[WhippetMaster]

Am growing onions and garlic under cover in a cloche.Should they be left in the warm or uncovered and exposed to our cold air???

Also broad beans what should I do???

[noshed]

Broad beans should be OK. It's a bit early for onions so maybe keep them covered until it gets a bit warmer.

[WhippetMaster]

I have slug proofed the entire cloche, the bu**ers cant get in anywhere. I have not seen a slug yet, probably due to the large amount of blackbirds I get in the garden first thing.

Fingers crossed.

[nipper31]

I planted a row of garlic last week before the frost made the ground too solid. I left them uncovered but everyone elses seem to have been growing uncovered successfully and sprouting for weeks !!!!!!!
Did I do the right thing waiting or should they have gone in ages ago? Is it safe to leave them uncovered?

[WhippetMaster]

Mine are covered but onions don't seem to be doing much. Garlic on the other hand is sprouting well.

[brucesgirl]

My garlic went in last autumn, apparently they like to be cold at first, so I would uncover them.

But it won't be my fault if they don't grow  

[Clampit]

I put my garlic in last autumn, they are coming up well and looking healthy, I've never had them covered. My winter onions on the other hand are looking rather battered and flimsy. Ho hum.

[wighty]

Garlilc needs a cold spell in order to 'split' into cloves.  we had some elephant garlic last year that only came up as one clove.  When I asked Dear Mr.Boswell (owner of the garllic farm ) why he said it was because the planted clove hadn't been cold enough.  Where is WG when we need a garllic question answered.

[Trillium]

You can still plant the garlic now but you won't get very large heads out of them. They really do need to be planted in fall/winter so they can set their roots, which they prefer to do slowly in cold weather. Come spring, they're the first ones up and ready to harvest sometime in July.
As for cloching garlic, there's no point unless you've got stupid bugs that love nibbling garlic  
The onions, however, do need cloching until warmer weather comes along. Although they're of the same family, onions aren't as hardy as garlic.

[John]

If you've got pigeons around it can be a good idea to fleece them. Little flying rats pulled loads of mine up.

Maybe seagulls are a problem too?

[gobs]

All these three are hardy, cold tolerant stuff, but once you covered now, you wait for a warm spell to take it off. A netting should do against bird damage.

Also, slugs usually don't bother with any of them.

[compostqueen]

garlic and shallots are dead hardy and can be left uncovered. My onions are uncovered too but the blooming birds are a nuisance. My own fault I should have netted them.

[John]

All these three are hardy, cold tolerant stuff, but once you covered now, you wait for a warm spell to take it off. A netting should do against bird damage.

Also, slugs usually don't bother with any of them.

Excellent point about waiting for warm weather to remove fleece and avoid shocking them. It was easier to fleece than net for me.

[Lynne]

I planted my onion, garlic and shallots in late autumn. All seem to be doing well. I've only used netting to protect them from birds.