Planting Garlic Now - Indoors?

[sez]

Hi all,
I was planning on planting some garlic about now, it seems to be an unusual time of year to do it but everything I've read on it so far suggests planting any time from october to april.

I plan on growing it in pots outdoors - my question is how should I get it started - straight outside or in pots indoors first? And if so should I keep it somewhere warm, or somewhere cool?

[pigletwillie]

Straight outside, 2" deep and 4-6" between cloves. Garlic needs a good dose of cool to make it split into cloves.

Alice has grown garlic very successfully in containers and may well add to the hints and tips..

[Alice]

Hello Sez, Plant your garlic outside. It's fully hardy and doesn't need mollicoddled. I planted some in November and some in March last year. All did well but the November sowings produced much larger heads. They were grown in containers ( big bread crates) and really had no specialist attention. I was pleased with the result.

[sez]

Thanks, both of you

[Akela Ben]

I planted my garlic in November, straight outside. they are currrently looking brilliant. The green shoots are about 4" inches tall and I can't wait. They are so easy and require very little attention.

[lozza_9]

I need to plant my Garlic also - glad to hear I am not to late

[moggssue]

I planted mine in a big container last weekend, and yesterday it has just started to sprout (though I have now moved it to a more sheltered spot thanks to all the rain!). I've also saved some more to sow in another couple of weeks to hopefully get a second crop - not sure about that ploy though, since it seems they like the cold to split. Oh well, never know until you try ...

[Flummery]

I realise there are 2 kinds, the soft neck and the hard neck. This business of them needing cold to split - what about in the Med. I thought the definition of a mediterranean climate was that it didn't get frosts. And they grow fantastic garlic. Or is it the other type?

Confused of Yorkshire.

[pigletwillie]

You would be suprised flum, the vast proportion of Italy for example is classed as "Alpine" and gets lots of cool weather.

[hawthorns]

ive got supermarket garlic growing in small pots in my greenhouse. they have just started to break the surface. i now dont know where to put them should i transplant to larger containrs or i can plant them out under cloche. please advise.

[Flummery]

They are hardy hawthorns. You can put them straight in the ground (unless it's frozen or waterlogged just now!)

[HeyWayne]

I hedged my bets and put some in the ground a couple of months ago, and some in pots a little later. Some of the ones in the ground are starting to shoot (between an inch and two at the moment), and there is still no sign of the ones in pots in the shed.

We use quite a lot of garlic so I'm trying as many different ways as possible.