Recent Garlic Growing Problems

[Helen Holland]

We have been growing garlic for about 15 years - just stick them in the soil and leave them to their own devices.

However, for the last 2 years, our usual system has really failed They are basically not growing.

Has anyone else found that they have recently been having problems with their garlic?

 

[Jed]

I gather you do keep your own garlic seed to plant or are you buying from a super market? You are keeping the largest cloves to replant? Garlic is treated so as to prevent from sprouting using chemicals or irradiation.

 

[Helen Holland]

We have always just used used supermarket or shop bought. Now you have mentioned that, on thinking about things properly I suppose it's like everything else, costs are being cut by a ridiculous amount and the standard of all food has reduced dramatically over the last few years.

Therefore, we should really start looking at purchasing proper garlic seed bulbs, despite the cost

 

[Jed]

Get along to a farmers market and buy the biggest cloves you can find. It might cost a lot more but you will be better off. Also depending where you live garlic likes a frost to germinate in early autumn. If there aren't frosts in your area put the garlic in the refrigerator for a few days.
Here's a pdf I just found with some great info. http://www.kitsapgardens.org/GROWING GARLICFULL.pdf

 

[Helen Holland]

Thanks, will look out the farmers market - hadn't thought of that, was mainly thinking of the likes of The Garlic Farm, Isle of Wight!!

We definitely get the frosts, although in our successful years, we did tend to plant very late and missed most of the frost but still had success.

 

[Jed]

I've been growing garlic many years and have had some disastrous times. I've been on a mission to ensure this disaster does not happen to others.You may have read this thread but if not take it in and make sure your garlic growing is trouble free.
https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/garlic-not-so-invincible.193/#post-1768

 

[ChanellG]

I am still experimenting with garlic. The one clove I planted in November (or was it December?) that is still surviving has a very small plant top and I wonder if I will see a full bulb. I have been moving it around to be sure it's getting enough sun, but now I wonder if it has enough growing room in it's container (for the roots, that is).

 

[Jed]

We use to sell 5 cloves of sprouted garlic in a 6" pot. They sold well with all the other plants we had at our market stall. Never did know whether the buyers left them as they were or planted them out or used them as fresh greens?
Tell us how it goes?

 

[ChanellG]

This is what I have mine in:

I have another one in a tall 6 inch terra cotta pot that I started later, probably late spring.

It had a companion, but it either got too much water or too little sun and died off. I also suspect a garden pest may have had something to do with its demise. There's one other container with garlic, but I didn't think to get a photo of that while I was outside this morning.