Lautrec garlic

[dandelion]

I picked up a beautiful bunch of pink Lautrec garlic from a visiting French market. The garlic, though not sold specifically for planting out is certified and even has its own website: http://www.ailrosedelautrec.com/site/php_en/index.php
According to the website, it's planted between December and January in France. Has anyone grown this and what's the best planting time in the UK? I'm in London and the soil is clay.

[dandelion]

[tim]

Ours went in in January & did well.

[Robert_Brenchley]

My garlic's going in in a couple of weeks. It's probably best off in the ground.

[dandelion]

Thanks! I think I'll plant most in January and just pop a few in the ground in November.

[Pigletwillie]

I buy all of my planting garlic in France and generally plant it in October.

This gives it time to establish before it gets too cold. Planting in January is risking it being too wet and cold and could well result in lots of it just rotting in the ground but it all depends upon the weather at the time.

Dont Forget, Lautrec is a fair way south from you. The garlic I buy is grown in northern Britainy and they plant out in november but due to warmer, drier winters than us are harvesting it in late May.

[gordonsveg]

Afternoon pigletwillie
  Going to roscoff next w/e can you buy planting garlic in the supermarkets, also looking for red gooseberry bush and onion sets?.
     Bought redcurrant bushes 3 years ago and they were good croppers.

[Pigletwillie]

Its best off the markets as it will be locally grown but the supers are ok. Look for locally produced garlic.

[Lauren S]

Lautrec Garlic...
The garlic itself is said to have arrived in the Lautrec region in the middle ages when a traveller paid for his stay with a bulb of pink garlic, which the local inn keeper then planted and began what was to become an historic process.

Lauren  :)

[Barnowl]

Hi Dandelion,

We're also in London (SW). I was a bit disappointed with the size of our first planting of garlic that I made at Christmas.

More experienced allotment neighbour said he's found it best to plant in October.

May I suggest a staggered planting regime?

[Robert_Brenchley]

The earlier the better, though Christmas is certainly not too late. If it has time to establish itself before winter, so much the better. Otherwise, small size could mean that the soil needs improvement.

[sawfish]

I bought some huge cloves from Brittany (in Glasgow) last week and planted them. Hope it works out.

[Vegemite]

can you just buy from the supermarket and plant out? will it work?

[Lauren S]

I have bought some garlic from the supermarket as somebody on A4A said they had good results. Fingers crossed they make bulbs  ;)

[Vegemite]

ooh cheers, I have bought some organic ones from sainsbury's to see how they go  :D

[Sparkly]

do you manure before planting garlic? any other soil treatment needed at planting? I read a suggestion to use blood and bonemeal. I you manure is this needed as well?