Garlic

[Snip]

I succesfully planted garlic last year and have just harvested my crop. I would like to do the same again next year but was unsure if I needed to buy special garlic for planting OR can I use one of the bulbs that I have grown? Also a question I was asked is can you just plant the cloves from shop bought garlic?

Many thanks

[Mike Vogel]

Cloves from the garlic you have harvested will do just fine, Snip. But don't expect a quick show of young shoots. The Garlic Farm explained to me a few years ago that the commercial growers for the growers' market have the ideal conditions for the bulbs to mature faster than we do. Therefore when we plant our cloves in Sept/Oct or whenever, they are less ready to start than when we get them directly from the supplier. So don't worry if yopu don't get any sign of them until after Xmas. Indeed, it seems a little late for harvesting [though not too much so], so I would expect your cloves to get going later than mine will if we both plant on October 1st, say.

[Monika]

I have successfully used our own garlic (Solent Wight) for the last three years, but I am buying new stock this year, just in case I am carrying some disease (though there is no sign of it). Last year I planted both our own and some new ones and found no difference either in timing or in their eventual size. In fact, this year has been the best ever for size - enormous!

I would not, however, use ordinary shop bought garlic, because it may have come from abroad and not be suitable for the UK climate. I remember doing so many years ago (before garlic was readily available in garden centres) and it didn't work.

[glallotments]

I grew some garlic last year from bulbs brought back from France - left over from cooking - I knew that they may not grow but they grew really well. I popped them in a trough in a cold greenhouse over winter and then brought them outside to finish them off once the weather improved. They produced a good early crop but I have absolutely no idea what variety they were.

[retropants]

I have done the same as Monika. I bought from the Garlic farm 3 0r 4 years ago, a hardneck and a softneck variety, and have been using my own stock from these since then.

I am off to the the Isle of Wight in a few weeks, so I am going to get new stock from the Garlic Farm this year, and will hopefully be using that for a few years to come!

[snooky]

As soon as I harvest my Garlic the family and friends have the begging bowls out so I have to buy fresh every year,no spare bulbs, all used.
I buy in the Garlic Collection from Dobies,good value I find, at less than £13 for eight bulbs of four different types bred for Northern climes.

[PLUMPUDDING]

I bought a hard neck variety from Marshalls about 12 years ago. It has a purple tinge to the skin and good size bulbs. I've been saving a few bulbs to regrow every year since and they are still going strong. There has been no disease or loss of vigour and they are extremely reliable.

The variety was grown specially for the British climate and I usually plant mine at the beginning of March, or a bit earlier if the weather is mild enough to plant them. (They say that they need a winter chill to encourage the bulbs to divide). The ones I've forgotten to dig up always make it through the winter and divide and also produce a crop too. So get a good variety to start with and give it a go. You can also start them off in pots in the greenhouse or cold frame for an earlier crop if you don't want to over-winter them outside.

[Mike Vogel]

I agree with Plumpudding, except that I favour autumn planting. I experimented this year with Solent Wight, planting some in the autumn and some in February and the autumn ones did rather better, although neither set did well.

[Elle's Garden]

Is it possible to grow decent garlic in pots or is that a waste of time? I want to try an Autumn planting.

[glallotments]

I planted garlic in a long windowbox style planter last year and started them off over winter in a cold greenhouse and brought out in spring and grew some really good garlic this way.

[Elle's Garden]

Thanks Glallotments, that was exactly the type of box I have in mind! I will give it a go

[Westi]

Hi

I have had great success with some hardneck garlic I bought
from M&S. I liked it as it was great big cloves and an almost
smokey taste so took a gamble and it paid off - lovely and
true to the original. I started it off in pots in a cold greenhose.

My over wintering solent white was small in comparrison and
not so many cloves per bulb but OK. Taste a bit burning though.

I am keeping back some bulbs of the M&S one for next season.

Westi

[Mike Vogel]

I think the KG mag has something about growing garlic in pots. I wasn't successful when I tried it, but that doesn't mean anything. If they say it works, then at least it works for some.