Did I plant my garlic too deep?

As instructed on the pack, I planted them so that the top of each clove
was 2 inches below ground.

That was 4 weeks or ago (early October).. But there are no shoots showing.

Have I killed them? Or do I just have to wait?

I was hoping to get them established before the freezy cold weather sets in.

Ed

Ed ex@directory wrote:
That was 4 weeks or ago (early October).. But there are no shoots showing.

Have I killed them? Or do I just have to wait?

I think you just need to wait. I planted mine about the same time and
there is nothing showing from mine, too.

On Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:13:08 +0000, Ed ex@directory wrote:

Did I plant my garlic too deep?

As instructed on the pack, I planted them so that the top of each clove
was 2 inches below ground.

That was 4 weeks or ago (early October).. But there are no shoots showing.

Have I killed them? Or do I just have to wait?

I was hoping to get them established before the freezy cold weather sets in.

First the bulbs make roots. You may not see any top growth for some
time. Be patient! You did the right thing.


Pam in Bristol

In article , Pam Moore
writes
On Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:13:08 +0000, Ed ex@directory wrote:
Did I plant my garlic too deep?
As instructed on the pack, I planted them so that the top of each clove
was 2 inches below ground.
That was 4 weeks or ago (early October).. But there are no shoots showing.
Have I killed them? Or do I just have to wait?
I was hoping to get them established before the freezy cold weather sets in.



First the bulbs make roots. You may not see any top growth for some
time. Be patient! You did the right thing.
Pam in Bristol


I thought "two inches deep" meant that the *bottoms* of the cloves
should be at that depth!

Why don't they say what they mean?

So the tops of mine were just below the surface.

But they are four inches high now and look healthy.

How critical is planting depth?
--
Chris

Hi Ed,
Nothing to worry about, as long as your soil is not clay bound they will be ok.

With the amount or rain we have been getting clay soils will be totally saturated with surface water, and this is the real danger. Soil drainage is the most important thing in ensuring that your cloves don’t rot in the water laden soil.

When the first foliage shows through the soil is dependant on several factors:-

The fertility of the soil in which they are planted.

When planted, this is best done last 2 weeks in October when the weather is usually mild, this will encourage root growth.

The position in which they are planted, they do best in soil which gets the early spring sunshine.

Cloves which show foliage before winter sets in tend to produce larger bulbs come harvest time.

When planting my own garlic I use a bulb planter to make a hole about 6 inches deep. Into this I lightly pack my own kitchen compost. From experience I have found that 1 inch deep to the tip of the clove is sufficient but this is a personal preference.

Garlic likes rich compost full of banana skins, vegetable peel, fruit peel etc., and contrary to accepted wisdom I don’t let weeds be they annual or perennial anywhere near my compost bin ,I burn them.

At the end of the day the compost you reap is the compost you sow.

PS:- Always douse potato peel with boiling water or you will end up with potato growth in your compost bin. Likewise with onion, cut of the root end before despatching to your bin.

I hope this has been of some comfort and help to you with regard to the subject as stated.



uriel

On 22/11/09 04:41, uriel13 wrote:
Ed;869818 Wrote:
Did I plant my garlic too deep?

As instructed on the pack, I planted them so that the top of each clove

was 2 inches below ground.

That was 4 weeks or ago (early October).. But there are no shoots
showing.

Have I killed them? Or do I just have to wait?

I was hoping to get them established before the freezy cold weather
sets in.

Ed

Hi Ed,
Nothing to worry about, as long as your soil is not clay
bound they will be ok.

With the amount or rain we have been getting clay soils will be totally
saturated with surface water, and this is the real danger. Soil drainage
is the most important thing in ensuring that your cloves don’t rot in
the water laden soil.

When the first foliage shows through the soil is dependant on several
factors:-

The fertility of the soil in which they are planted.

When planted, this is best done last 2 weeks in October when the
weather is usually mild, this will encourage root growth.

The position in which they are planted, they do best in soil which gets
the early spring sunshine.

Cloves which show foliage before winter sets in tend to produce larger
bulbs come harvest time.

When planting my own garlic I use a bulb planter to make a hole about 6
inches deep. Into this I lightly pack my own kitchen compost. From
experience I have found that 1 inch deep to the tip of the clove is
sufficient but this is a personal preference.

Garlic likes rich compost full of banana skins, vegetable peel, fruit
peel etc., and contrary to accepted wisdom I don’t let weeds be they
annual or perennial anywhere near my compost bin ,I burn them.

At the end of the day the compost you reap is the compost you sow.

PS:- Always douse potato peel with boiling water or you will end up
with potato growth in your compost bin. Likewise with onion, cut of the
root end before despatching to your bin.

I hope this has been of some comfort and help to you with regard to the
subject as stated.




uriel



Thank you for that. Very much appreciated.

In article , Ed
writes
Did I plant my garlic too deep?
As instructed on the pack, I planted them so that the top of each clove
was 2 inches below ground.
Ed

Are you sure it meant two inches to the top?
Usually planting depths are to the bottom.
Please can someone confirm this convention.
--
Chris

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

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.

--
Chris

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)

Hi Ed,
I failed to add this information on my first posting to you.

In late May early June carefully start removing soil from around each plant to expose the bulb to the sunlight. This action will begin the drying process of your harvest, many a crop has failed to store through not doing this. You can lose a crop through the central stalk being damp. Garlic bulbs can rot from the inside out and by the time you realise what is happening it is too late.

Allow at least a third of the foliage to brown off before lifting the bulbs, and allow at least two dry days before lifting.

Once lifted my crop is placed on a tray in my greenhouse, I turn them every day to ensure that they are completely dry before storing. Having suffered a crop storage failure you never make the same mistake again.



Uriel

On 03/12/09 04:59, uriel13 wrote:
Hi Ed,
I failed to add this information on my first posting to you.

In late May early June carefully start removing soil from around each
plant to expose the bulb to the sunlight. This action will begin the
drying process of your harvest, many a crop has failed to store through
not doing this. You can lose a crop through the central stalk being
damp. Garlic bulbs can rot from the inside out and by the time you
realise what is happening it is too late.

Allow at least a third of the foliage to brown off before lifting the
bulbs, and allow at least two dry days before lifting.

Once lifted my crop is placed on a tray in my greenhouse, I turn them
every day to ensure that they are completely dry before storing. Having
suffered a crop storage failure you never make the same mistake again.




Uriel



Thank you. That is really helpful advice about the drying process..