[wapello]

 Went over to the garlic farm today and sorted what im planting this year,, i got some Elephant, / Provence Wight,/
 and Solent Wight, it takes me 2 week to get the ground ready,
 And my polytunnel will be here next week so all going on,,

[oldgrunge]

If you have any tips, please share, as my garlic crop was pathetic this year.

[wapello]

 I pick the spot lightly fork it over, just down the road from me there are stables with a big heap of dung  well rotted its bkack and full of litle worms, i spread it out and fork it lightly leave for a day or two  then with the hose gun set it to shower water it in over 2-3 days then i leave 3-4days, then i get some more dung a bit more than the first lot and then dig that in proper  a quick water then i leave 3 days to settle,  then i plant the garlic  8 inch spacing 1.5inch
deep cover over cloves, then i put a thick layer of dung over the bed keep heat in (sun warms it up) a keep frost out,
this is done late october,, i know it sounds long winded but this is how i start all my beds, it works for me,
i also put two fork fulls along with tomatrite in my water butt give it a good stir. 
 

[Swing Swang]

If you have any tips, please share, as my garlic crop was pathetic this year.

Mine also pathetic - I think some of it was down to the weather - last year bulbs as big as an onion, this year no bigger than a walnut (and a small one at that) - hit badly by rust too which hasn't helped

[wapello]

 SEARCH  "Garlic Farm  Isle of Wight"  what they don't know about garlic is not worth knowing

[Nobbie]

I find that rust really affects the crop if they get it early. I have found spacing them out more helps prevent rust getting established.

[juvenal]

Reading up on garlic, the autumn planted varieties seem to require a decent period of cold/low temperature early on if they are to succeed.

Before last Christmas us in the South West had no real cold spells (let alone frost) that  I can recall. I'm blaming my worst ever crop on that weather.

[mctoon]

Reading up on garlic, the autumn planted varieties seem to require a decent period of cold/low temperature early on if they are to succeed.

Thats probably why ive had a great crop this year, its always cold in Northumberland!!

[Salmo]

Apparently cold for garlic is not very cold. It needs the soil temperature to be below 10 degrees C for a period of three weeks. That is something we normally have in the UK sometime between October and March.

This may be more difficult in warmer countries. It is the reason why Spring planted garlic should be planted early.

[Thrutchington]

Found that well rotted chicken manure got mine growing a treat the last two years, good crops.