Garlic/onion frost damage
 

With the recent heavy snow and ice we have had this past week, a goodly
number of my autumn planted garlics and onions have had their tops bent
over.

Will they recover or will I need to replant again?

Ed
(Herts, UK)

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

Ed ex@directory wrote:

Will they recover or will I need to replant again?

The garlic will likely recover, though perhaps at some energy and size
cost.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

"Ed" wrote
With the recent heavy snow and ice we have had this past week, a goodly
number of my autumn planted garlics and onions have had their tops bent
over.

Will they recover or will I need to replant again?


Your garlic will recover unlike ours which has had the tops all eaten off!!

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

"Bob Hobden" wrote:

Your garlic will recover unlike ours which has had the tops all eaten off!!

Yikes! What kind of wildlife eats garlic tops?

Here, the deer will eat the leftover Brussels Sprout plants, and any leeks
I've left in the ground, but they're not their first choice. Kale, on the
other hand....


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

"Gary Woods" wrote after "Bob Hobden" moaned on...

Your garlic will recover unlike ours which has had the tops all eaten
off!!

Yikes! What kind of wildlife eats garlic tops?

Here, the deer will eat the leftover Brussels Sprout plants, and any leeks
I've left in the ground, but they're not their first choice. Kale, on the
other hand....

We have never ever had anything damage our Garlic before and thought them
impervious to attack, not this year. The first tops to show all disappeared
within a few days and I can see where they have been eaten off. A few late
developers are coming up again and I've put a couple of rodent bait boxes
out to try to kill the culprits. Last thing we want is rodents getting a
taste for garlic!

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

Ed wrote:
With the recent heavy snow and ice we have had this past week, a goodly
number of my autumn planted garlics and onions have had their tops bent
over.

Will they recover or will I need to replant again?

Ed
(Herts, UK)

Garlic and onion sets shouldn't sprout until early spring... (same as
other allium), you obviously planted way too early... if anything the
early cold/snow may be a gift.

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

On Nov 2, 10:12*am, Sheldon wrote:
Ed wrote:
With the recent heavy snow and ice we have had this past week, a goodly
number of my autumn planted garlics and onions have had their tops bent
over.

Will they recover or will I need to replant again?

Ed
(Herts, UK)

Garlic and onion sets shouldn't sprout until early spring... (same as
other allium), you obviously planted way too early... if anything the
early cold/snow may be a gift.

BALONEY, you get growth until the ground is frozen hard, how many
garlic crops have you brought to market?
The original poster should have no problems but should monitor his
crop a bit earlier than normal harvest by using a few plants so he can
time everything before the cloves open.
If you have extra stock go ahead and plant right up until the ground
is hard.

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

beecrofter wrote:

BALONEY, you get growth until the ground is frozen hard, how many
garlic crops have you brought to market?

The conventional wisdom here is that garlic should be planted 6-8 weeks
before ground frost, so the roots get well established before the ground
freezes hard, preventing the cloves from getting heaved up during
thaw/freeze cycles. To that end, a light mulch after things have started
to freeze is a Good Thing. I'm happier if I get little or now _top_ growth
before the freeze, since that gets damaged and costs the cloves energy
better spent the next spring.
Full disclosu

I am NOT a commercial grower; only a somewhat obsessed amateur. I grow
something around a hundred pounds of garlic, using what my Sweetie and I
don't eat to donate, trade, etc. I'm in the Northeastern U.S.; conditions
elsewhere vary. Mine certainly do!

Yours in bad breath,


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

"beecrofter" wrote

On Nov 2, 10:12 am, Sheldon wrote:

Garlic and onion sets shouldn't sprout until early spring... (same as
other allium), you obviously planted way too early... if anything the
early cold/snow may be a gift.

