[ConfusedGardener]

I bought this garlic from a garden center expecting it to be multiple plants in one pot. It was a bit of an impulse buy, and I neglected to read the back of the label - live and learn I suppose! I was going to plant it out today, and expecting to have to divide it up, but on the label it says to dig a hole twice the size of the pot and plant!?

I'm not sure how digging a hole twice the size of the pot will do any good either? I suppose they mean dig it and fill it back in? But what would be the point in that?  Or divide it up perhaps?





Also, are garlic and onions likely to have problems with slugs? I'm wondering if I should take any precautions since the bed they are in is mulched, and probably teaming with slugs.

[simonwatson]

If it really is many cloves planted in a single pot then you'll want to split it up to give them the best chance.

[ConfusedGardener]

That's what I was thinking. I'll have peak at what's going on in that pot tomorrow!

[DD.]

You may - and I repeat "may" have garlic chives there, although the botanical name should be allium tuberosum.

http://www.sunlandherbs.com/about/garlic-chives/http://www.sunlandherbs.com/about/garlic-chives/

[allotmentann]

I was going to say the same as DD, they look more like chives to me, my garlics have never had such  wispy stems, but garlic chives certainly do. Also the description of 'perennial' on the label makes me think that it is not a plant they are expecting you to pull up and remove this year, as you would with normal garlic (although I wouldn't be surprised if normal garlic was perennial, left to its own devices!). If they are garlic chives they are a pain to get going so are lovely to have anyway.

[mumofstig]

to me, it looks like a garlic bulb that's been missed at harvest time and then the cloves start to grow the following spring I've had some of them before 

Be interested to find out what's there 

[ConfusedGardener]

Thank you all for the info. I'll be back later with an update.

[ConfusedGardener]

Well I had a look in the pot, and I'm guessing it's normal garlic that needs to be separated?





The other side of the label, which in hindsight I should have posted a piccy of, shows normal garlic cloves.

[mumofstig]

They're a bit naughty selling last year's stock 

[ConfusedGardener]

How can you tell it's last year's stock?

I'm more annoyed that the instructions are very misleading. I'm new to growing garlic, and would have followed the instructions to the letter had I not had advice from the kind souls on this forum!

Either way, they're in the ground now!