Everything You Need to Know About Garlic — Care, Propagation & More
Your complete Filipino gardener’s guide to growing, caring for, and harvesting Bawang — from seed to table.
What Can You Eat?
Discover the edible parts and how Filipinos enjoy this plant in everyday cooking.
Foundational Filipino aromatic — sinangag (garlic fried rice), adobo, sinigang, almost every savory dish. Pickled (atsarang bawang) and fried (toasted garlic for toppings). Folk medicine for hypertension.
Bawang Ilocos is among the world's most prized garlic — pungent, small, and aromatic. The foundation of Filipino cuisine. Local garlic is increasingly rare due to imports, making backyard cultivation a small act of food sovereignty.
Germination Guide
From seed to sprout — here’s what to expect and how to get started.
Planting Instructions
Everything you need to prepare — soil, spacing, depth, and the best Philippine planting months.
Propagation Methods
Learn the best ways to multiply your plants — from seeds to cuttings.
Care Guide
Keep your plant happy and thriving with the right light, water, and nutrients.
Full sun
Moderate; reduce 3 weeks before harvest
Compost at planting; minimal feeding after
15-25°C (prefers cool weather)
50-70%
Mulch; avoid disturbing roots.
Harvest Guide
Know when and how to harvest for the best yield and flavor.
Bottom 3-4 leaves yellow and dry.
Lift carefully with fork; cure in shade for 2 weeks.
Common Problems & Solutions
Spot issues early and fix them fast.
Small bulbs
Cause: Insufficient cold or short day length
Solution: Plant during cool months; choose lowland-adapted variety like 'Ilocos White'.
Yellow leaves early
Cause: Overwatering or fungal disease
Solution: Reduce watering; improve drainage.
Bulb rot
Cause: Waterlogged soil at maturity
Solution: Stop watering 3 weeks before harvest.
Onion thrips
Cause: Thrip infestation
Solution: Spray neem oil; reflective mulch.
Perfect Plant Partners
Plants that grow well together.
