; spray only when needed, with a product registered for the crop, at label dose.
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Yield and economics
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- Price: Indicative farm-gate price (₹50/kg), highly volatile
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What would you like to do next?
Where these numbers come from
- ICAR / state university general recommendation A typical range for irrigated conditions. Your soil test decides the final dose.
- Common grower practice in north India Widely followed by farmers; confirm with your KVK for your block.
- Agriculture Novel indicative estimate A planning number, not a quote. Replace it with your own costs and your mandi’s price.