[heygrow]

I know that it is generally agreed that garlic needs to experience some cold weather and I planted some solent white and Iberian white end of last year, which are coming along ok. However I picked up a couple of bulbs of casablanca a couple of weeks ago with a view to planting for some extras. I had thought I needed to plant them quite soon to get their dose of cold, but the packet tells me I can plant anytime from now to May. Not sure if this is correct, but it does appeal if I can plant a bit later, say April when I know whar space I have.  So should I trust the packet?

Now when I think about it, how does garlic do so well in warmer countries like Spain and Italy where they often would not see much continuous cold weather? Are there different varieties that don't need the cold to divide the cloves?

[Mum2mj]

You can get spring planting garlic, personally I didn't have success with it. I plant in November as the cold helps the bulbs to split.  If you're not sure of space yet you can always plant into modules first and into the ground later on

[heygrow]

Thanks Mum2mj, Yes I have planted spiring types before with limited success, but was surprised by the 'up to May' suggestion.

Also I wonder about those hotter countries I mentioned, how they get such good garlic?

[whitehill1]

I brought some garlic bulbs and kept them in freezer. Sow them in a week or two. Still if they do not split at the end of season.. Then leave them undisturbed to the next year's

[JayG]

Do you mean freezer or fridge?

(I suspect that freezing them could kill them)

[whitehill1]

Freezer. Perhaps they get frozen when you put them into ground during winter right

[New shoot]

I think JayG may be right and the freezer will have killed the growing tip inside the cloves 

You can put garlic in the fridge to give it a cold treatment before planting, but the freezer is a bit too cold.

[JayG]

Garlic is frost hardy of course, but a domestic freezer is probably around -18C (0F), which is far lower than any soil temperature encountered where garlic is usually grown.

I'd suggest thawing the bulbs out slowly, leaving them somewhere cool for a week or so, and if the cloves still seem firm and sound then I'd guess they could still be OK to plant - let us know what happens one way or the other.

[New shoot]

Also I wonder about those hotter countries I mentioned, how they get such good garlic?

I think you are right and that is down to the varieties used.  The ones that we get sold for planting are bred to do well here, at the planting times they give.

We usually don't suggest you plant garlic from the supermarket because it can be very variable in how it performs in our climate (as well as they fact that you risk importing disease into your soil).

[whitehill1]

Removed them from freezer. If any seed can be stored in freezer, hope I have not killed the cloves. I also planted some garlic I have brought from India. They are mostly in bit of a shade as well. I am interested what I can harvest.

None of us from tropical regions grow allium. But mind that India has all types of weather ranging from subzero temperatures to hottest of the world from a place to place

[whitehill1]

Seems I wasted garlic. Will have to buy again

[Mum2mj]

Seems I wasted garlic. Will have to buy again

Ah well never mind it's all a learning curve

[whitehill1]

Yeah, today I bought 10 bulbs of with label  'carossel' from the local nursery. Has anybody ever heard of it? No help from Google.

[Salmo]

Although garlic does need a cold spell, from what I understand it only needs to be below 10 degrees C for about 3 weeks to make it split. Planting it in the UK in Spring should be ok as the soil does not usually get above 10 degrees until about the end of March. Planting in May seems a bit dodgy to me, not just because of soil temperature but also it will want to bulb up before it makes a decent size plant.

In warmer climes they plant garlic over Winter.

[Blewit]

Like Salmo says, for it to form cloves garlic needs 20 consecutive days at 10C or less but if it doesn't split and grows into a single round all is not lost. Rounds can be replanted in autumn to grow into show bench sized bulbs.