Topic: How's everyones Garlic coming on ?

[amphibian]

I planted three varieties at the end of November, I only have about 1" showing so far.

[Lazybones]

Oh you show off Dirkdigger  ;)

Mine planted in December but yay, definitely have some growth above ground so at least they haven't rotted!

[Black Forest Dan]

My garlic and onions are hiding under a 6" blanket of snow and ice, which hasn't melted properly since before Christmas! With temperatures down to -19°C recently (-17° this morning) I don't expect much is happening yet...

I planted four different winter onions/shallots and elephant garlic in early November. This is the first year I've tried winter onions + garlic so I don't know how they will cope with the cold....

I'm in no hurry, just enjoying the advantages of the snow, we're going skiing this afternoon, just 25 minutes drive from the local ski-lifts (children finish school at 1pm)

Dan.

[bupster]

My early wight has about 2" growth; nothing on the other two/three varieties I planted last time I looked but that was ten days ago as had friends staying last weekend. Will let you all know on Saturday, as I'm sure there's lots of breath being bated  :D

[busy_lizzie]

Marvelous garlic rows!  We only planted ours at the end of December, but when I was over to the lottie this morning, hurrah!! two little shoots have appeared.  Hope mine do as well as yours DD.  :) busy_lizzie

[mc55]

hmm, planted shallots and garlic in December - found one garlic clove lying on the ground a few weeks ago which looked to be sprouting, so replanted it but now wondering if they've all been eaten ... or gone somewhere more exciting as there is no sign of any greenery  :'(

[Garden Manager]

Simple answer - dont ask! Seriously I am a litle worried about my garlic. I planted it in mid/late October in a fresh piece of ground. To this date nothing has appeared. In comparison last years crop was planted around the same time and was up quite quickly. That said November/December 2004 were milder than the corresponding months in 2005, so maybe they are just a bit slow or its been too cold for them to grow?

How long do i wait to see if the crop iis a failure? What is the latest time i can plant more should this planting fail?

[Fiveravens]

I planted garlic in early November. Turning over a compost heap two weeks later, I was surprised (to say the least) to find fifty or so garlic cloves gathered together in the centre of the heap! A few days later, I noticed that something had been digging up my newly sown broad beans. I kept watch the following evening, just before dark, and saw the culprit in the act: a field mouse - or, to be precise, a pair of them. Having lost their store of garlic, they were stocking up their larder (in the newly turned compost heap) with broad beans! They were so attractive and industrious I didn't want to kill them, so I trapped them alive and relocated them (2 miles away) in a small wood.  I had to wait till what what was left of the garlic (and there wasn't much) sprouted to know where to replant. The broad beans were pretty much wiped out. So, if your garlic hasn't sprouted after a reasonable time, I would recommend checking to see if it's still where you put it!

[angle shades]

My garlic is fine,the variety is Co-op!!! I wanted to grow 'proper ' garlic this year
(good offer in GYO mag) but didn't get round to ordering it!


regards, angle shades,x

[mc55]

aaagh, fiveravens .. I'm seriously worried now.  Will do a test dig at the w/e  ... shall be sooooo disappointed if its not still there.

[tim]

'Tis a worry, isn't it, when nothing shows. Obviously, a physical check could put ones mind at rest but, meanwhile, be comforted (?) by this picture from the really garlicky co - that's last week. Feel better??

And be aware that Dobies' Solent Wight ,which they are still sending out, has a planting date of March/April. Maybe they know something that we don't??

[Heldi]

I've been reading through these thinking " But I haven't got any garlic "   :(

 Tim to the rescue!

[Hyacinth]

DD's pix are just amazing 8) You gonna pick off the flowerheads when they start to bolt - bout March-time? ;D

Planted Purple Wight late October - 14 all through, 6-9"
Elephant garlic planted same time - 3 @ 5", 2 just through, 1 a no-show (so far)

Electra red onions planted at the same time - bout as tall as DD's garlic (oh OK, praps just a tad shorter.) :P

Overwintering spring onions, tho, a great success, really healthy - 1st attempt - and I'm dead pleased :)

[Garden Manager]

Hmm I do have a pair of squirrels resident in the area, though i put neting over the planting bed in an effort to stop them digging them up. Its posible though a mouse couldve got underneath but then again ther would have been signs of digging and there appears to be none.

What has sprouted are weed seedlings, encouraged to germinate no doubt by the netting designed to keep the squirrels off!!

I think i might have a carefull dig and see if the bulbs are still there or if they have been 'stolen' or rotted off. It is possible they are just very slow. I had some snowdrops that i replanted in autumn do a similar thing. There was no sign of them whilst others (longer established) were already up and in bud, but they are now slowly coming through.

Patience, patience??!!

[tim]

Like how, Heldi? Like Dobies??

[jennym]

Hands up - didn't plant any garlic in autumn. But they don't take long to come through. Picture below shows in the furthest tray some normal small purple, middle tray elephant garlic (sorry no names known of these, they are hand- me-downs) and the half tray is Bedfordshire Champion onion seed. All sown/planted 29/12/05  and kept in the downstairs loo (only space I had - unheated) for 14 days. They have been outside now in one of those small plastic mini racking things ever since.

[Hyacinth]

I've been reading through these thinking " But I haven't got any garlic "   :(

Heldi, could spare you 2/3 heads of a Wight garlic (could even try to identify which, given time  ::) ) - last year's crop? PM me if you'd like - could even throw in a couple of elephant cloves, too.

[Heldi]

Yes Tim...Dobies!  Had thought I'd missed the boat as far as garlic is concerned.

Lishka you are very kind.  Will pm you soon.  Having trouble typing right now as have 2 year old on knee who likes pushing buttons.

[Curryandchips]

Well my garlic is outperforming my red onions by yards. The normal garlic - variety is whatever, has stems about 150mm, the elephant garlic about half that. The onions sadly are very sparse, with lots of misses. Perhaps I have lots to learn about growing onions.

That is a wonderful picture jennym, can I see more onions at the back, or are they something else?

[Robert_Brenchley]

My overwintering onions are doing fine; most were planted very late as I had to clear beds before I could plant, but the beds have been coming up one by one. The garlic's not visible yet, but I'm expecting it before long as the first bed was planted a week after the latest lot of onions to appear. The second, which is mixed garlic, elephant garlic and shallots, was planted two weeks later. Meanwhile, the first onion bed to be planted has goosegrass coming up all over the place, it's a menace on parts of the plot. It's easier to pull up when it gets a bit longer.