Divisi
When to plant Garlic in Frances Baard
Nothern Cape, South Africa
Known here as knoffel
Garlic (Allium sativum) is grown for its compound bulb — the head that splits into the cloves you cook with.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant | 10 Jun 2027 – 9 Aug 2027 opens in 36 weeks |
| Expected harvest | about 15.5 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 8 Oct 2027 to 6 Mar 2028, depending on the planting date |
| Ready to harvest | 120–210 days after planting |
| Work it takes | 123–248 days per hectare, by hand |
Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.
If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 20 Jul 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Frances Baard is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 9 Aug 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Frances Baard
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For garlic in Frances Baard, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 96%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.
The season in Frances Baard
| Rain in a typical year | About 414 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 414 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| What that supports | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 97% of this area. |
| 97% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 410 mm |
|---|---|
| 3% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 410 mm |
last updated 17 September 2026
Temperature holds back about 15% of yield here.
What garlic needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.5 and 7.5 |
| Spacing | 30 cm between rows, 10 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | sulphur, nitrogen and potassium |
What it takes to grow garlic in Frances Baard
| Nitrogen (N) | About 155 kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 62 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 155 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. A nitrogen top dressing — urea or AN — goes on once the crop is established. |
| Hand work | 123–248 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a garlic crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.
Grow Garlic with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Frances Baard as a whole — your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates. The Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.
This calendar moves
Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.
Frequently asked questions
Will garlic grow well in Frances Baard?
Frances Baard rates as favourable for garlic.
When should I plant garlic in Frances Baard?
Typically 10 Jun 2027 to 9 Aug 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Frances Baard, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.