Growing garlic seemed a new thing for some when Jan and I were doing the course last year. I've recently ordered some garlic from Digger's, and with the garlic, came some planting instructions which I wondered if others might like. Diggers instructions were to check if the garlic was sprouting. If so, plant immediately. If the garlic is dormant, put it somewhere outside where it will be dry, so that the garlic can sense the outside temperature. Early to mid varieties will shoot from late March onwards. Mid to late varieties will want to shoot from May to June. Ideally the best time to plant garlic is just before it shoots. The garlic I ordered wasn't designated early/mid/late, so I was advised to slice a clove vertically looking for a green internal shoot. When that's evident, plant immediately. If not, wait a couple of weeks and try again. (I'm hoping that I don't use up all the cloves in trying to find that internal shoot). If garlic is planted too early it may rot.
I saw some garlic which was grown in Australia, in the local supermarket a week or so ago. Not having received Digger's instructions at that time, I broke up the cloves, planted them, and three are already sprouting. I guess that means they might be the early variety, or I'm just lucky.
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3 comments:
Thanks for this info we love garlic so shall put some in.
I got some from Diggers too, as I did last year. No instructions came last year so I did what I have always done and planted them when I had a space in the garden and when I got around to it. Some came up quickly and some took ages (I guess this was the early/late thing). None rotted. Rotting needs water and it is often still quite dry this time of year in Adelaide. Anyway, it all grew like crazy and produced fab garlic - best I have ever grown. Hence another order this year. Good luck Barb.
ps I have the garlic I grew hanging in the bathroom in a huge bunch and I cut off a bulb when I need it. If it doesn't sprout too badly it will last almost until the next crop is ready.
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