Buying and growing garlic without having to spend a fortune in postage.

Sorting_Out · 2 January 2009 at 2:04PM

I intend to grow garlic for the first time, and was looking online to try to do it as economically as possible. (If I go into town to buy some it involves petrol and even then, the shops there might not have any suitable for growing)
So, I was looking at a purple morovian variety which looked rather seductive, went to buy it, and found the site was adding £4.50 for postage and packing for two bulbs. Gulp. Other sites seem the same.
Has anyone found anywhere that doesn't charge as much before I bite the bullet and buy it anyway?
Thank you!

The_Plush_Doormat · 2 January 2009 at 2:17PM

As you are a novice gardener, why don't you just try a couple of cloves from a supermarket bought garlic. Put in a pot of peaty compost about 2ins deep, cover it with more compost, water it as and when, and fingers crossed, you should see some green spring onion type shoots emerging. Winter is a dormant time for most plants, so not sure if you can start them off now, or perhaps wait until early Spring. Perhaps a more green-fingered poster can advise.

*onlyme* · 2 January 2009 at 2:40PM

I used to buy the expensive 'growing' garlic till one day the chap on the allotment next to mine told me he has used normal shop bought garlic and it does fab...

So I tried it and the result was just as good...and a lot cheaper...I haven't bought any garlic for the last few years as I plant 3 cloves every month and have constant supply of garlic.

(use 3 cloves from the bulbs you pull up)

Enjoy garlic growing!

rhiwfield · 2 January 2009 at 2:41PM

Bought my first Solent White at a food festival for £2.80. The first year all cloves planted grew. This year I've planted 32 cloves saved from earlier crops. Cold weather will start garlic's growth so many people will have planted late Autumn so you will want to get cloves into the ground by end Feb.

Planting supermarket garlic might work but do you know any local gardeners who might let you have a few cloves to make sure you get a variety that will grow successfully locally?

Farway · 2 January 2009 at 2:43PM

Garlic is planted now, well actaully earlier than this [October] but you now have no choice

Get some supermarket cloves and get it in ASAP, it needs cold to make cloves

http://www.vegetable-garden-guide.com/how-to-grow-garlic.html

In 2009 start looking around earlier for a variety you fancy

Sorting_Out · 2 January 2009 at 3:06PM

Thank you so much for your replies.
I'm lucky enough to have some French garlic that I'll try then. I'll put it in a pot, and keep my fingers crossed :j

mum_of_4 · 2 January 2009 at 3:31PM

Send the money this year and get some good healthy garlic cloves then save some of your better cloves for planting in the Autumn.

This is what I do now, also keep some of my better shallots and save them for planting

Sorting_Out · 2 January 2009 at 4:22PM

Okay,
I'm going to do it both ways.
I have some really nice French garlic from the onion guy that comes over every year, so I'm taking some cloves off that.
I also went to the really garliky co website and found they had garlic there at 80p a bulb and £2 postage, which is more affordable so I've ordered 2 bulbs.
I'm going to have to plant it in planters (I've got some of those long brown plastic ones) but looking at the site Farway posted, I think i'm going to have to make sure it's free draining etc.
We go through a lot of garlic, so if it works it'll be worth it!

jaffacat_2 · 4 January 2009 at 9:05PM

*onlyme* wrote: »

I used to buy the expensive 'growing' garlic till one day the chap on the allotment next to mine told me he has used normal shop bought garlic and it does fab...

So I tried it and the result was just as good...and a lot cheaper...I haven't bought any garlic for the last few years as I plant 3 cloves every month and have constant supply of garlic.

(use 3 cloves from the bulbs you pull up)

Enjoy garlic growing!

Hi Onlyme, quick question, when you say you plant 3 cloves every month, when do you pick them? Are they all harvested together or do you do them monthly? also, where do you grow them all year around, in a green house?

Thanks Lisa

*onlyme* · 4 January 2009 at 9:48PM

jaffacat wrote: »

Hi Onlyme, quick question, when you say you plant 3 cloves every month, when do you pick them? Are they all harvested together or do you do them monthly? also, where do you grow them all year around, in a green house?

Thanks Lisa

Hi Lisa, I grow them on my allotment. I harvest them when they are ready (i.e. 'leaves' have gone brown and died down)..they do take ages to grow. I pulled out the ones we planted in February 2008, just last week. The March ones are getting near ready so at the end of this month they can come out.

I have tried growing them in pots at home but that didn't materialise to anything worthwile.

I would say give it a go, that is how we did it, felt that we didn't have much to loose.

bordercars · 5 January 2009 at 12:55PM

we get our allotment end of feb, its a virgin site and i believe it will have been skimmed and ploughed, as were the first lot released last year. we intend growing the ground taking / long time in, as we have a small veg plot at home(herbs etc) . so garlic seems fine , can i start some off now in pots and then transplant or do they not like that. is there anything else i cann start

Buying and growing garlic without having to spend a fortune in postage.

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