Garlic
Also called: ثوم · Thoum
Grown from cloves, not seed. Plant in October and harvest in April — a very simple crop that needs almost no attention.
The year at a glance
Each month is split in half. The outline marks now.
Stage by stage
Stage 1 of 7
Seed
Days 0–6
Seed
Days 0–6The seed sits in the soil taking up water and swelling. Nothing shows above the surface — everything is happening underground.
Do now
- Water lightly and often so the soil stays damp but never soaked. Letting it dry out between waterings kills the seed before it sprouts.
- Cover the surface with a thin layer of straw or compost to slow evaporation and steady the temperature.
- Label what you sowed and when. You will need the date to work out the harvest.
Watch for
- A hard crust forming on sandy soil after watering, which traps the sprout underneath. Break it gently.
- Ants carrying small seeds away — a very common problem in Qatari gardens.
In Qatar
Plant the clove pointed end up, 4 cm deep. Supermarket garlic works if it has not been treated against sprouting.
Germination
Days 7–15The seed coat splits: a root pushes down and a shoot pushes up. The two seed leaves that appear are not true leaves — they are the seed’s own food store.
Do now
- Keep moisture constant. The first root is very fine and a single dry day can end the seedling.
- Remove any covering as soon as the first sprout shows, or it will stretch thin looking for light.
- Give bright, indirect light. Direct midday sun will scorch a new seedling within hours.
Watch for
- A long, thin, pale stem: the seedling is not getting enough light and will collapse.
- Sudden wilting with a pinched stem at soil level — damping off, caused by overwatering.
In Qatar
The first leaf shows within a fortnight in October’s warmth.
Seedling
Days 16–45The first true leaves appear, shaped differently from the seed leaves. The plant is now feeding itself and the roots are branching fast.
Do now
- Thin crowded seedlings and keep the strongest. Crowding gives you many weak plants instead of one good one.
- Start watering less often but more deeply, to drive the roots downwards.
- Harden the seedling off — build up its sun exposure over a week before transplanting.
Watch for
- Yellowing lower leaves: nitrogen shortage, very common in Qatar’s poor sandy soil.
- Small holes or chewed edges, meaning snails or young grasshoppers.
In Qatar
Slow, steady growth through November. It needs almost nothing from you at this stage.
Top growth
Days 46–110The plant builds its leaves first. The root is still thin, but the size of the leaf canopy now decides the size of the root later.
Do now
- Thin to the recommended spacing. Crowding is the number one cause of small, deformed roots.
- Clear stones and clods from the soil around the plant. Any obstruction makes the root fork.
- Water regularly and deeply. Roots follow the water down.
Watch for
- Very lush leaves: too much nitrogen, and you will get foliage instead of a root.
- Compacted or very sandy soil stopping the root from expanding.
In Qatar
Al-Murabbaniya’s cold is what triggers the head to split into cloves. A colder winter means better garlic.
Bulbing
Days 111–150The leaves stop growing and their bases start swelling layer on layer. Day length, not the plant’s age, is what triggers this.
Do now
- Taper the watering off as the bulb swells, to avoid rot.
- Ease the soil back off the shoulder of the bulb so it sees the sun and cures.
- Stop nitrogen entirely — it keeps the bulb from putting anything into storage.
Watch for
- A flower stalk coming up the middle: the bulb will not grow further — use it fresh.
- A thick, soft neck, meaning too much water — it will not store.
In Qatar
The head swells in March. This is the single most important period for steady watering in garlic’s whole life.
Harvest and curing
Days 151–180The leaves flop over and dry from the tips — the plant’s own signal that the bulb is done. Curing after lifting is what lets it keep for months.
Do now
- Stop watering completely a week before lifting.
- Lift when two-thirds of the tops have bent over, then leave the bulbs in dry, airy shade for two weeks.
- Do not cure in direct Qatari sun — it scorches the outer skin.
Watch for
- Any moisture left in the neck at storage causes rot that spreads through the whole box.
- Bruises from rough lifting turning into rot spots.
In Qatar
Stop watering completely in early April and lift two weeks later. Watering right up to harvest ruins its keeping quality.
End of cycle
Days 181–210The plant’s cycle is over. The roots left behind break down and add organic matter if you leave them.
Do now
- Cut the plant at soil level and leave the roots in place to rot down.
- Sow a crop from a different family in the same spot to break the pest cycle.
- Add compost and cover the soil before the summer heat.
Watch for
- Planting the same family twice running in the same bed.
- Leaving the soil bare in the sun all summer.
In Qatar
Keep the biggest heads to plant next October. Garlic adapts to your own conditions year on year.
- Sun
- Full sun
- 15 cm apart
- Sow 4 cm deep
- Pot from 5 L
- Amaryllidaceae
Grows well with
Keep away from
- Water
- Low
- Salt tolerance
- Medium
- Heat tolerance
- Medium
2 L/week in winter, 5 L in summer
Soil preparation
Needs excellent drainage above all else. Raised beds are ideal; waterlogged ground simply rots the cloves.
Pests
Thrips
- Sign
- Silvery streaking on the leaves in March.
- What to do
- A strong water blast. Garlic rarely needs more.
White rot
- Sign
- Yellowing and wilt with white cottony mould at the base.
- What to do
- Pull and destroy at once, and grow no allium there for four years. There is no cure.
Common problems
One big round instead of a split head
- Cause
- Planting late, or a winter not cold enough to trigger clove formation.
- Fix
- Plant in October, not December. Chill the cloves in the fridge for two weeks first to mimic cold.
Small heads
- Cause
- Weed competition, or a water shortage in March.
- Fix
- Keep it weed-free and water steadily until early April, then stop.
Picking
Lift when the lower half of the leaves have dried and the top ones are still green. Late lifting makes the head fall apart in the ground.
Keeping
Six months plaited and hung somewhere dry and airy — the longest-storing crop in this guide.