Hi everyone, can someone help pls, new to allotment growing, i planted garlic a few weeks ago, planting them so the tip was just above ground level, noticed today that they all have lovely green shoots but they have risen up quite alot above the soil, is this normal, and do i need to push them back down?
Don't push them, you can break off the roots. You could use a trowel to do it. I use a dibber, and drop them a couple of inches below the surface when I plant.
ok thankyou, would it be better if i just added some more soil around them? really dont want to damage them as i am very heavy handed.
Well, you've planted your garlic a bit on the shallow side - normally you'd plant them an inch or two deep in the soil (how deep depends on the size of the clove and the heaviness of your soil).
But having said that, garlic is a tough plant and as yours is happily growing it's obviously got the will to live. :)
But they will be better off with soil up above the cloves. Don't push the cloves into the soil now they're growing - that could damage their roots. Instead, just earth them up (use any compost or decent crumbly soil you have to hand).
By the way, onions and shallot sets *do* like to be planted they way you did your garlic (tips just barely showing). ;)
Another way to do it would be to gently lift them with a trowel, dig a shallow hole, and drop them in.
I would do what Robert said. I was out today replanting a few garlic that (possibly) birds had lifted and left lying on the soil. At least I could see their lovely roots!
I had to do garlic, autumn onions and shallots today. They had all been lifted by the winter weather, even the garlic which was planted well down was above the soil - the clove, not just the tip. so I scooped them out, dug a hole and replanted them so the roots ( or in the case of the garlic the shoots) were below the soil.
i harvest my garlic in july, and re plant at the same time for next year
it works for me
I always put a couple of inches of mulch on top of mine, and never get anything coming back up.