On 30/11/09 13:40, Chris wrote:
In article , uriel13
writes

Hi Chris,
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to how deep you plant,
it is all down to what works best for you. Some plant their cloves as
they would their onions just under the surface. Others will plant them
2 inches deep to the root end regardless of the clove size.

At the end of the day cultivation is not an exact science, it requires
your personal observation. This is the joy of cultivating the soil,
getting to know how Mother Nature weaves her spell on your plot. She is
teasing you to see if you are intelligent enough to understand how it
all works in your part of the world.

I Plant my cloves 1inch deep to the top of the clove because cloves are
not uniform in size.

You get small ones and big ones, small ones planted too deep may not
have the energy reserves to make it to the surface.

I hope that this post has been of some help to you.

Uriel

Thanks, Uriel, yes it has.
And I behave as you suggest.

I was trying to clarify what instructions on packets meant when they
said, "Plant two inches deep".
Did they mean two inches to the top - or two inches to the bottom?

I think the original poster misunderstood the packet instructions - and
hence planted far too deep.


No, no!, I did not misunderstand. I did exactly what it said on the
pack, I planted em (Solent Wight) with the tops of each clove 2 inches
below ground on Oct 7th some 7 or so weeks ago.

Evenso, I am very pleased to report that virually all of them them are
now shooting above ground. As someone else suggested here earlier, you
have to be patient as they just take some time to develop a root system
first before they sprout..

So looking forward to a good crop next June/July.

Ed
(East Herts, UK)