BALONEY, you get growth until the ground is frozen hard,
[...]

for a strong start, plant 4 to 6 weeks before the ground freezes.

do NOT cold store or plant cold stored cloves, it will cause the clove to
sprout prematurely, before it establishes good roots. This is trouble
because it allows winter heaving. And no, properly planted and cared for
garlic usually does not sprout or grow much green until a warm spell during
winter. And then when it does, it's time for a high nitrogen feed, followed
by several more through May. (experienced in zone 5/6).

how many garlic crops have you brought to market?

prolly more than years you've trekked Terra Firma

a couple of fun places to visit & learn:
http://thegarlicstore.com/ZenCart/Index.php
http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/boutique.htm
For a wide selection of planting stock, check back about June to order

Steve Young

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

"Sheldon" wrote
Ed wrote:
With the recent heavy snow and ice we have had this past week, a goodly
number of my autumn planted garlics and onions have had their tops bent
over.

Will they recover or will I need to replant again?


Garlic and onion sets shouldn't sprout until early spring... (same as
other allium), you obviously planted way too early... if anything the
early cold/snow may be a gift.

Rubbish! Garlic has to be planted before winter sets in if you want decent
sized heads. I try to get a good growth before they slow for the winter
cold. Spring planted stuff is almost a waste of time the heads are usually
so small. It's a tough plant and won't bother about the winter in the UK at
all.
There are autumn planted onions (as well as the usual spring planted)
although I've found they are not as tough as garlic.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

"Bob Hobden" wrote

"Sheldon" wrote:

Garlic and onion sets shouldn't sprout until early spring... (same as
other allium), you obviously planted way too early... if anything the
early cold/snow may be a gift.

Rubbish! Garlic has to be planted before winter sets in if you want decent
sized heads. I try to get a good growth before they slow for the winter
cold. Spring planted stuff is almost a waste of time the heads are usually
so small. It's a tough plant and won't bother about the winter in the UK
at all. There are autumn planted onions (as well as the usual spring
planted) although I've found they are not as tough as garlic.

Nobody is talking about spring planting, we are talking about when it
sprouts.

If garlic has not been mistreated, very little sprouting/(above ground
growth) occurs between Fall planting and ground freeze. Now if it gets very
cold after planting and then a warm spell occurs before finally freezing, an
unusually large number may sprout. Here in NE Ohio probably less
than 20% sprout before a winter thaw. What confounds this timetable
is if garlic has been stored in a refrigerator anytime prior to planting. It
will sprout almost immediately after planting, long before strong roots are
established. Not a good thing.

Steve Young

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

"Steve Young" wrote:
"Bob Hobden" wrote
"Sheldon" �wrote:
Garlic and onion sets shouldn't sprout until early spring... (same as
other allium), you obviously planted way too early... if anything the
early cold/snow may be a gift.
Rubbish! Garlic has to be planted before winter sets in if you want decent
sized heads. I try to get a good growth before they slow for the winter
cold. Spring planted stuff is almost a waste of time the heads are usually
so small. It's a tough plant and won't bother about the winter in the UK
at all. �There are autumn planted onions (as well as the usual spring
planted) although I've found they are not as tough as garlic.

Nobody is talking about spring planting, we are talking about when it
sprouts.

If garlic has not been mistreated, very little sprouting/(above ground
growth) occurs between Fall planting and ground freeze. Now if it gets very
cold after planting and then a warm spell occurs before finally freezing, an
unusually large number may sprout. �Here in NE Ohio probably less
than 20% sprout before a winter thaw. �What confounds this timetable
is if garlic has been stored in a refrigerator anytime prior to planting. It
will sprout almost immediately after planting, long before strong roots are
established. Not a good thing.

