When to plant Garlic?

[Jonnyt]

I get really frustrated as the packets always just say Autumn. This year a lot of my garlic bolted and I'm not sure whether this is due to planting too earlier or that the Winter last year was too mild.

So when do you plant yours?

[Jay-ell]

Hardneck garlic usually throw up a flower spike, it's normal - just cut the scape off and add to stir fries, etc. so the energy gets diverted to the cloves

I've popped a couple of whole heads in already as clumps because they were sprouting but I'll probably be putting the individual cloves in next week so they can get their roots down before frosts. Elephant Garlic went in last week.

[Shadylane]

I plant mine around late October. If your garlic bolted it probably had nothing to do with the weather. Most hard neck varieties (if not all I think) produce a scape with bulbils at the top, which looks like it's bolting but it's just what they do. Some people eat the scapes or remove them to let the bulb get bigger. You can also plant the bulbils and eventually get bulbs from them but that's a whole other thread

[SusieG]

--------- Haven't got mine to plant out yet ~ but am thinking it'll be sometime in the second/third week of October .......

[happyhumph]

I put mine in late October, although last year it was November & still got decent sized bulbs. As the others said, hardneck garlic does throw up a spike - scapes - eat them, they're delicious!

[Mr Bones]

Used to plant ours out mid October but since we were hit by the allium miner it's now more like early to mid November.

[cptncrackoff]

Mine went in a couple of weeks ago!

Last year I left some in the ground and grew it on, when it was bigger in spring I pulled it and spaced it..that was the best garlic I've ever had, so this year a bit more planning and in nice and early for a long season!

[Scarlet]

Hardneck garlic usually throw up a flower spike, it's normal.

Yes ^^^ that's normal. Hardneck garlic will produce a flower spike, softneck doesn't....garlic that produces a flower spike isn't necessarily a sign of bolting.

Jonny, what variety are you planting?