Topic: Onion or garlic bulb formation

[Icyberjunkie]

I was reading back through threads and noticed comments that the bulbs of onions and garlic are encouraged to form by sunlight.  My garlic seems to be forming about a half inch deep (currently about the size of a golf ball.  Similar thing with my onions althoug the bulbsare a little bigger.   Should I uncover them to make them form faster, or just get plain bigger! - or leave them as they are for there's seems to be conflicting info out there depending on where I look. :-\   A poll of your experience will therefore be very useful - and generally more dependable....

Never thought growing a few veg would raise so many questions so lots of gratitude to everyone in here that helps.

[Mrs Ava]

Garlics are generally planted in the ground, onions and shallots on the surface.  No idea why, someone much cleverer than this Essex girl will pop by and explain all.  My purple garlics worked their way up to the surface I was suprised to see when I dug them, and yet the whites stayed down low.

[john_miller]

  I think you may have to plant shallots on your soil surface EJ because of your soil. Having grown up with London clay too I can imagine what soil that dense could do to a swelling shallot bulb.
  The general advice I have always seen is to bury shallots too. Both garlic and shallots will need planting deeper probably because the bulbs/offsets that form are essentially new plants. Having the new base plate well below the soil surface will reduce the chances of the root initials dessicating in a drought. An onion is a storage organ, modified leaves storing energy overwinter prior to flowering the following year, and will already have it's roots well established. Sound plausible?

[Icyberjunkie]

Okay,  will leave as is and see what happens.  Thanks Iain

[tim]

Difference between burying & burying?

Yes – in our neck of the woods, Garlic goes in 2" deep & Shallots (& Onions) to their own depth. If too shallow, the birds - or whoever - will pull them out by the sprouts. But dib a hole - don't push them in or they'll just push out again.