Garlic

**zazen999** · 22-03-2013, 09:23 PM

Ideally it needs more than 6 months before the longest day - its not all to do with temperatures.

**Katie&Seb** · 22-03-2013, 09:37 PM

Originally posted by zazen999 View Post

Ideally it needs more than 6 months before the longest day - its not all to do with temperatures.

Before the longest day? What do you mean?

So are we right to assume by your response that as long it has 6 months (even planting it now), in 6 months time we will have some lovely garlic to harvest? Don't really mind when it is ready, just as long as one day we will have something good enough to eat

**bearded bloke** · 22-03-2013, 09:42 PM

As I see it,you have already brought the seed so then if you don't plant it you get nowt,if you do plant it you at least stand a chance of getting a crop

**rustylady** · 22-03-2013, 09:42 PM

The longest day is in June, therefore garlic should be planted at least six months before that. Plants respond to changes in daylight hours, plants of the onion family (including garlic) produce leaf growth during the lengthening days and bulb up when the days start getting shorter.

You can still plant your garlic, but you may not get large bulbs. Even if you don't you can still eat the garlic.

**zazen999** · 22-03-2013, 09:43 PM

No - the longest day is June 22nd. So it will only have been in for 3 months by then.

You can get fast growing garlics but you will be hard pushed to get it to bulb up in 12 weeks from a clove.

Garlics are day sensitive and bulb up between March and June - Over the longest day they die back and will not want to grow again until between September and December, when they will grow roots; and they will not bulb up again until March to June next year.

**Katie&Seb** · 22-03-2013, 10:09 PM

Originally posted by bearded bloke View Post

As I see it,you have already brought the seed so then if you don't plant it you get nowt,if you do plant it you at least stand a chance of getting a crop

Absolutely, we can only try and hope

Thanks
K&S

**Katie&Seb** · 22-03-2013, 10:11 PM

Originally posted by zazen999 View Post

No - the longest day is June 22nd. So it will only have been in for 3 months by then.

You can get fast growing garlics but you will be hard pushed to get it to bulb up in 12 weeks from a clove.

Garlics are day sensitive and bulb up between March and June - Over the longest day they die back and will not want to grow again until between September and December, when they will grow roots; and they will not bulb up again until March to June next year.

Thanks. We're going to try anyway as we have the bulbs now... fingers x'd!

**Feral007** · 22-03-2013, 10:15 PM

Great, have been wondering when I'm supposed to plant mine. I've just ordered it, so should be good to go by the time it gets here and we decide where to plant 40 cloves of it.
I knew there was something to do with a longest and shortest day, but now I might remember which one because I know why. Thanks,

**spanish_gardener** · 22-03-2013, 11:59 PM

Originally posted by zazen999 View Post

Ideally it needs more than 6 months before the longest day - its not all to do with temperatures.

I planted mine in the end of January. Will they be ok?

**veggiechicken** · 23-03-2013, 12:29 AM

They'll grow - but may not be as big as they might have been if they'd been planted before Christmas.

**Hazel at the Hill** · 23-03-2013, 01:08 AM

Originally posted by veggiechicken View Post

They'll grow - but may not be as big as they might have been if they'd been planted before Christmas.

It'll be interesting to see, actually.

I would agree with your sentiment above if it was a 'normal' year when the cloves sit tight from planting in Nov/Dec in a cold environment for a couple of months and start to kick off from Feb; but this year, even planted in Jan, the cloves have had a right good chill for a couple of months, so maybe when Spring finally does so, they will be at no disadvantage?

I have a vested interest - my cloves normally get planted in about Nov, then sprout in Feb and off they go - it was so wet this year that I put them out in Jan, and they sprouted just a week or so ago.

I hope my theorising is right - I luuuuuuuurve my garlic!

**Two_Sheds** · 23-03-2013, 02:42 AM

Originally posted by Katie&Seb View Post

Can we assume that anything that says November for instance, can be planted in March

No-o-o-o-o, and if it says plant in April, you shouldn't think you can plant in Feb. November is followed by 4 months of cold (that garlic needs in order to bulk up), whereas March is followed by (hopefully) 4 months of warm weather.

Dates are flexible to some degree, but you need to know what you're doing before you start trying to cheat Mother Nature.

As Zaz explained, day length is extremely important to plants. Light is probably more important than warmth for a lot of things.

Garlic likes a rich soil. This is the crop we got from a lasagne bed

**Snadger** · 23-03-2013, 07:56 AM

Garlic is a thing that can be planted any day of the year and you'll get a crop of sorts! Ideally though autumn planting gives better crops......................usually!

**bearded bloke** · 23-03-2013, 09:04 AM

Last year my brother brought back some garlic he got from a farmers market,the seller who was also the grower gave him express instructions to plant in the spring not the autumn

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