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Starting planting Garlic (Germidour), recommended sowing apparently is October but weather is still a bit sunny and warm during the day and cold at night, did I plant too early? (lemmy.world)
submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by to c/gardening@lemmy.world
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  • Planted in pots and raised beds at September 30th.
  • Garlic Germidour. Apparently according to gardening websites sowing season is around October so no problems there.
  • Weather is still a bit sunny during the day averaging about 20+°c and cold during the night around 10-15°c'ish. It is currently October 1st, 23:43pm as of writing and posting and it is currently at 13°C if anyone wants to be specific.
  • Live in UK, hardiness zone is 8b (if you want to be specific).

Did I plant too early and should've waited until mid October at least or am I okay? It's literally my first time planting these and hoping for the best lol.

Lastly, would I need to invest in a poly tunnel and or covers for my garlic plants during the cold weather or are they (Garlic) hardy crops?

Thanks in advance!

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[–] 0 points 6 days ago (5 children)

I haven't grown garlic myself but you're probably fine, it's meant to do all the work itself. Don't cover it, it wants the cold weather to grow nice and fat, and don't water it too much - it'll want some if there are long periods without rain, but rots easily if it gets too wet.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 6 days ago (4 children)

    Yeah, I've heard they're pretty "hardy" crops to take care of so I'm guessing they become "dormant" in winter on "sleep/energy saving mode" correct me if I'm wrong lol.

    But what about if the autumn/winter months have constant rain, I'm worried the crop might drown if it's watered too much, would I then need to cover it or keep it uncovered, just mulch it?

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  • [–] 3 points 6 days ago (1 child)

    Garlic is a bulb that spreads by generating bulbets (cloves).

    What would happen if you planted a clove of garlic and then just left it there for 3-4 years?

    It would slowly spread outwards over time with a mass of plants all clustered together. Just like daffodils etc.

    It will grow based upon the environmental conditions. It's literally one of the easiest crops to grow because of it. You can plant it in July and if it's hot it will remain dormant for a month until cooler temps.

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  • [–] 1 point 6 days ago (1 child)

    Yeah I probably wasn't clear enough there - it grows perfectly fine in British weather, so don't water it unless there's a drought, the rain will do the job fine. Unless you have some kind of particularly bad soil, it should be as simple as planting bulbs and leaving them there until harvest.

    I asked my dad about mulching and he said "I dunno, I always just stuck 'em in the ground", so I'm gonna say probably not necessary - when he grew it on the allotment we never lacked for garlic.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 5 days ago

    No, no, you're crystal clear tbh, I was just making sure I understood what you said so no worries there.

    No problems with soil on our part so everything should be fine and dandy. Now I need to save some leaves and grass cuttings asap heh. I forgot to mention I bought the bulbs at a local garden centre so I know it's locally grown and I don't have to worry about it if it was grown in another country or if it's sprayed with pesticide of whatnot.

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