Garlic coming through!!

[Lazgaot]

I planted some Solent Wight cloves in November and hadn't seen any signs of life, so presumed they'd rotted away. Went to my plot yesterday to find part the lower part of two of my beds looking like rock gardens! Some idiot vandal had knocked the head off the stand pipe and the water had sprayed out and washed away all the soil, leaving what looked like a miniature rock garden

However, sitting on top of all the pebbles where my presumed dead garlic cloves! They had massive root systems going down at least 4-5 inches but had only just started producing a leaf. I covered them up and hopefully they won't be set back too much.

[Nicos]

Clever little things eh.?..what with all that snow and all!

[Florence Fennel]

Interesting that, because I planted up loads of garlic in the open ground and in 5 containers in November. In open ground the garlic is tall and healthy and reasonably so in 4 of the containers, but in one container there is no sign of any growth. I am wondering now whether to leave them a bit longer, or finger down a bit in case they've rotted? They were all different types that I planted up in the containers, but I don't have the name with me at the mo.

[cupcake]

I had to push some of my autumn planted cloves back in the soil yesterday. All sprouting well. I don't think I could resist having a furtle in that container!

[w33blegurl]

Mine were mostly dug up by our cats and the visiting fox....need to go and pop them back in the beds!

[Florence Fennel]

Well I'll be blowed

Posted on this thread last week that one pot of garlic may have rotted because all the others had good growth, when blow me I've looked today and they too are up, albeit not as much as the others, but life where I thought there was none! Yay!

[binley100]

Isn't mother nature wonderful

[jackyspratty]

Interesting that, because I planted up loads of garlic in the open ground and in 5 containers in November. In open ground the garlic is tall and healthy and reasonably so in 4 of the containers, but in one container there is no sign of any growth. I am wondering now whether to leave them a bit longer, or finger down a bit in case they've rotted? They were all different types that I planted up in the containers, but I don't have the name with me at the mo.

Can I ask what size and depth of pot you used FF? Have read so many differing opinions on this, it would be great to hear from someone whose done it. What soil mix did you use? Would general multi purpose be ok? How many cloves per pot did you sow?.... Sorry for all the questions!

[Wren]

I plant my garlic at the end o September each year to get them off to a good start, any later than that seems to retard them an the bulbs take an age to catch up. Mine are about 6 inches high with stems as thick as my thumb, i will be harvesting them in late May . I grew my garlic like this the previous year and this years garlic is from last years stock. The verity is Garlic 'Marco' and its fantastically , tasty sort. I am chuffed to bits with it and won't ever have to buy garlic for planting or eating again me thinks. I can recomend planting them a bit sooner than November.

Wren

[BUFFS]

have two large pots(12") in greenhouse and garlic is now showing,this is the eigth generation since wife bought me some when we first moved up here in 2001,no fussing with them,just great taste, the elephant garlic seems slower to start.....

[Florence Fennel]

Hi JS. This is the first time I've used the containers for garlic - I have always put them in the raised beds. The containers are troughs about 9" deep that I used for summer bedding to cheer up the patio. It's just MPC and I put them down about 3". I've looked at them this morning and they've got really strong green shoots, so I'm thrilled to bits that they're going to catch up with the rest. There's loads of advice on here about growing garlic - if you use the search button you'll find an encyclopedia of knowledge!
Good luck with yours, let us know how you get on.

[Paulottie]

Well, in order of appearance...can't be bothered with quotes..read it yourselves.

Lazgaot- Before I give sympathy and moan about the delinquent 'yoots o tadday.'...have you considered turning off the water during winter?...sounds more like frost than les gamins....glad your garlic survived.

JS. I'd go with 2 litre pots for three cloves. and a soil based compost for preference. (Some folk plant whole bulbs in larger pots in the greenhouse for little spring cloves.)

Wren. Makes little difference to the harvest date or yield whether you plant in September or December. Traditionally its November!!! You may get more showing over winter with earlier plantings but it is reputedly the frost that helps with good clove division/formation (hence the Autumn rather than spring plantings.) I have some that have been up all Winter and a later planting which, as always, I thought 'Ooops, no sign... must have rotted.' But no, there the little needles were when I checked between deluges at the weekend. Infact, not scientifically proven, but from my experiance the later plantings seem slightly less susceptible to rust....also if you plant too early they can often bolt.(that bit is proven)

[Lazgaot]

Paulottie, the stand pipe job was definitely some low-life yobs fine work. A week or so before that someone walked right across one of the beds and pulled up some wooden stakes I had put in, and just tossed them away. The tap is/was enclosed in a wooden frame and was packed with old rags for insulation, the whole lot has been trashed and the tap head smashed off. Unfortunately my plot is right by the road side so is an easy target.

I've also just noticed another bed that I planted up with garlic. I was so sure these had rotted away because I dumped a load of manure on top over the winter. These are now showing too! I was so sure they had rotted that I went out and bought a few more bulbs to plant out.....is there such a thing as too much garlic?

[stella]

Just been to have a look at mine, nothing yet but they seem ok. I planted them in pots around December so fingers crossed.

[Florence Fennel]

No there is no such thing as too much garlic, not in our house anyway Lazgaot. Send it over to me if you have some spare!