Too late to plant garlic?

[sweetcorn]

I didn't get round to planting garlic in the autumn, is it too late to order some now and plant it?

[Doive]

All the garden centres around here have mountains of it on the shelves, so I'd say you're still good until March. Most varieties will still produce decent bulbs between now and autumn - I put some down about two weeks ago, can't remember the type now off hand, but hoping for decent produce.

[Farmer_Gyles]

It'll grow just fine - you can plant supermarket garlic if you want to, it grows just the same as any other garlic - if you don't get a cold snap, late planted garlic may not split into cloves, you may get a big bulb instead (called "rounds"), but you can still use it, it's still garlic - or you could pull it up and replant later in the year for next year's crop

[Thelma Sanders]

I put mine in the fridge for a week or so if I'm planting it late

[bearded bloke]

I got a bulb with new growth forming from the market in Funchal last week that will be potted up this afternoon

[Two_Sheds]

I put mine in the fridge for a week or so if I'm planting it late

I put mine in the freezer for a week, then the fridge until I'm ready to sort it out. I planted some last week.

[horticultural_hobbit]

Not a lot of my overwintering garlic made it through the winter deluge. Spring planting garlic arrived last week, and will be planted soon.

[Alison]

I find that you don't get bulbs as big from a spring planting as from if you autumn sow but you get a lot more than if you don't plant at all

[bearded bloke]

Not a lot of my overwintering garlic made it through the winter deluge. Spring planting garlic arrived last week, and will be planted soon.

My overwinterings are still appearing HH,give yours a bit longer just in case

[horticultural_hobbit]

BB, i'm not so sure. I'm sure that the puddles and clay have eaten it all. I've not got any pics of the garlic/onion bed a the moment. It was sown in October, and the bed has been damp and dreary ever since! Even the over wintering onions have been rained on and drowned.

[marchogaeth]

Not a lot of my overwintering garlic made it through the winter deluge. Spring planting garlic arrived last week, and will be planted soon.

It was so wet, I did my autumn varieties in Morrison buckets and overwintered them in the poly, they are about 10" tall now (Sorry HH). I put the spring ones in buckets three weeks ago also in the poly, they are just starting to sprout. If you plant them late you need to make sure they get some cold as others have said, mine will go out if it stops raining.

I find that you don't get bulbs as big from a spring planting as from if you autumn sow but you get a lot more than if you don't plant at all

Quoting 'cos I like it! Good philosophy.

[vikkib]

I think I put my overwintering garlic in a bit too early, had a bit too much growth when the snow hit!

It seems to be going ok now although something seems to be nibbling it a little... must be strong stuff as whatever it is isn't nibbling much at all!

I love the tips about putting them in the freezer and/or fridge if doing a spring planting... will definitely remember that one!

[morgs]

Garlic Confusion

I've read in previous posts, that garlic bought from the supermarket would struggle to grow in our climate. Yesterday I planted garlic in small pots and placed in the greenhouse with the intention of planting out when the weather is warmer April/May. I had toyed with the idea of putting in the propagator to start them off.

However the general opinion seems to indicate that the garlic needs a period of frost to grow. Would supermarket garlic from Spain survive the frost.

This is my first attempt at growing garlic so I'm a bit of a novice.

[Samurailord]

I've read in previous posts, that garlic bought from the supermarket would struggle to grow in our climate.

I heard that as well, so when it came round to planting time last Autumn I bought three bulbs from a supplier - costing £1.98, and also got a single elephant Garlic bulb from A*DA. - Cost of £0.39

Guess what?

The A*DA garlic all came up, is now about 4-6 inches high and has survived the frosts and snow without a problem.

The supplier-purchased garlic is another story - from the three bulbs (about 30 cloves) I can see about four or five stalks coming through, the tallest of which is just about 2 inches high.

Unless things change dramatically I think that next year's garlic will come from the supermarket (to supplement my saved bulbs, of course)

Andy

[pepper]

I got elephant garlic cloves today, was going to start them off in pots in the greenhouse, but after seeing this post wondered if they would need to be put in the fridge too.