Garlic

[Manouche]

Had a good garlic crop and wondered if you could tell me if I can use these cloves to plant again and can I plant them now.
Thank you x

[Manouche]

[chriscross1966]

aybe, as long as you hjad no disease... but I'd give it a month ....

[Manouche]

OK and thanks for your reply, will put some by for Sept...do they stay in all winter please and should I plant them deeper?

[Jeannine]

The  Oriental lady behind me,Rose, at the lottie is a garlic collector, she has so many different types and I know she saves them from one year to the next. I was always under the impression that the cloves get smaller if you do but her plants are magnificent. She is kinda THE garlic lady locally and has set everyone up with starters.

She has promised me some for this year so I will let you know. I need to get the lowdown from her myself as I have never seen such super plants as she grows.

XX Jeannine

[galina]

OK and thanks for your reply, will put some by for Sept...do they stay in all winter please and should I plant them deeper?

Second half October is better for planting out again, unless you live somewhere where it is frozen by then, in which case plant well before the ground freezes hard.

Choose the largest cloves from the largest bulbs and from healthy bulbs as chrisc says, as these will make large garlics next year.

They get pushed just under the soil, but it happens that they get pulled up by birds, same as onion sets.  Maybe you can plant them 3 inches deep if you like.  They stay all winter.  Mostly they grow a root before winter, but not much of a shoot.  If they have grown a big shoot, it can freeze off, but will regrow.

 

[1066]

I'd also add that I net mine for the 1st few months just to make sure the birds can't pull them out. And I also plant them on a mini ridge, I'm on heavy clay so feel its a good idea to give them an extra chance of not sitting in heavy wet soil all winter, oh and I add all the spent compost, grit etc that I have left over to that bed, just to try and lighten in up a bit more

There's nothing like home grown garlic!!

1066  :)

[shirlton]

Our self sown ones grew lovely this year so I am planting them all to get some good stock.

[goodlife]

I've grown garlic from my own stock for years..and just like mentioned before..only the few largest cloves from best and largest bulbs are used for growing...that way you always get decent size bulbs...little bulbs from little cloves..and I plant mine during November ;)
I have just started the process of doing the bed ready for my garlic..as they stay in ground quite long time I make extra efford that they have  the best possible start..
lots of home made compost, seaweed meal..lots..BFB...sieved stuff from chikens pen..and all that I leave to mellow down for couple of monts..I may even sow a crop of phacelia on..and by mid-October I give the surface light dusting of lime and then few weeks after that ..in goes the biggest and fattest cloves that doesn't have even hint of any blemishes or marks..
Whoaa..it sound like a lot of trouble..but it is worth it..and after the crop is lifted the ground is still lovely condition for something else ;)

[Manouche]

Thanks for all the good advice will start preparing now.
Your right there is nothing like home grown garlic. x

[Robert_Brenchley]

My crop's been rubbish this year. Plant the biggest cloves; the bigger the clove, the bigger the bulb you end up with. Small cloves can be planted closer together for green garlic. Put them in in the next month or two for the biggest bulbs next year.