Allotments 4 All

Any tips for preparing soil for garlic? Also where to fit it in rotation?

Dig in manure or compost.. I also add some general fertilizer.

My rotatons are:

Potatoes
Legumes
Sweet corn / squashes
Roots - onions / garlic / leeks

Thanks. I'm thinking of putting my garlic where my broccoli was this year.

I agree I put mine I about 2 weeks ago. They are in raised beds in the home vegetable garden. Last years crop at the allotment were a failure - not sure why. Hope you have success.

Agree with you Rokerman, this year we harvested zilch in the way of garlic. Noticed green shoots where the garlic was about 2 months ago and then watched the leaves form. garlic had sprung into life. Have transplanted about 30 bubils with top growth into another area and am hoping for the best. Put the weird growing down to the weather? Have planted some fresh bubils after having them in the fridge for 2 weeks.

I'm planting mine this week, my rotation is a 5 year cycle:
Alliums
Potatoes
Legumes
Brassicas and roots
Others (salad,sweetcorn,squash etc)

None of my spring planted garlic came up this year so I am going to plant it now. 

I was going to put it in modules in the greenhouse though.  Would it be better going straight outside into the ground please?

It can get very cold here in winter as I am on the edge of Salisbury Plain.  I don't want to have another failed crop!

Just put mine in! Went in where the beetroot was... I dug in a bucket full of compost. And I  will probably dress with a little manure when it turns up.

It is VERY hardy, no need to coddle it. One year I planted in January just before a freezing cold spell and it came through just fine.

Quote from: Paulines7 on November 04, 2013, 10:24:43
None of my spring planted garlic came up this year so I am going to plant it now. 

I was going to put it in modules in the greenhouse though.  Would it be better going straight outside into the ground please?

It can get very cold here in winter as I am on the edge of Salisbury Plain.  I don't want to have another failed crop!

I start mine in modules in September then normally plant out end Nov - dec sometime when i have the bed prepared and ready.

You can just plant it out in the bed now as well. Garlic need cold conditions to grow and bulb up. They will grow a good root-base first then a bit of green will pop up. Then in spring they will romp away..

I have just started planting mine...planted straight into ground that was prepared by forking in some bonemeal, rockdust and compost (emptying containers from 'old' compost). Half done.. ...and hopefully another lot tomorrow...

Planted most of mine outside a couple of weeks ago. The general advice is to plant into the top of ridges (6-8" high ?)unless you have very free draining soil cos they apparently hate sitting all winter in very wet soil. For an experiment I planted a dozen or so in pots of compost in a cold frame and they're all showing top growth, unlike those on the plot.

I'm on heavy clay in the Chilterns. I've given up on shallots and Autumn planted onions because the failure rate is too high but garlic goes through just fine. I often put spares in pots in case of accidents or to give away and these do take off quicker but there's no difference in the end.