Steve Young

Yup, obviously some of these folks don't read very well, the OP didn't
really mention a time frame, or even a locale, but from context it
seemed pretty obvious to those with intelligence that he meant
planting very recently, like now, as in this fall. I don't grow
garlic anymore (used to), haven't for like five years now because my
next door neighbor grows garlic and onions in great quantity, like 500
pounds of each, he supplies the entire neighborhood and attends the
local garlic festivals. I used to grow garlic in sets of 100, not a
lot but was more than enough for me and to share. I only take like
6-10 heads from my neighbor because I don't use it up fast enough and
it's a shame to let it rot, but I take 20 pounds of red and yellow
onions and 20 pounds of his spuds, russets and Yukon golds. Anyway,
my neighbor is a real garlic maven, he has quite an operation, grown
in very neat raised beds filled with soil he is constantly amending
with all sorts of composted manures, leaves, and a huge variety of
plant waste. I've learned a lot more about garlic growing from him
than I already knew. One thing he is very careful about is watching
the weather (I assume all agri people do) so he'll know the most
advantageous time to plant. He waits until we've had a few light
frosts and then plants as close as he can to four weeks prior to the
first hard frost. He mulches heavily with straw (about 8") that's
held down from wind with plastic deer fencing, which also keeps birds
off. He already has his garlic planted, this is the sixth season
since I've lived here and I've never seen any of his garlic sprout
before spring... you can set your clock on its sprouting because it
sends up green on the same day as daffodils. I don't know about
growing garlic in warm climes but here in NY's northern Catskill
region (zone 5/6) if garlic is planted too early prior to the first
hard frost it will sprout, and if sunlight can get to the sprouts it
will grow very rapidly, especially if there're a few day's warm
spell.

I have a clear view of his garlic bed from my window as I sit he
http://i36.tinypic.com/14lmx7b.jpg

A little far, let's try with tele:
http://i36.tinypic.com/wit2s8.jpg

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

"Steve Young" wrote
"Bob Hobden" wrote

"Sheldon" wrote:

Garlic and onion sets shouldn't sprout until early spring... (same as
other allium), you obviously planted way too early... if anything the
early cold/snow may be a gift.

Rubbish! Garlic has to be planted before winter sets in if you want
decent
sized heads. I try to get a good growth before they slow for the winter
cold. Spring planted stuff is almost a waste of time the heads are
usually
so small. It's a tough plant and won't bother about the winter in the UK
at all. There are autumn planted onions (as well as the usual spring
planted) although I've found they are not as tough as garlic.

Nobody is talking about spring planting, we are talking about when it
sprouts.

If garlic has not been mistreated, very little sprouting/(above ground
growth) occurs between Fall planting and ground freeze. Now if it gets
very
cold after planting and then a warm spell occurs before finally freezing,
an
unusually large number may sprout. Here in NE Ohio probably less
than 20% sprout before a winter thaw. What confounds this timetable
is if garlic has been stored in a refrigerator anytime prior to planting.
It
will sprout almost immediately after planting, long before strong roots
are
established. Not a good thing.

To Steve and Sheldon. This is a UK newsgroup and over here we don't get
your sort of winters, this is a maritime climate not a continental type
climate so we get perhaps a frost then some rain them some sun and the
temperature goes up so you work in your shirt. Sometimes in a week sometimes
all that in one day. So any garlic planted in the autumn will sprout in a UK
garden and in most winters will continue to grow through the winter. To get
garlic to sprout in the spring over here you would have to plant in the
spring.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

"Bob Hobden" wrote:

To Steve and Sheldon. �This is a UK newsgroup

Actually this thread was CROSSPOSTED to three different Newsgroups
(uk.rec.gardening, rec.gardens, rec.gardens.edible). Usenet is
international, but had the OP wanted to keep his query UK sensitive he
should not have crossposted. And you, Hobden, are obviously a newbie.

Garlic/onion frost damage
 

Sheldon wrote:

And you, Hobden, are obviously a newbie.

On behalf of U.S. gardeners not too far north of Sheldon, I wish to
apologise. People ought not to AssUMe.
I did notice the crossposting, though most of the information is
international. The climate in the UK is _different_ than mine, which I'll
have pointed out in February when you folks have spring flowers, and I'm on
first-name terms with the fuel oil delivery man!
FWIW, my garlic sprouts at the same time as the crocus, though I will be
using some hay mulch this winter, which will likely delay it a bit.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G