Garlic?

[Mato]

Is garlic worth growing on your own? I'm not sure it would be worth it. Garlic at the market is extremely cheap. How easy does it grow? How long does it last?

[donnakebab]

I'm growing it for the first time this year so I'll let you know.

My next door neighbour has a lottie and he sometimes just grows things to see if he can. Last year he grew garlic even though they don't eat it so they gave it to me (bonus!) and I have to say it was the best garlic I ever tasted. Still have 5 bulbs left and it was his garlic that I planted at the end of October.

Our nearest market is Birmingham City Centre and I don't go there very often...thank heavens!

[chefgage]

I have grown garlic over the past few years, quite easy to grow and stores well. I hung up about 2 dozen bulbs
In some tights that I had obtained in the garage, they lasted us all through the winter. Will be doing the same
This year. As far as the garlic being cheap to buy, isn't that the same with a lot of the veg you can grow?
I find a lot of the veg I grow I could probably just pop to the super market and buy some but where's the
Fun in that

[wildside]

i am growing garlic for the first time this year planted out in october but not very big yet but looking forward to it when its ready and thanks chefgage for the storage tips

[Hazel at the Hill]

Advantages to growing garlic:
1) a couple of bulbs split to about 35 cloves which grow to 35 new bulbs
2) garlic planted in Oct/Nov uses space not used for anything else, and is out the ground by end of June ready for catch crops of lettuce/carrots etc
3) replanting your own 'best' bulbs each year increases yield - I look at puny supermarket garlic bulbs and choke at the price, and laugh at the size
4) lasts in a plait in a cool dark place (e.g. garage) from harvesting in July through to the next year's harvest with barely a shoot

Disadvantages:
1) when you have a huge plait of freely available garlic hung up in the garage, you eat PLENTY of garlic - health benefits (yes), social benefits (no)

[taff]

garlic needs a cold spell to encourage it to split into cloves, not sure if you have them?

[CaroltheCarrot]

Your own garlic tastes like nothing else, go for it!!

[zazen999]

garlic needs a cold spell to encourage it to split into cloves, not sure if you have them?

I'm not sure this isn't an old plotter's tale...and yes, they do have cold winters in North America!

OP - the price of food is different here in the UK so perhaps the comments given here reflect the price here - if it's so cheap there then it's up to you to grow what you think is worth it.

[Two_Sheds]

Garlic at the market is extremely cheap.

3 garlic bulbs: 59p

Once planted, they will produce for me 20-30 new bulbs, so I've saved myself £5 ?

The best garlic I ever grew was planted in a lasagne bed, so the growing medium (the compost) didn't cost me anything

[taff]

I'm not sure this isn't an old plotter's tale...and yes, they do have cold winters in North America!

I don't think they do in california.....actually, I planted last years garlic in February and it was useless. It was tiny tiny, but it did have individual cloves, so maybe it's not the cold, but the extra length of growing time.....I feel a test coming on next year if I remember

[donnakebab]

The garlic I planted in October didn't show till late Jan or early Feb...can't remember. I thought it was a gonner so I planted some spring planting garlic called Marco (that's what it said on the label) early March. So far nothing.

This is the garlic I planted in October between the pear and the strawberries about 5 weeks ago.

[Maccabee]

People plant garlic in the spring don't they? I know our springs aren't exactly sweltering but they're not really comparable to a winter. Most Garlic in the supermarkets comes from Spain or Egypt, do they have cold spells (genuine question)?

[zazen999]

I don't think they do in california.....actually, I planted last years garlic in February and it was useless. It was tiny tiny, but it did have individual cloves, so maybe it's not the cold, but the extra length of growing time.....I feel a test coming on next year if I remember

Sept to dec is the best time I found...any later and they don't have the time to bulk up. North American is a big place - I'm not saying some Southern States don't have a winter - but the Northern States have very cold winters...

[donnakebab]

Have a look at this site Garlicworld for garlic growers, seedstock and garlic flavour

There seems to be a lot of conflicting advice.

[eirish]

I don't think they do in california

Depends on where in California - it's a big state. No cold winters in the southern coastal areas, but the eastern areas are drier and higher elevation, and thus have a much less temperate climate. And the north coast has a very similar climate to the UK (OH is from there, and gets fed up with people asking him why he would leave California to come here!).

They do grow plenty of garlic in California... Gilroy, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia