diff --git a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/core.go b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/core.go
index 41ea7470715..b3637f273af 100644
--- a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/core.go
+++ b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/core.go
@@ -698,11 +698,12 @@ func startGarbageCollectorController(ctx context.Context, controllerContext Cont
 
 	// Start the garbage collector.
 	workers := int(controllerContext.ComponentConfig.GarbageCollectorController.ConcurrentGCSyncs)
-	go garbageCollector.Run(ctx, workers)
+	const syncPeriod = 30 * time.Second
+	go garbageCollector.Run(ctx, workers, syncPeriod)
 
 	// Periodically refresh the RESTMapper with new discovery information and sync
 	// the garbage collector.
-	go garbageCollector.Sync(ctx, discoveryClient, 30*time.Second)
+	go garbageCollector.Sync(ctx, discoveryClient, syncPeriod)
 
 	return garbageCollector, true, nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector.go b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector.go
index b1c604919ba..e5e121c5dd9 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector.go
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ func (gc *GarbageCollector) resyncMonitors(logger klog.Logger, deletableResource
 }
 
 // Run starts garbage collector workers.
-func (gc *GarbageCollector) Run(ctx context.Context, workers int) {
+func (gc *GarbageCollector) Run(ctx context.Context, workers int, initialSyncTimeout time.Duration) {
 	defer utilruntime.HandleCrash()
 	defer gc.attemptToDelete.ShutDown()
 	defer gc.attemptToOrphan.ShutDown()
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ func (gc *GarbageCollector) Run(ctx context.Context, workers int) {
 
 	go gc.dependencyGraphBuilder.Run(ctx)
 
-	if !cache.WaitForNamedCacheSync("garbage collector", waitForStopOrTimeout(ctx.Done(), 30*time.Second), func() bool {
+	if !cache.WaitForNamedCacheSync("garbage collector", waitForStopOrTimeout(ctx.Done(), initialSyncTimeout), func() bool {
 		return gc.dependencyGraphBuilder.IsSynced(logger)
 	}) {
 		logger.Info("Garbage collector: all resource monitors could not be synced, proceeding anyways")
diff --git a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector_test.go b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector_test.go
index 174bd838071..15e82a324ec 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector_test.go
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ func TestGarbageCollectorConstruction(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	assert.Len(t, gc.dependencyGraphBuilder.monitors, 1)
 
-	go gc.Run(tCtx, 1)
+	go gc.Run(tCtx, 1, 5*time.Second)
 
 	err = gc.resyncMonitors(logger, twoResources)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -914,7 +914,8 @@ func TestGarbageCollectorSync(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	go gc.Run(tCtx, 1)
+	syncPeriod := 200 * time.Millisecond
+	go gc.Run(tCtx, 1, syncPeriod)
 	// The pseudo-code of GarbageCollector.Sync():
 	// GarbageCollector.Sync(client, period, stopCh):
 	//    wait.Until() loops with `period` until the `stopCh` is closed :
@@ -929,7 +930,7 @@ func TestGarbageCollectorSync(t *testing.T) {
 	// The 1s sleep in the test allows GetDeletableResources and
 	// gc.resyncMonitors to run ~5 times to ensure the changes to the
 	// fakeDiscoveryClient are picked up.
-	go gc.Sync(tCtx, fakeDiscoveryClient, 200*time.Millisecond)
+	go gc.Sync(tCtx, fakeDiscoveryClient, syncPeriod)
 
 	// Wait until the sync discovers the initial resources
 	time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
diff --git a/test/integration/garbagecollector/garbage_collector_test.go b/test/integration/garbagecollector/garbage_collector_test.go
index 9e62cc50133..7202bbbaeb2 100644
--- a/test/integration/garbagecollector/garbage_collector_test.go
+++ b/test/integration/garbagecollector/garbage_collector_test.go
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ func setupWithServer(t *testing.T, result *kubeapiservertesting.TestServer, work
 			// mapper, but we'll deal with it for now.
 			restMapper.Reset()
 		}, syncPeriod, tCtx.Done())
-		go gc.Run(tCtx, workers)
+		go gc.Run(tCtx, workers, syncPeriod)
 		go gc.Sync(tCtx, clientSet.Discovery(), syncPeriod)
 	}
 
@@ -1371,6 +1371,8 @@ func TestCascadingDeleteOnCRDConversionFailure(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	ctx.startGC(5)
+	// make sure gc.Sync finds the new CRD and starts monitoring it
+	time.Sleep(ctx.syncPeriod + 1*time.Second)
 
 	rcClient := clientSet.CoreV1().ReplicationControllers(ns.Name)
 	podClient := clientSet.CoreV1().Pods(ns.Name)
diff --git a/test/integration/util/util.go b/test/integration/util/util.go
index 9a028e0f36d..243ff5b1728 100644
--- a/test/integration/util/util.go
+++ b/test/integration/util/util.go
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ func CreateGCController(ctx context.Context, tb ktesting.TB, restConfig restclie
 		go wait.Until(func() {
 			restMapper.Reset()
 		}, syncPeriod, ctx.Done())
-		go gc.Run(ctx, 1)
+		go gc.Run(ctx, 1, syncPeriod)
 		go gc.Sync(ctx, clientSet.Discovery(), syncPeriod)
 	}
 	return startGC