[lozenge]

have been sitting on my kitchen table since it started raining, oh, a month ago.

is it too late to plant next weekend? (I'm in surrey)

[strangerachael]

I should think you'd still be fine 

[DavidT]

I`m still waiting to lift Dahlias at a clients garden, so thet I can put in some spring bulbs.

[Terrier]

Never grown shallots but you've plenty of time yet to plant garlic as long as it gats lots of cold temps. It's so wet here, I've put the garlic in pots under cover from the rain, I want to get them started as soon as possible without them rotting in cold wet ground.

[Salmo]

Traditionally shallots are planted on the shortest day( Dec 21st) and lifted on the longest (June 21st), so you have plenty of time.

Many advocate that delaying planting until late Feb/early March loses nothing, especially on cold heavy soils.

Garlic is also fine if it is delayed. Some say that you should put it in the fridge for a couple of weeks to ensure that it experiences a cold spell and splits into many cloves. I have never had garlic not divide just planting it March. Maybe if it was left until April in a mild Spring it would not divide. The cold spell it needs is not much, only below 10 degrees.

You can start them off in pots or modules.

[lozenge]

thanks

am reassured, especially as i have now broken my toe and won't get up there for another week at least...

[sunshineband]

My DD has just given me a whole lot of garlic and it'll be going in this week IF it stops raining long enough 

[zazen999]

If you can't get your garlic, shallots or onions in the ground, fill a tray with compost and pop them in there for a few weeks, then put them in the ground anytime from as soon as they start growing roots to April.

It gets them started nicely, and provides a good root system that very quickly gets established once planted out.