Garlic
Allium sativum L.
Botanical family: Alliaceae
A thousand-year-old seasoning of the Alliaceae, now placed in the Amaryllidaceae (Allium sativum), garlic has been grown since antiquity, from Egypt to Central Asia, its likely cradle. Rich in sulphur compounds, including allicin, released when the clove is crushed, it is planted as cloves in autumn or late winter and enjoys a drained soil in full sun.
Full sun
Well-drained, light
Little
Hardy: planted in autumn, it overwinters in the ground and needs that cold to form a good bulb
Overwinters in your zone
Role in permaculture
Good companions
Traditional companion planting (benefit not demonstrated)
Poor companions
Insects attracted or useful
Known pests & diseases
Pests and diseases that commonly affect this plant, tap to learn how to recognise and manage them.
Seasons & availability
Lifted from May to July, garlic then keeps until the following spring.
Available: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- RHS, « How to Grow Garlic » (rhs.org.uk/vegetables/garlic/grow-your-own)
- Interfel, « Ail : Présentation, disponibilité, conservation » (lesfruitsetlegumesfrais.com/fruits-legumes/legumes-racines-tubercules-et-tiges/ail)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
May interact with certain anticoagulant medicines or irritate the stomach at high dose.
In the kitchen & the apothecary
Where to find garlic in preparations: recipes and traditional herbal teas.
Family behaviour: Alliaceae
In general, Alliaceae form sulphur-rich bulbs (garlic, onion, leek, chives, shallot). Their smell is reputed to confuse some pests; the effect has been measured against the carrot fly while the onion is young (Uvah and Coaker, 1984).
Understanding families means learning one rule per family rather than every pairing one by one. Learn more →
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.
Common varieties
Voices of peoples
Paraphrases attributed to their documented sources. Never an invented quote.
Ancient Egypt, as reported by Herodotus (Greek historian, 5th c. BC) · Lower Egypt, Giza plateau
Describing the Great Pyramid, Herodotus asserts that an inscription in Egyptian characters recorded the sums spent to feed the site's workers, notably on radishes/horseradish, onion, and garlic. The interpreter who translated it for him is said to have announced a total of 1,600 talents of silver. Herodotus's reasoning: if the vegetables alone cost so much, what sum was swallowed up by the rest. It's the oldest written account linking garlic to the rations of the Egyptian builders.
Hérodote, Histoires, Livre II, 125 (trad. anglaise G. C. Macaulay)
Two important caveats. (1) TRANSLATION NUANCE: the Greek 'skoroda' (σκόροδα) does mean garlic, Rawlinson and Godley (Loeb) translate 'garlic'; the Macaulay version consulted renders it more freely as 'leeks'. Garlic is therefore the species of the text, but translations diverge on the other vegetables (συρμαίη = radish/horseradish or purge). (2) HISTORICAL NUANCE: modern Egyptology holds this passage doubtful, no inscription of this kind has been found, the 'reading' is very likely an invention or a misunderstanding by Herodotus's guide, and the builders were not slaves but supervised workers. Attested fact: what Herodotus reports; it is NOT a direct Egyptian document, but a Greek testimony about Egypt.
Keep in mind
Garlic's repellent effect in the garden is shown in the laboratory (extracts, macerates) but remains moderate in the field and depends on conditions. Popular claims ('drives off earwigs', which are in fact useful omnivorous helpers; 'antifungal effect at the foot of the apple tree') belong to tradition more than to solid agronomic proof.
A note on rigour: many companion pairings are gardening folklore; this note sums up what the sources say, where there are any.