[Growster...]

Garlic is going in today!

We had some great 'Cristo' and 'Thermidrome' last year, and with a bit of coddling, and protection, it was the first proper result we've ever had!

They really will have a good place to grow this year - and next year, as the two beds are 8" deep in muck and soil, which had a good session with a tiller yesterday, as well as a few handfuls of bone meal, so fingers crossed...

[Robster]

Not a bad year for garlic here either.  I saved some cloves and replanted them last weekend.  Also replanted some elephant garlic cloves.  Also bought some more Thermidrome.  They have gone in where I had beans.  I dug over weeded and BFB.

I've got the rest of my onions and shallots to go in this week

Always nice to have something growing.

[Goosegirl]

I planted a few cloves of the pink French variety "Ail Rose de Lautrec" last month as my OH likes their flavour, but it's only a trial and, as I'm not that successful with garlic, there's nothing lost.

[Alifink]

Eleven varieties went in on Sunday so surely a few of those should be OK in the wet, cold North West.

[ptarmigan]

Cold wet north west here too.  Had a great year with garlic two years ago in the warm long summer - this year, desperate.  Tiny, mouldy cloves. 

Just planted out a few rows and crossed fingers. 

[BabbyAnn]

Cold wet north west here too.   

Vallelado / Vallalado (originates from Northern Spain and is different from other Mediterranean garlic) is supposedly more tolerant of wetter conditions.  Have to admit I've never grown it but is on my 2015 autumn planting list.

Planting has already begun here but will take me a few weeks to finish as I can only do a bit at a time and only at weekends (I'm aiming for mid-late November) ....  Currently I have 13 varieties to plant, 2 of which are new for me.  I was so impressed with the Red Duke, Red Donetsk, Romanian Red and Iberian Wight last year that I've bulked up on those.  And then there are a couple of lines which were once popular and now are no longer available so I feel obliged to grow a few to keep them going.  Have to confess my choice (generally) is swayed by early maturing and hardneck vareities with big cloves rather than soft necked ones with the smaller cloves.

[ptarmigan]

Thanks for the tip! I'll try the Vallelado....

[Steveharford]

Hi GG where can I buy the Ali rose de Lautrec? .As a lover of all things French...well, excluding those slimed things with shells on....I would like to give them a try.

[BabbyAnn]

Hi GG where can I buy the Ali rose de Lautrec? .As a lover of all things French...well, excluding those slimed things with shells on....I would like to give them a try.

you may be interested to know that Rose de Lautrec is a protected name for the garlic (much like Jersey Royal potatoes sold as International Kidney for growing ...)  You can buy it under the name Edenrose (I believe Suttons and Dobies still have some in stock but you could google and see if anyone else has)

if interested, a link for more information about the Rose de Lautrec (Pink garlic of Lautrec) here

[Steveharford]

Ah thanks Babby Ann I will look it up.

[AnneB]

I did well with some of my garlic this year,  Rossa di Sulmona was very good,  Early Purple Wight did well and Edenrose was good too.  Other varieties were a disappointment, including once again Solent Wight.

This year I have gone a bit mad on the garlic front and have two beds of it.   I have again planted Rossa di Sulmona and also some Bianco Veneto and two varieties described as French White and French Red from Seeds of Italy.  Their garlic collection was good value I thought and I was so impressed with the RdS last year.

I have decided to try out some Eastern European varieties, so splashed out on a heritage pack from the Garlic Farm.  I thought this was ridiculously expensive, but I couldn't resist.  If I like any of them, I will try and save from my own crop for future use.   I am growing Bohemian Rose,  Red Donetsk, Red Duke, Mikulov Wight and Moravian Giant.    Glad to see BabbyAnn has been successful with some of these varieties.   I too prefer a smaller number of larger cloves.  Can't bear fiddly little ones.   Tried Music a few times because of this, but not successful for me.

[Alifink]

I have decided to try out some Eastern European varieties, so splashed out on a heritage pack from the Garlic Farm.  I thought this was ridiculously expensive, but I couldn't resist.

I've got the heritage pack and it did seem expensive, the garlics sound good though.
I'm also trying Doocot from the Really Garlicky company, my theory being any garlic bred for Scottish weather must be OK for the North West of England also. Only 15 cloves from 3 bulbs so they are fat ones.

[BabbyAnn]

I have decided to try out some Eastern European varieties, so splashed out on a heritage pack from the Garlic Farm.  I thought this was ridiculously expensive, but I couldn't resist.

I am growing Bohemian Rose,  Red Donetsk, Red Duke, Mikulov Wight and Moravian Giant.

the ones highlighted in red are available from Kings Seed catalogue (each variety as a 2 bulb pack, about £4.85p  per pack)

You can always try ebay for garlic cloves / bulbs for a fraction of the price just to see how they fare on your soil (I've never had a bad sale (yet) and to be fair, most are from "garden sites" although I have been adventurous and chanced something that looked different and exciting)

Other varieties were a disappointment, including once again Solent Wight

Tried Music a few times because of this, but not successful for me.

Interesting - I've never been successful with Solent Wight, and Music being a late maturing garlic just doesn't like my plot (or more likely all the diseases and pests in the soil have got more time to play havoc with them  )  One of the reasons why I think the early maturing bulbs do better as I can lift them before the problems start in earnest.

[AlaninCarlisle]

This thread stirred me into going to the local nursery for some to plant. The only ones they had left were White Casablanca so I bought a couple of packs. Anyone any experience of this variety?

[Steveharford]

I'm also stirred into buying some different ones. So I bought Edenrose, Chesnok red and Avignon Wight via eBay.