[viettaclark]

I know it sounds weird but China has rain and cold too so I thought I'd experiment with the hard-neck garlic I got from the greengrocer (£1 for 10 bulbs- 91 big plump cloves) I'm not thinking about airmiles here.......
I have an area that is free for an experiment and if there is a problem with disease it won't matter. I shall be planting standard stuff too but some distance away.
I have had very good results with softneck Spanish garlic when I wasn't expecting anything.......
Wish me luck!

[Witty Banter]

Sorry for the stupid question, but are you saying you have just bought garlic that you'd use for cooking and you will break up and hopefully grow?

Never grown garlic before and I presumed you had to buy some kind of 'seed' garlic?!?

What is the 'standard' stuff you have are going to grow?

I looked at some isle of wight garlic farm bulbs for growing, but I think they are fairly expensive.

wb

[sunshineband]

Garlic to plant comes in heads too, and you break it into individual cloves to plant it.

Often, the varieties you buy to cook with are not so well suited to our climate and can be disappointing, unlike garlic sold specifically to plant.

[mumofstig]

With garlic brought from the market you risk importing onion white rot to your plot. Once you have that - it's almost impossible to get rid of it 

Seed garlic is certified disease free, which is why it is recommended for planting.
It's also quite cheap to buy from places like Wilkinsons, or your local garden centre should have some.

[SG6]

Often, the varieties you buy to cook with are not so well suited to our climate and can be disappointing, unlike garlic sold specifically to plant.

Does this read that the ones we buy to plant then are not that good for cooking with?
Thought that was the idea, plant them, grow them cook with them.

I can understand the idea of market ones, I have only ever really had success with 2 garlics I first ever planted that came from one of the supermarkets. All the purpose bought and expensive ones have been very poor indeed. This years purpose bought garlic from IoW never got more then about 1/4 inch across.

Another aspect is I bet that the supermarket buyers have a higher standard for garlics then the growers that supply garlics to be planted.

[arugula]

Often, the varieties you buy to cook with are not so well suited to our climate and can be disappointing, unlike garlic sold specifically to plant.

Does this read that the ones we buy to plant then are not that good for cooking with?

No. It reads that supermarket garlic intended for culinary use, does not always peform well in our climate when grown.

[Elmarto]

In the past I have some success with supermarket bought garlic and some not so good results. I bought some rose garlic from Morrisons and it looks good but not sure well it will grow, I have some red skin from Morrisons too and bought some iow from suttons, so I'll be having a trial this year!

[New shoot]

Another aspect is I bet that the supermarket buyers have a higher standard for garlics then the growers that supply garlics to be planted.

On looks, size and shelf life, then yes. 

There has been a lot of concern in the US and Australia over Chinese garlic being grown with fertilisers and pesticides not licensed for use elsewhere in the world and being bleached with chlorine to make it look good.  They import a lot from China - fresh to sell in supermarkets, plus garlic flakes and powder used in the manufacture of a lot of their food stuffs.

Not saying UK supermarkets are affected by this and as said before, the risk is mainly that the garlic you buy doesn't suit our climate.

Personally I would rather buy from a grower with a reputation for quality and who grows and tests their own product.  I've just shared an order from the Garlic Farm with someone from work and we have been sent some lovely bulbs of garlic 

[Elmarto]

The garlic I order from a reputable supplier didn't look as good as the ones from Morrisons, there were lots of small cloves, whereas the supermarket were big fat cloves! I'm sure this could be to do with where they were grown.

[sunshineband]

The garlic I order from a reputable supplier didn't look as good as the ones from Morrisons, there were lots of small cloves, whereas the supermarket were big fat cloves! I'm sure this could be to do with where they were grown.

I think New Shoot said this is usually the case - but garlic grown for growing from is disease free and suitable for our climate

and I can add -- gives a good crop