The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Bert on October 09, 2012, 08:53:54 pm

Title: Garlic
Post by: Bert on October 09, 2012, 08:53:54 pm
Spent a lot of today splitting and planting 36 bulbs of garlic (that number is not a mistake ::) ,the boss got carried away with ordering again). 4 different types. How well dose autumn planted garlic cope with frost? Dose it need fleece on it? Really don't want to kill over three figures worth of garlic (yes the boss is off her rocker :innocent: )
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: deepinthewoods on October 09, 2012, 09:36:36 pm
garlic is frost hardy, it needs the cold to split into cloves.
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: Lesley Silvester on October 09, 2012, 09:55:37 pm
What are you going to do with all that garlic?  Apart from keeping vampires away.   :roflanim:
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: Mammyshaz on October 09, 2012, 10:01:13 pm
We will be planting garlic in the next week or two. Autumn planted garlic has a longer season to mature to nice fat cloves  :excited:
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: MAK on October 09, 2012, 11:32:49 pm
As above - the frost should not be a problem but maybe try and plant in well drained soil if you are planting in a wet autumn.

I am not sure what others take on things are but it strikes me that the general planting, care and harvest info written in books and on sed packets is a just a general guide. The UK is a long island with significantly different day/night ratios and local climates. I am not even sure if they can grow garlic  in the far north.

I reckon it may take me a few years to determine what, where and when to plant based on me moving 900 km further south to a different climate. The garlic goes in on the shortest day and I dig it up on the longest day. It was a very big and good crop so I will stick with this planting date that seems to have worked for us ( this far). 
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: Bert on October 10, 2012, 09:40:17 pm
Thanks everyone, that puts my mind at ease  :relief: .
I have no idea what they are going to do with that much garlic, I just have to grow it ;D .
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: Anke on October 12, 2012, 08:33:18 pm
I normally put mine in sometime in December, if I put it in too early it just gets damaged by damp/wet. I have had good crops even from late January planting, garic is ok aslong as t gets a good perio of serious frost. I wouldn't plant it in October - far too early.
I always put hoops/netting on mine as the blackbirds are masters on pulling the whole caboodle back up... ;D
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: PetiteGalette on October 23, 2012, 12:24:25 am
You plant garlic at the end of October in a raised bed. Plant it 4 inches deep - yes, 4 inches........
 
The reason for the October planting is that it grows roots before winter sets in.... it then has all
its energy to make head growth in the spring when it will romp away - not rocket science..........!
 
My french neighbours are totally impressed by my garlic - I have to give them lessons on garlic-growing - not bad for a 'Rost Bif', eh?
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: MAK on October 23, 2012, 12:45:35 pm
Ok - you have convinced me to ignore my French neighbours who insist that I plant on the shortest day to harvest on the longest. You know they tell us off if we pick plums before the 14th August or gather our store carrots before the 20th of October.
Our garlic was good last year and is keeping well but if I can get it out of the ground a bit earlier next year then well and good.
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: Welshcob on October 23, 2012, 01:24:34 pm
I intended to plant garlic this autumn in my allotment in Midlothian, but so far could not find in any of my local garden centres any local (Scottish-grown at least) variety. I can get Spanish-Greek and turkish garlic in the shops but for some reason I don't think it would grow well here  ???

Anyone has an idea where I could buy a northern variety of garlic? And sure if I find it, I'll keep enough to plant next year!!
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: Cheviot on October 23, 2012, 02:05:56 pm
Quote
I intended to plant garlic this autumn in my allotment in Midlothian, but so far could not find in any of my local garden centres any local (Scottish-grown at least) variety. I can get Spanish-Greek and turkish garlic in the shops but for some reason I don't think it would grow well here 

Anyone has an idea where I could buy a northern variety of garlic? And sure if I find it, I'll keep enough to plant next year!!

In 2010 I grew 3 different varieties of garlic, 2 varieties were rubbish, but the third variety did extremely well, it was called Picardy wight, last year I just planted Picardy wight, which again did really well, I have planted it again this year, I got the bulbs off the internet, if you do a google search, it should find you some.

Regards
Sue
P.S. I grow all my garlic in containers, I think it might rot, if I grew it in the open ground
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: Ina on October 23, 2012, 03:22:38 pm
 ;D Your boss obviously bought all the garlic off the supplier I wanted to get mine from, but they didn't have any left - only wanted one bulb, mind, 'cause I don't have enough space....

Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: Lesley Silvester on October 23, 2012, 10:15:48 pm
I only tried growing garlic once but it was a total failure, mainly due, I think to the pond leaking into the garlic bed and saturating the soil.
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: Olly398 on June 12, 2014, 03:34:58 pm
We've Marco garlic, planted in October. In the last few days foliage has collapsed, is turning yellow and those bulbs that are showing above the ground are quite plump. Is it time to pull it? Seems early but I've not grown this type before.  :wave:
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: sabrina on June 16, 2014, 03:46:33 pm
The leaves on mine are just starting to fall over so should be picking by the end of the month. I have grown mine in an old bath.
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: MAK on June 22, 2014, 09:42:03 pm
I gathered mine up yesterday ( longest day) and have them hanging up outside ready to dry off a bit more before plaitimhg  :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine:
Title: Re: Garlic
Post by: HesterF on June 22, 2014, 11:22:02 pm
Interesting I've been debating when to lift mine. They're all yellow and brown leafed but the soft necks have not collapsed and the I've lifted two but they're still quite soft looking - is that normal until you've dried them off?