Alis girls Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Another bum year for my garlic - small and pathetic. I have tried in pots and in allotment - i am a failure sob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saronne Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Don't fret. You're not alone. I've had my allotment for over 20 years and have never managed to grow decent garlic. There 's just certain things that don't seem to do well for me. Other things include, carrots and outdoor tomatoes. Sometimes it's to do with weather - often it's the soil and my plots particular micro-terrain, I suspect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggasperated Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 I started doing well with my garlic a few years ago after I swapped to a named variety (Picardy White) from T & M and started growing them in their own little raised bed. Here in Scotland I usually start them in modules in Jan / Feb and plant out at the end of March. It seems like a faff to start with but I usually get enough to last virtually the whole year. I sometimes think identifying which variety grows well in your area is a big part of it but can involve quite a bit of trial and error. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbug Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Never tried growing garlic....may give it ago next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 Take my advice - dont bother. The person on forum with great success with it is Lesley who one years posted a fantastic pic of her harvest. Sorry Lesley I am Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 We have not had any great success with it either, always tiny. We can grow great shallots and onions but not garlic. Did manage some good straight spring onions this year for the first time though. Growing veg is trial and error and every year you will get success and failure. It took me years to master swedes and cauliflowers, and our broad beans which are normally great were a total failure this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 My wonderfully greenfingered music teacher tried growing me some this year and failed just as miserably as I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggasperated Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Mine were brilliant - shame my onions were rubbish . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Some years are better than others - they do like a jolly good frosting first though to get them going. I still have a bash in a little section of the plot - and if they do rubbish then the flowers are pretty - some have naturalised and the bees love them. It must be sheep poo that does it for Lesley! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 it could be the variety that's the problem the only Garlic that grows any good on the allotment were I am is the autumn planted one the spring ones grow but don't bulb up as one can every get the in early enough to get a bit of frost on them but late enough so they aren't sitting in wet ground Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Mine were fab a few years ago - in fact so brilliant that I have never needed to grow it since! I got really good bulbs from The Isle of Wight (I think!), & grew them in runs of mounded earth, so they didn't get too wet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSilver Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Garlic I've no trouble with - I think it depends on when you plant it, really; if you leave it till January it's just too late. I planted elephant garlic in November, and it's coming up nice and green under cover. I put my onions and garlic around my fruit and nut trees; it keeps the bugs off and I know where and what it is so I don't lose the bulbs and forget to harvest them. What I can't grow for toffee is leeks. No, I have no idea why, it's a plant-it-and-forget-about-it, much like garlic, but can I grow any? Nope, it reaches pencil-thickness then stays that way. Hey ho! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Now leeks here are always brilliant. This year they have a lovely creamy flavour! Some you win and some you lose. Some varieties do better than others - discard those and make a note. Have a lovely red/purple leaved variety at the moment. Also have them for early winter, mid and late which are seeing me up to April or so. If any still happily growing then they will be chopped and put in the freezer after that. Need the ground for other things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 Despite saying never again - I succumbed and put some in the allotment in the spring. Its looked healthy and I am feeding it now weekly with tomato feed. Stalks just starting to discolour - I dont want to peak to see if anything there but should I be doing anything else? I am hoping 2014 might be my garlic year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Fingers crossed. Not grown any here this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I planted mine last September....and harvested it 3 weeks ago, that's a bit earlier than usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 Lesley - just the person - in the hot weather - its gone brownish and flopped over at top - i have a feeling theres not much underneath - feed and watered regularly - do i leave a few weeks longer or pull up and cry cos I've failed again - need expert advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 tomato feed isn't right for garlic or any of the allium family as there isn't enough nitrogen in it and to much potassium/potash you need something along the lines of liquid growmore or calcified seaweed to promote leaf growth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 Oh bottom - too late as mines been fed with tomorite. I think I will give up --` I was just hoping as they looked so healthy - this year might be different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
