Allotments 4 All

hi,
can someone remind me how i was meant to prepare the ground for garlic please?


thank you
lbb

http://www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk/garlicgrow.asp

ok so i have no hope in my wet clay
:'(

No such thing as "no hope".  Try several things like loads of lime, planting deep, or planting shallow until either your soil changes or you hit the right conditions for you.

Remember it can't hurt to try.

Good luck.

Bill

hi bill thank you, do i need to lime the soil before i plant and dig it in or top dress like for cabbages?

lbb

I'm on wet clay LBB and not a problem for the last few years.

Poke them in and just cover with netting - or old net curtains if necessary to stop the birdies pulling them out!

Ninnyscrops

In my first year I got a great crop of garlic without too much work on my clay soil. My Italian allotment neighbours grow huge garlic on their soil, but they've been at it for years.

I'm learning the benefit of crop rotation though... in last 2 years the crop has been very poor... small & the cloves not packed together. I think it's because I've planted in the same place, though may be due to the damp summers we've had.

All my garlic had split into seperate cloves before I had lifted it... too much rain I think.  ::)

Blimey Tim.  Is that the right price to buy garlic.  Seems to be expensive :o    I have grown some cloves I was given last year but came to nothing so intent to buy some for next season.  Surely them prices are high or is that the norm for garlic.

Quote from: ktlawson on September 21, 2008, 08:44:56
Blimey Tim.  Is that the right price to buy garlic.  Seems to be expensive :o    I have grown some cloves I was given last year but came to nothing so intent to buy some for next season.  Surely them prices are high or is that the norm for garlic.

Garlic Farm prices do seem high. I buy mine by the lb - £8.00 per lb for 1lb or more; £7.50 for 5 lb or more - and you can mix half lbs of different varieties.

I'm reading this post with interest because my bulbs were quite small this year.........

sooo, i dont need to do any real soil prep?
well except making sure no weeds

lbb

Quote from: hopalong on September 21, 2008, 10:37:13
Garlic Farm prices do seem high. I buy mine by the lb - £8.00 per lb for 1lb or more; £7.50 for 5 lb or more - and you can mix half lbs of different varieties.

Where do you buy from?

Quote from: Sparkly on September 21, 2008, 14:55:25

Quote from: hopalong on September 21, 2008, 10:37:13
Garlic Farm prices do seem high. I buy mine by the lb - £8.00 per lb for 1lb or more; £7.50 for 5 lb or more - and you can mix half lbs of different varieties.

Where do you buy from?

Jennifer Birch, Garfield Villa, Belle Vue Road, Stroud, Glos GL5 1JP (phone/fax 01 453 750 371). No email or website.  She supplies long dormancy and short dormancy varieties and I have found them to be of very good quality.

Garlic's easy to grow, though in a season like this one the skins tend to discolour or rot if you're not very fast lifting it. You need good soil, and it needs to be in early to give it a long growing season. the real key is only to plant the biggest cloves. Take them off the bulbs and eat the rest.

Raised beds can help a lot with drainage in heavy soils - excess rain water drains away quicker and this is really useful in the winter.  Garlic is not that fussy about the soil type but poorly drained soil will rot most overwintered plants.

My raised beds are just piled up earth (including the topsoil of the paths) surrounded by turf walls. Does not cost anything and they are self-sustaining.

I got good sized cloves on my clay soil this year and I bought my cloves from T&M but I think they get them from the Garlic farm anyway. Previously I bought some from wilkinsons but got much smaller cloves...tiny in fact.

Don't bother with Wilko's. If you've got decent bulbs plant the biggest cloves and save your money.

From saved cloves, I'll say no more except they'll be in the ground in a few weeks time  ;)

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t87/ninnyscrops/DSCF1289.jpg

Totally jealous Ninnyscrops! Mine were a bit of a disappointment this year. But hey here's to next year....

I've read (somewhere) that garlic likes ash. As I have access to lots of ash (wood) is it best to dig it into the ground now or wait until spring and give them a dressing?
Thanks