I used to plant my garlic in the Autumn as recommended by most of the gardening books. The reason for planting in the Autumn is to ensure that the garlic is subjected to cold temperatures over Winter, this causes the growing bulbs to split into well-formed cloves. However, virtually every year, by late Spring, my garlic began to suffer from allium rust just at the time when the leaves should have been passing nutrients down to the bulbs and swelling them. Rusty, withering leaves inevitably produced poor garlic cloves. (Pic - garlic rust).
The solution was to plant garlic in the early Spring, around the beginning of March, just before the onion sets are planted out. To make sure that the bulbs split into cloves as they grow I simply place them in the fridge for a month or so. This process not only produces well formed garlic but the cloves often start to put out shoots and roots, perfect for planting. This has worked for me every time, the garlic grows well, suffers no rust and is ready to be dried out in August. (Pic - garlic late April).
So, in late January to early February, choose your garlic cloves. It's worth noting that garlic adapts well to local conditions so it's beneficial to save the biggest and best bulbs from the year before to use for seed. You will eventually end up with your own local strain of garlic that grows well in your particular conditions. Obviously, you need to buy some in if you don't have any to start with! So, hard necked or soft necked garlic? (Seed suppliers will usually state whether the garlic is hard or soft necked).
Hard necked garlic bulbs tend to be larger in size and grow in colder conditions; on the down side, hard necked varieties will often put up a flower spike in the summer that needs to be removed and the bulbs don't store so well. Soft necked garlic is my personal choice, while the bulbs are often slightly smaller, they produce more cloves and store really well if dried like onions. Soft necked garlic rarely goes to seed so there is no messing about with flower spikes throughout the summer. (There's also Elephant garlic which is mammoth but is both mild and not a true garlic, some say it's more like leek - nevertheless a curiosity and good for roasting). (Pic - this year's garlic cloves for planting - this variety is Germidour).
Choose the biggest cloves from the outside of the bulb, avoiding any smaller cloves on the inside. The idea is to choose the biggest and best in an attempt to improve your garlic year on year. Pop them into a container and stick them in the fridge for at least a month to 'chill'. You will probably see small roots developing from the base plate of the cloves in a fortnight or so.
From late February to mid-March the cloves are planted (pointy end up) about 2.5cm (1 inch) below the surface of the prepared soil and about 10 to 15cm (4 to 6 inches) apart with 30cm (1 foot) between rows. They only take a short time to break the surface and take little effort to care for - just keep them weed free and remove any flower spikes from hard necked varieties. Dig them up around August time when the leaves begin to wither and 'go over'. I leave the roots and leaves on while they hang to dry - you can start using the garlic as soon as you like though grow enough to store for the upcoming year. Remember to earmark the biggest bulbs for planting next year!
So, in late January to early February, choose your garlic cloves. It's worth noting that garlic adapts well to local conditions so it's beneficial to save the biggest and best bulbs from the year before to use for seed. You will eventually end up with your own local strain of garlic that grows well in your particular conditions. Obviously, you need to buy some in if you don't have any to start with! So, hard necked or soft necked garlic? (Seed suppliers will usually state whether the garlic is hard or soft necked).
Hard necked garlic bulbs tend to be larger in size and grow in colder conditions; on the down side, hard necked varieties will often put up a flower spike in the summer that needs to be removed and the bulbs don't store so well. Soft necked garlic is my personal choice, while the bulbs are often slightly smaller, they produce more cloves and store really well if dried like onions. Soft necked garlic rarely goes to seed so there is no messing about with flower spikes throughout the summer. (There's also Elephant garlic which is mammoth but is both mild and not a true garlic, some say it's more like leek - nevertheless a curiosity and good for roasting). (Pic - this year's garlic cloves for planting - this variety is Germidour).
Choose the biggest cloves from the outside of the bulb, avoiding any smaller cloves on the inside. The idea is to choose the biggest and best in an attempt to improve your garlic year on year. Pop them into a container and stick them in the fridge for at least a month to 'chill'. You will probably see small roots developing from the base plate of the cloves in a fortnight or so.
From late February to mid-March the cloves are planted (pointy end up) about 2.5cm (1 inch) below the surface of the prepared soil and about 10 to 15cm (4 to 6 inches) apart with 30cm (1 foot) between rows. They only take a short time to break the surface and take little effort to care for - just keep them weed free and remove any flower spikes from hard necked varieties. Dig them up around August time when the leaves begin to wither and 'go over'. I leave the roots and leaves on while they hang to dry - you can start using the garlic as soon as you like though grow enough to store for the upcoming year. Remember to earmark the biggest bulbs for planting next year!
Bye for now.
