Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi all, two questions if I may ask your help yet again...

1. I planted garlic bulbs in a big tub at the beginning of March. They grew well, but now the tips are turning yellow. Surely they can't be ready to harvest yet? Are they sick, overwatered with all this rain? Any advice would be great please.

2. I have lots of baby onions I grew from seed still in their tray waiting to go into the ground. They're very tiny, maybe a centimetre or so, but have decent growing tops - how long should I wait before planting them out? The sets i've seen are so much bigger than my babies! Will they be okay in a space in the flower bed normally used for annuals or should I play safe and put them into the veg plot?
Cheers all!! (And hope it's drier where you are than it is here!)

answers

1. They're not ready yet. It's normal to get a bit of yellowing in the leaves. Give them a gentle squeeze and a pull - they should be firm and bounce back. Check for fungus. You are looking at July or so for harvest. They will start to dry up and you can dig down and have a look at the bulb.

2. Don't be impatient. They will take a few months to grow from seed. Wait until they are bigger and can compete better with weeds before you put them out - and/or cover them with something. They're tempting to birds and slugs and the like. You can probably grow them anywhere but they don't like wet or acid conditions.

And it's effing wet where I am too! lol!

Thanks Cute - I'll have a little squeeze when I get home from work!! Couldnt see any signs of fungus or pests, but wondered about under the soil. Only two months to wait then .... my first ever harvest!

I don't think the flower bed is acidic - there was a very sick rhodi there when I moved in and despite my best efforts it died last winter and I've filled its hole with normal compost. I'll keep the spot free a bit longer then and try to be patient.

And at long long last the sun has come out - bet its rainin again by the time i get to my garden around 6tonight .....