Garlic & Onions tiny

[gadgetman]

Lifted a few tester Garlic & onion which looked impressive above ground, yet below the surface both are tiny (bout 3/4-1" wide max) despite a wide neck at ground level.

The garlic was the garlic lovers, which the purples should be nearing readiness about now, and the onions were radar and electric which should also be ready about now.

All were planted late Sept, early Oct which is what the instructions said.

After last year, I've been letting them get on with it, and watering only when they look wilted to toughen them up after doing it everyday last year, and ending up with weak plants/veg that struggled to cope.

Is this down to beginners screw up, or more to do with the unusual snow and now drought?

[Capsid]

I planted mine last October and they aren't ready yet. The bulbs are dependent on day length to swell, so I'd wait until next month. They will swell up eventually. I don't normally bother to water, but have done so at the weekends during this hot spell.

[gadgetman]

Bugger.

Only have the one raised bed in the garden, and already have my veg to plant over summer ready - toms, cukes, sweetcorn and runners which I'd like to get in there. Also seeds for carrots and parsnips.

If I leave it too long, wont I struggle to get the others going for a decent crop? Or am I being to eager to move on, and June plantings will be fine?

[Capsid]

The toms, cukes, sweetcorn and runners will be Ok in pots but it may be prudent to pot them up into bigger pots if they start to struggle. But I grow toms and cukes in pots a greenhouse anyway (or you could try a grow bag). The runners will need support though. So June plantings will be fine. I might have grown early broad beans rather than onions as these will be finished by early June; onions may not be ready until the end of June.

[gadgetman]

Thanks.

Will I be better planting the garlic and Onions earlier next time? Most of the veg had gone, and it was really laziness and the wet that prevented me sorting it out for the garlic and onions.

Kind of planning whether to order the same again, or go with some other form of winter veg to keep it occupied and prevent the local cats using it.

[Capsid]

Sowing the onions/garlic earlier won't make them mature earlier as the bulb swelling is dependent on day length. If you are short of space then I recommend growing purple sprouting broccoli over winter. You can sow in June/July in trays and then plant out when you have room. They will have finished by April leaving room for the beans etc. The best thing is the taste and also it's very expensive to buy in the supermarket.

[gadgetman]

Will watering more/daily or feeding help move things along? Or is there nothing besides day length that has any bearing on readiness?

Currently thinking this will be my 1st and last year growing these. Decided to do it to occupy space, and as we use lots of them over the summer in our cooking.

[Capsid]

I think that you may get bigger bulbs with watering and feeding. But you won't get them earlier.

[PAULW]

Gadgetman
PATIENCE GRASSSHOPPER we have just come through a very long winter where most thing have had a extended period of dormancy, overwintering onions and garlic are planted in the autumn so they can get their roots down put a bit of growth on the go to sleep during the winter ready to wake up in Feb as the ground starts to warm up APART FROM THIS YEAR, all the instructions about period from sowing/planting to harvest are null and void this year so just let mother nature do her bit and chill out

[zazen999]

Garlic and onions: won't be ready yet. They usually take 6 months from a December sowing but with the winter we've just had - they have only just started getting their act into gear.

Now, I don't know how you have planted everything; but you could [for example] work out where in your bed you want your tomatoes and beans etc; and remove one garlic from there and use it as green garlic - and plant a tomato, a couple of beans etc as these will grow up and over the top of the garlic. Just remove any tomato leaves to give the garlic/onions space to breathe.

Sweetcorn is best grown in blocks so again, you could put those in between the garlics and onions.

Or, depending on how close together you planted in the first place, you could remove half and interplant them with the other half; some people give overwintering garlics and onions plenty of space so you might get away with this if you did.

I suppose it depends on what you value most; as to which gets priority. I am currently starting to use my garlics as green garlic, but then again I do sow loads of the stuff - and onions I am pulling as a few have bolted so they get pulled and used - so if I needed space that's where new stuff would be going.

[chris]

So, if you were to sow sets in Feb/Mar - as I did, are you still talking 6 months... the day length is obviosuly longer, so does that mean that the cropping time will be shorter?

[Shadylane]

As for next season, you could always plant the garlic in pots or troughs.

[gojiberry]

Patience gadgetman, the onions and garlic will be ready all in good time. Onions need plenty of water to swell the bulbs and will be ready once the leaves start to go brown. The longest day is the turning point for onions etc. but they wont be ready for harvest till well after that. If the bulbs are large enough you gan start using as soon as you feel the size is a good enough return on your time and effort. My onions are about the size of tennis balls so I will be starting to use them from now.

Ian

[LolaLou]

I planted Electra and Radar sets over winter this year (think they went in last weekend in September) and I've just pulled the first ones (I am in the South East of the weather confused country) but to be honest, they do need a good few weeks longer to fatten up (I'm impatient, couldn't wait once I saw two big enough to haul out!). But on my Dad's plot in the North of the country, the same bulbs are no further on than his spring sown sets. The garlic that should be ready in June is very tiny underground, I pulled one to use as wet garlic and think that due to the cold snap they won't be ready til end of June at earliest. Don't overwater the garlic or they'll rot underground. Zazen's advice sounds like your best shot. Good luck

[hawthorns]

is it too late to put sets in now