[AnneB]

I have been wanting to plant out my garlic and shallots for a few weeks now, but it has remained extremely wet.   I have a heavy clay soil, although it has been improved much over the years, and it is really quite wet at the moment.
I am worried if I plant out now, they will rot, but if I leave it too late they will miss the benefit of having a cold snap.
Would it be ok to start them off in modules and plant out when (or if) it gets drier and leave them in the polytunnel for now.  I've never tried that before and wondered if anyone has.

[New shoot]

It’s fine to start in modules and pots. My soil is heavy clay as well and I often have to resort to that.

I usually leave them in the cold frame to get going. Avoid anywhere too protected from the weather. If it has to be the polytunnel, I would keep them near the door.

[AndyRVTR]

I always start my garlic off in module's early Sept but I always plant them out in late Sept.. no other reason than to give them a good head start before Winter. I've read an article recently that said 'according to recent scientific research garlic cloves exposed to a cold spell (of 5C and less) grow much faster when planted but with a smaller yield at harvest time. Conversely room temperature stored garlic takes FIFTY days longer to reach maturity but the bulbs are bigger AND the cloves still form perfectly'.
Whether this has any truth to it or not I don't know, though it does seem to make sense!

[Hampshire Hog]

Hi there Anne
I planted my garlic a few weeks ago but haven’t seen any signs of them yet.
My soil is basically clay too but enriched with multipurpose compost. The challenge at the moment is whether it will ever dry up fully. I haven’t tried your idea of starting in modules my only worry would be whether the plants would have a surprise when you plant them out.
Good luck HH

[Kleftiwallah]

Our garlic is up about 8".  One batch planted at the best time according to the lunar calender and the rest at the worst time!  I'm not expecting any difference.
Would they respond to a touch of cloching?

Cheers,  Tony.

[Growster...]

Our garlic crop last year turned out to be just tiny bulbs, and not worth using, so I've replanted the whole lot, and they're showing about two inches of greenery while in the GH.

Seeing these notes, I wonder if they should soon go outside, as we have had a few chilly nights!

[Snow]

I plant out a lot from late September and also put some in modules in the greenhouse to replace any losses  I have also bought silverskin garlics to plant out in mid February.

 Unfortunately a lot of the garlic advice is extremely lacking in the UK as we have never historically grown it and no one, such as the RHS, have updated their advice despite the fact that we have learned so much about it over just the last twenty years.

It depends on the variety you have, most I'd plant now in the uk. Or you could plant them in your polytunnel or in small pots in your polytunnel to plant out in late winter.

If it's a silverskin softneck, I'd wait for another couple of months before planting as they have such long dormancy and such a long season.

[coldandwindy]

My shallots are all in modules in the tunnel & will be there until spring.
Garlic doesn't make a decent harvest outside here so that's in the tunnel too but will stay there. Makes lovely big bulbs, planted Nov. , harvested June. (I use my own saved cloves, I think it was "Vigour". My tunnel will be cooler than some!)

[Gardener and Rabbit]

Given how much rain we get here garlic can easily rot off over winter, even on a sandy soil, so I've taken to planting them much shallower, more like a shallot, and they still seem to do ok. They're about 4" high at the moment and growing strongly. Can always put a bit of mulch on them in Spring as the soil dries out.

G&R

[rowlandwells]

I take it your all talking abut sets a friend of ours always grows shallots from seed [Kings Matador] and they never fail him good well size shallots I tried  to grow them this year but they where a failure good job we bought  some sets in early spring and they turned out good we have grew onion sets in the poly tunnel to overwinter but I found there wasn't much in it from early  spring sowings  the same goes for growing onions from seed we grow both seed and sets we found when we harvested the crops the sets where slightly bigger than the seed grown but again our friend grew good size onions from seed and there good keepers

i started some onion seed of in the third week of August to overwinter in the greenhouse but there not growing as I thought many have dampened  off only a few have survived so its going to be early spring before we do anymore onion sowings so does anyone out there grow onions from seed and what varieties do you grow and do you favour setts or seed and if its sets or seed what variety do you think is best for you cooking and storing

[snowdrops]

My garlic arrived from  the garden club store on Sunday and I’ve just planted it today along with some red winter onions ‘Comred’ that I succumbed to a couple of weeks ago. They went into what was this year’s potato bed with a sprinkle of chicken pellets, a rake over and a 1” mulch of homemade compost. I’ve got a few cloves of elephant garlic to complete the bed.

[Snow]

I take it your all talking abut sets a friend of ours always grows shallots from seed [Kings Matador] and they never fail him good well size shallots I tried  to grow them this year but they where a failure good job we bought  some sets in early spring and they turned out good we have grew onion sets in the poly tunnel to overwinter but I found there wasn't much in it from early  spring sowings  the same goes for growing onions from seed we grow both seed and sets we found when we harvested the crops the sets where slightly bigger than the seed grown but again our friend grew good size onions from seed and there good keepers

i started some onion seed of in the third week of August to overwinter in the greenhouse but there not growing as I thought many have dampened  off only a few have survived so its going to be early spring before we do anymore onion sowings so does anyone out there grow onions from seed and what varieties do you grow and do you favour setts or seed and if its sets or seed what variety do you think is best for you cooking and storing

I like growing from seeds more than sets, they are less likely to bolt and also tend to have thinner necks which means they are easier to cure and store. I sow last week of February in modules, move them into the unheated greenhouse when germinated and plant out early/mid April under fleece

I like growing a variety, santero f1 is a good solid one as it stores well and has resistance to downy mildew. Walla walla is an amazing sweet onion, but doesn't store well at all unfortunately, worth growing if you like raw onions in the summer on burgers, salads and they make great onion rings and also onion chutney, you dont have to bother curing them. Zebrunne shallots I grow as onions and shallots as they can grow large and have amazing keeping ability, up to a year

[Benny130]

You all have me worried about my elephant garlic now which isnt showing like unlike the germidour. I have some hard plastic sheets. Shall i put over to stop excessive rain falling on the area?