garlic growing

love_lifer

hello all

is it too late to plant my garlic out? im in bradford.

also, any tips on other crops to plant at the moment?

thanks

Mrs_Money

Well, I suppose you are a bit far north, but I think I've read something like "Plant garlic on the shortest day - harvest it on the longest day" - so it may still be okay now as the shortest day is a bit under 4 weeks away?
I planted mine about 2 months ago and laid some green pea netting over it to prevent it being dug up by the neighbourhood cats and, before we realised, it was poking green shoots through the netting! So it may help if it's a bit cold where you are, to lay something over it for a month - fleece, netting or something?
Perhaps someone with more actual experience of growing it may come along and have some more advice

pineapple

Well I'm near Haworth. There is all sorts of advice on the net. One says 'between late Autumn and early spring but best before Christmas'.
There are different varieties - which might perform differently.
I was actually leaving my planting till February so thanks for the reminder.
Worth checking out a garden centre rather than risk your supermarket leftovers maybe.

love_lifer

^Thanks. I have read a range of net advice and got myself confused. I reckon now will be fine, given your comments and stuff i just read on an allotment site.

foxgloves

It'll be fine for you to plant it now. We are not quite as far north as you, but last year's garlic which didn't get planted until the middle of December during a snowstorm, grew perfectly fine & we had a good crop. Go for it!

ANY_CHANCE

Can you use garlic from the supermarket? and do you need to separate it into individual cloves? skin on?

angelavdavis

Garlic sold as seed garlic is designed to thrive in this country. Although you can use bulbs from the supermarket - they may be more suited to warmer climates so may not be as successful. Having said that, there is no harm in trying and some people do use supermarket garlic. You need to split bulbs into individual cloves, leaving the skin on, plant pointed edge facing the sky.

Some cold years I have actually used a hammer and stake to dig a hole into frozen soil to plant garlic when I have been late planting - always produced a good crop for me. It's not advisable though.

tink1981_2

hi

We're in Leeds and my DH swares by the plant on the longest day harvest on the shortest. All the years he has grown in this way have been sucessful so should think you'd still be ok to plant now.

If you can't find any bulbs in the garden centres, there is a good stall that seems to go round the farmers markets round here selling oils and things who also sell growing garlic. The guy is really helpful and can offer good advice on the varieties to grow

tink x

forgotmyname

My supermarket garlic did not do quite as well as the proper seed garlic.

Sally_A

I've planted 2kg of garlic cloves from usual supplier - it seems the garlic had slightly smaller cloves this, so rather than the 180 I anticipated, I think I've got around 250 planted. :eek:

Well, if they all do well, that's only 5 heads per week for the next year :rotfl:

They were only planted a few weeks ago,and when I went to check have noticed a lot are putting out long roots already.