Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: straush on August 13, 2008, 22:36:20
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hi
read it is soon time to plant garlic. (very new to this - not even cleared allotment ) can i just buy some organic ones from supermarket ?
thank you
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I think Oct/ Nov's about the time, so you're perhaps a bit early. :-\
This year I'll be sowing saved cloves and also cloves from bought organic ones. Yes, there's a slight risk of importing a virus, but I'm not inclined to buy from The Garlic Farm any more.
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Hi Straush - don't sow mine till late October time.
You can sow from supermarket ones - but sow the largest cloves.
Ninnyscrops
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This one you can sow up until Nov / Dec time, not tried it myself as yet though:
http://www.kingsseeds.com/kolist/1/1/31616.htm
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You are OK into Jan & Feb.
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I will be planting cloves which we bought to eat from the I-O-W Garlic farm sorry 'AM', they advised us that they would not be suitable to plant but they are going in, the Garlic we grew this year came out of a supermarket shelf in Lanzarote and very nice they are too :)
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Over the winter would garlic and onions benefit from being in a raised bed with a poly frame over the raised bed?
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don't garlic need cold to split cloves? So I would have thought best to let them get cold, not in a polyframe (Is that like a poly tunnel?)
and overwintering onions I thought were hardy enough to leave to their own devices. But I tried them when I lived in London so it was quite mild. Maybe they would like some comfort!
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I agree.....garlic needs cold and is hardy, so there's no need to give it any special protection. Raised bed? Up to you but as long as the soil isn't heavy water-logged clay (like mine atm ;)) there's no need.
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The idea is to have my allotment covered in muck for the winter but I would like to use my raised beds thanks for the advice leaving the beds uncovered saves meknocking the frames up :)
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Plant it in October, as you're quite right, it does need cold. Diferent varieties need different amounts, and some can be planted in March successfully. But October planting gives you the biggest bulbs. Plenty of people use supermarket garlic successfully. When you lift the crop, save the biggest cloves (not the biggest bulbs - I just pull off individual cloves) for replanting, as the bigger the clove you start with, the bigger the bulb at the end.
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Garlic is one of the things I've decided not to bother with anymore.
Of course if you insist on growing all your own veg, then all power to you, but when you can buy a clove so cheap, which tastes just as garlicky as homegrown, I'd rather use the space for something else where I can taste a difference.
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79p for a 2" bulb at Tesco - cheap?? Robbery!!
These were from a 2m x 1m raised bed last year.
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Wyevales sell garlic for planting. Don't know what variety but they gave me a great crop this year. Tried supermarket ones a couple of years ago but they weren't up to much - you don't know whether they are suitable for British weather and they can have been kept in cold storage for a year or so before going on the shelves.
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Garlic is one of the things I've decided not to bother with anymore.
Of course if you insist on growing all your own veg, then all power to you, but when you can buy a clove so cheap, which tastes just as garlicky as homegrown, I'd rather use the space for something else where I can taste a difference.
I must say that I find the taste and pungency of home grown quite different from shop bought. Plus you get the scapes which are quite delicious.
Agree with Tim on price as well. I suppose it depends how much garlic you use.
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i have to agree garlic prices are highway robbery :o, and we do use them alot, so i wanted to grow them this year as i did last year but the crop failed, i'll sow some for october november though.
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Can anyone tell me how long garlic stays in the ground for after planting
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I plant mine at the end of October and harvest at beginning of July.
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Whenever I see my bought garlic sprouting I plant it despite which month it is, so far so good. :)
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Mine are often as late as February - lift August.
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Whenever I see my bought garlic sprouting I plant it despite which month it is, so far so good. :)
this sounds like a good idea, i think i will try this in containers to minimise the risk of virus from uncertfied cloves getting into the soil. but i have a question: how long do you wait before harvesting or do you look for signs that indiviual bulbs might be ready?
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Easy, 'mom'.....the leaves will start to die and keel over :)
The price of garlic and growing your own? I've never not grow it - it's one of my staples, but last week in Brum's Bull Ring market, I saw bags of superb white large glorious bulbs, must have been 10 bulbs in a bag - being sold for.......£1. Just for a moment I wondered....
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Easy, 'mom'.....the leaves will start to die and keel over :)
The price of garlic and growing your own? I've never not grow it - it's one of my staples, but last week in Brum's Bull Ring market, I saw bags of superb white large glorious bulbs, must have been 10 bulbs in a bag - being sold for.......£1. Just for a moment I wondered....
the price is exacty why i tried to grow them this year, but the crop failed. at ten for a £1, i would have bought £3 or £4 worth to keep me from getting them at the supermarket.
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......but I've got enough plaited and hanging up to keep me going til next year 8) ;D
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I planted my garlic in October and i am only picking now and there big shop sized bulbs :)
I will plant two bulbs back for next years crop but as i might be giving up my allotment if we move i plan on planing up a load of pottery pots which i will bury so i can move the garlic :)
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I have only ever bought two garlic bulbs for growing my own garlic since 2004. It would only have been one but in the dry spring of 2007 my crop developed rust. Anyway a single bulb should keep you going for a few years if you take the biggest and best cloves and replant for the next year.
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Thifasmom I too plant the (bought) garlic in pots and yes I look to see if they are ready when I need them. :)
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right I'll set up a couple pots near the back door for garlic growing, would you say i should regularly top up with home made compost to keep the soil nourished and if yes how often?
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Thifasmom Ill explain how I plant and grow mine so you can decide how you want to grow yours. :)
I fill pots with top soil and sand to which I add chicken pellets or growmore, then I plant the clove/bulb into the soil about 2/3rds deep, leaving the tip out of the soil same as you do with onions. I water when needed and feed at monthly intervals.
My pots are in full sun and I dont let them get too wet in case the garlic rot.
Oh, and my pots are the long type that you have for window plants cos garlic roots dont go too deep and I get more planting area plus I got them from a skip. ;)
Done like this you can usually see if the garlic are ready.
If you plant the garlic by your back door you shouldnt get any flies in your kitchen as flies hate the smell. ;D
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OK thanks for the info i have an idea how I'll do it now.
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You are welcome :)
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from the 2 bulbs i planted last year i picked 2lb of garlic last night some nice bug bulbs which i have drying outside at the moment. Will be picking a couple of nice big bulbs out and planting them up in the next 2 to 3 weeks i have the clay pots out and am mixing some of the soil the garlic was grown in this year and some grit into each pot for planting.