Climate

Climate has one of the greatest influences on growing garlic. While all ten global garlic groups can be grown in NZ, some grow better in different parts of the country than others. In general, garlic grows best in regions with cool to cold winters and hot summers.

NZ is in the mid-latitudes (between the tropics and polar), and has a temperate climate with rainfall spread across the entire year. We have mild to warm summers and cool to cold winters compared to other countries.

Wild garlic originates from the cold mountains of central Asia. The 10 garlic groups originate from this wild garlic and the chilling of winter is a natural part of the garlic growing cycle. Sprout and clove formation is quick when cool temperatures are 5-10°C for 1-2 months, otherwise, bulbs and cloves may not properly develop and you will harvest more leek-like garlic with stumpy rounds and no cloves.

As a result garlic needs a cold winter period to vernalise to initiate growth - which in warmer climates garlic bulbs can be tricked by putting them in the fridge at the pre-planting stage. The young cloves can survive -10°C and new shoots can survive -6°C without cellular damage. It would be rare for a bulb to be affected by cold NZ conditions unless the soil freezes very quickly and deeply. Garlic remains in dormancy with juvenile shoots only having up to four leaves until the temperatures rises above 12°C and they begin to grow secondary leaves.

As a result there are few places in NZ where people reside in which garlic cannot thrive. Also the colder the climate the hotter the garlic tends to taste and bulbs tend to be larger.