When to plant elephant garlic and potato onions?

[chriscross1966]

Thanks to Jayb I've got some elephant garlic cloves (they are huuuuuge) and some potato onions.... do I need to get them in ASAP or can they wait a week?.... bit busy this week what with work, mates wedding and the mighty Orbital playing at Brixton on Friday....

[chriscross1966]

[Jayb]

They will be fine for a while, I'm not planting mine till the beginning of October. My potato onions were spring planted this year but I'm hoping planting in the Autumn will give a larger sized bulb although total harvest was good.

[1066]

Hi, I'm planning on planting my elephant garlic around mid Oct (roughly the same time as last year), so I think you have plenty of time for weddings and Orbital  ;)

[chriscross1966]

Cool.... I was wondering if I'd have to make an early morning trip or else it was going to be planting by torchlight......

[1066]

Cool.... I was wondering if I'd have to make an early morning trip or else it was going to be planting by torchlight......

that would be moon phase planting then  ::)  :P  ;D

[tomatoada]

Did someone on here say planting at first in pots and then plant out when they have started growing is a good idea?  I can't remember all the advice.  Manicscouser to the rescue .  He can always find past threads.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Don't bother with pots, just put them straight in. You can plant them any time now, but there's no rush. Keep them cool and dry till you plant them.

[chriscross1966]

Did someone on here say planting at first in pots and then plant out when they have started growing is a good idea?  I can't remember all the advice.  Manicscouser to the rescue .  He can always find past threads.

I tried that last year and was epic failz as we say in IT.....

[grannyjanny]

Showing my ignorance here but what are potato onions please?

[chriscross1966]

Showing my ignorance here but what are potato onions please?

A bit like a shallot but not a shallot.... I'm an alliumophile so I tend to try and collect and grow wierd onions of any description. Back when I had a plot at my parents they were one of my favourites... make a great pickled onion...

chrisc

[tomatoada]

C/C1966    so thats a no then.

[grannyjanny]

Can you buy them Chris, if so where. I love anything onion but not a phileowhatsit ;).

[Deb P]

I have planted elephant garlic in November, and also in early March one year and got a good crop both times. The little bulbils that you get growing alongside the main bulbs have also grown as volunteers where I obviously didn't collect them all when digging the bulbs up, and they grew to flowering size in one season! ;D

[chriscross1966]

C/C1966    so thats a no then.

I've never really tried the moonphase stuff, maybe if I got another plot next year I'd give it a go alongside my normal (for me) techniques...

chrisc

[Jokerman]

Put my elephant and normal garlic in last night....................   ;D

[flowerlady]

What kind of soil does elephant garlic like ?

How rich should it be ?

How deep should they be planted ?

Should they be mulched ?

[Robert_Brenchley]

Plant it now, about a foot apart each way. I just make a hole with a trowel, and drop the clove in. Any decent soil will do, they're really easy. I add a couple of inches of dead leaves or grass cuttings, and they flourish.

[chriscross1966]

Can you buy them Chris, if so where. I love anything onion but not a phileowhatsit ;).

not from any of the big seed catalogues IIRC.... I'd suggest posting a  want ad in theswaps section with your swaps list and see if you get  a bite.... Henry Doubleday used to do them , you could try the smaller outlets....  I have a friend at the heritage seed library, I'll give her a shout... alternately if  I get a decent crop off them I'll have spares next year....

chrisc