Talkback: How to grow garlic - Page 3

Well, the best time to plant it is October or thereabouts, so you might be best to plant some then.  Not the ones you were thinking of planting in May though.  Plant new season's cloves.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME !  I thought I would be clever and try bottling the cloves in olive oil. I now have three jam jars of garlic cloves, that are slightly fermented, and when I try to open them, it is like having a champagne bottle of garlic explode in the kitchen ! Takes days for the smell to disperse ! Like being sprayed by a skunk, it permeates clothes, fabrics, drawers, towels and hair to such a degree that people either turn away from you or ask if you are English !

Anyone want a bottle of garlic wine ?

Peteballan - How about using this unpleasant concoction to spray plants against aphid - good organic way!.  As for making garlic oil - just make a small amount and use within 3/4 weeks and then discard and re-make.  I usually decide to discard when the cloves start to discolour, however making a small amount usually means it is all used up before getting to that stage.

Questions - did you use supermarket garlic or 'seed' garlic?

 If you planted it in November it would probably only just be showing above the soil level as like any plants it goes into a dormancy, however garlic needs at least 30days at below 10C this helps to produce the split to make the cloves. It needs to be planted about 2.5 cm or so deep and space about 18cm.

A garlic that has been planted in the autumn often  need 1-2 months of low temperatures before it starts to sprout.

My garlic planted in early december is only just appearing above the soil

Hi nicola ,silly question ,did you plant them upside down ,I have my plot in drogheda and planted mine on a very cold and wet day in early november they are about 9"  at the moment .

Derek

Swedboy. My garlic planted in October has done nothing but rotted and gone mouldy. I started a new batch indoors, January time, forced the roots and after a spell in the GH planted 12 cloves out yesterday with the rest following next weekend. With a bit of luck,hopefully the bulbs will split.  

The garlic I planted in the autumn has also rotted off.

 I planted some hard neck bulbs just after Christmas and they are doing well, my final batch, of soft necked garlic is due to be planted in the next couple of weeks.

Until I purchased some garlic bulbs from the Isle of Wight Garlic Farm a couple of years ago I had no idea there were different types which needed slightly different treatment. I have put some in pots and some in open ground in case we have too much of the wet stuff. They are all growing about the same as each other, am going to plant half and half again, open ground and pots.

Is it ok to tub plant them in a glass out house which gets very cold during winter and bring them out in spring?  Do they need to be in a shady or sunny position? I live in the SE of England.

Plant them in the garden in the late autumn, They are hardy - Mine have survived this winter with out any cover. they do not really need much TLC, water and feeding in spring really