Ordering garlic

[vegging out]

Hi,has anybody got any recommendations for a decent site to order some garlic for planting out this autumn? :)

[vegging out]

[asbean]

I usually order the autumn planting ones from Marshalls or T&M and buy some from the potato fair in January for spring planting.  This year I've ordered from Suttons.

I always keep back a couple of heads to plant, but not this year, as they have been complete cr*p.  >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

[tim]

Whatever the cost, I still like to deal with & support our local growers, rather than the Chinese.

http://thegarlicfarm.co.uk/

http://www.reallygarlicky.co.uk/main.html

[shirlton]

Thanks for the info Tim. I will give them a try this time.

[Barnowl]

Is it best to always order new seed garlic or worth saving some from each harvest?

[tim]

Opinion is that your own - clean - seed is great. But only plant the very biggest for bulbs. Males a difference.

We keep a patch for the tiddlers to give us green garlic early on.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Save your own, it's just as good. pick the biggest bulbs, and only use the large cloves.

[tim]

Nice to have support!

Despite my 'males'!!

[Barnowl]

How do you store it if using for seed - does it need different treatment?

[asbean]

Apparently it likes a winter before it goes in, so if autumn planting put in the fridge for a couple of weeks before planting, but don't put it in a bowl at the back of the fridge and forget it like I did.  Only after a couple of months there was this horrible smell  ??? ??? ??? and I cleared it out to find the bowl full of water (it was pushed against the back plate which defrosts from time to time) and the three heads of garlic I'd saved so lovingly was all mushy and disgusting  :-[ :-[ :-[

[Tee Gee]

Am I reading something that is not there;

Are we talking 'SEED' or 'CLOVES'?? I'm getting the impression we are talking both ???

If saving seed one needs to allow the autumn planted garlic to go to seed and flower. Once dry save the seed.

I don't have a picture of a garlic flower but Allium is also known 'Flowering garlic' so it looks the same but generally smaller! see below;



I haven't grown Garlic from seed(sounds like too much trouble) but I would guess you sow them in spring grow them on in pots until autumn then plant out like cloves.

Am I right?

[tim]

You keep Peacocks, TG?

[Robert_Brenchley]

While I was lifting my garlic i picked up some flowers that I'd picked off and dropped. They were producing little bulbils like walking onions. That might be yet another way of propagating garlic.

[asbean]

I was talking about cloves ...

[Robert_Brenchley]

Just keep the bulbs you're going to use for planting till about October, then shove the big cloves in. Depth doesn't matter much.

[ajb]

http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_48_135

Just ordered mine here. They've been very good before and part of the price goes to fund research into organic horticulture.

ab