Recently the question was asked if it was too late to plant garlic. the
general consensus was yes. However I have just received and email from
Dobies who claim now is a good time to plant them.

Broadback wrote:

Recently the question was asked if it was too late to plant garlic. the
general consensus was yes. However I have just received and email from
Dobies who claim now is a good time to plant them.

Disclaimer: I'm in the American Colonies, and anything I say should be
viewed with suspicion.

There are two basic types of garlic: Hardneck and softneck. Hardneck
types are usually fall planted and need a period of dormancy to do well.
In fact, types that I grow would not do as well where winters are mild.
Some U.S. suppliers sell "Cajun" types suited for the gulf coast, where
winters aren't what I would call "winter" at all.
Much of the mass-produced garlic is Softneck, and this is generally spring
planted, though the few I grow also go in the ground in late autumn. Names
like "California Early" are seen, though I wouldn't have chance with such
effete plants.
As others have said, you can certainly spring plant hardneck types, though
the size may suffer a bit. Better than not growing garlic at all! Since
garlic adapts to local conditions, you're better off saving your own
planting stock from what does best. Of course, that's true of a lot of
garden crops.

Hope this makes sense.... 33F, snow on the ground, more expected, no end in
sight on the extended forecast. I need to find the Happy Place.


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

Just finished mowing, I love the smell when I mow from the wild garlic that
pops up all over the place in the lawns. Some clumps I leave a while and
allow them to flower.

Mike

Broadback wrote:
Recently the question was asked if it was too late to plant garlic. the
general consensus was yes. However I have just received and email from
Dobies who claim now is a good time to plant them.

I put mine in last week.Later than I've ever planted before
but better late than never.

Sam

"Broadback" wrote in message
...
Recently the question was asked if it was too late to plant garlic. the
general consensus was yes. However I have just received and email from
Dobies who claim now is a good time to plant them.

I grow two sets of garlic - one in the autumn, the other in the spring.

The spring bulbs are called 'German Red' (from Suttons) and are apparently
best planted late.

Hope that this helps.

Broadback wrote:

Recently the question was asked if it was too late to plant garlic. the
general consensus was yes. However I have just received and email from
Dobies who claim now is a good time to plant them.

I meant to reply to that thread, but never quite got around to it.

I ordered a couple of heads from Suttons back in February, which duly
turned up a week or so later. I've never grown garlic before (true of
many things) and to the slightly old fashioned _Vegetable & Herb Expert_
by D G Hessayon they're strange exotic food and don't get much of a
writeup. So all I had to go on was this advice that came with the
bulbs:

"Garlic Cloves Solent Wight

Keep in a light cool position until planting time or split into cloves
and plant in pots of compost to transplant outdoors during March.
Plant the sections (cloves) of ech bulb just below the soil surfact
March-April, alloing about 10cm (4in) between clover [sic (-: ] and
20cm (8in) between rows. Store in bunches in a dry airy shed for use
in winter. (2 bulbs)"

During March, I planted three out of four heads, some in a row on their
own, some between rows of carrots in the naïve hope of avoiding carrot
fly (never grown carrots before either, so I don't know how worried I
should be).

The original row I planted has done nothing at all (that was before a
cold snap, so they may not have liked that) but the ones protecting my
carrots are growing pretty strongly.

So what will I find when I come to dig them out at the end of the
summer? Should I plant out the last head (expected 2 but got 4!) soon,
or wait until September/October and do it then?

Peter