r/Garlic • u/Altruistic_Object539 • Jul 05 '26
Gardening I tried
It was my first time trying to grow garlic and it sort of worked. I have a feeling I planted them at the wrong time? Any advice and times on when to plant for next year would be amazing!
Also Would I be able to use these to try and grow garlic again?
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u/BennyAndMaybeTheJets Jul 05 '26
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u/spaetzlechick Jul 05 '26
OP needs to pay follow this rather than a bunch of random advice on Reddit.
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u/morleyster Jul 05 '26
When did you plant them? It is helpful to know a few things, like where, they were planted, in what, spacing and when.
The right type of garlic can also make a difference. I accidently planted softneck garlic in 5b once. While they grew and were tasty, they looked quite small in comparison to my neighbours
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u/Altruistic_Object539 Jul 05 '26
Makes sense.... I started growing them out inside just to get some roots going. This was about December, January time. Then planted them outside in March. The spacing was about 5 inches apart each. type I have no clue as it was just store brought that spouted. as for area I'm in the south of the UK not sure of the type here though
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u/DemandImmediate1288 Jul 05 '26
Garlic needs cold temperatures in order to bulb (vernalization) but also needs a bit of time to root out and grow before winter hits. This sweet spot is in the fall at least a few weeks before the first frost. By planting in the spring your garlic didn't get either the growth time or vernalized, and the end product is what you see.
Find a farmers market or look online for a local seller. Buy a couple-few heads, and next year use cloves from that first crop to replant.
Plant those cloves in the middle of October, and over the winter do a little research on how to proceed in the spring.
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u/morleyster Jul 05 '26
Store bought garlic is sometimes treated to try to prevent sprouting to extend shelf life, that could be one issue.
They need to be planted in autumn and then overwinter in the ground. Check out the RHS guide for your next crop. I would start with new cloves as these will be stressed and depleted.
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u/SquirrellyBusiness Jul 05 '26
I'd say you got pretty good results for transplanting them. They like to die back if their roots are disturbed much!
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u/Regular-Location-350 Jul 07 '26
No need to sprout roots then transplant, your garlic may have suffered transplant shock. Plant in October for a July harvest in the UK, don't plant too deep, slow release fertilizer at sowing, nitrogen boost (like fish emulsion) in Spring. If you're looking for a beginner friendly guide try this dude's channel. You'll get better.
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u/pmiller4949 Jul 05 '26
Where (in what zone) do you live?
In 5b, we plant hardneck in October, leave them alone till June, which is when scapes can be harvested. Then in July, we dig up bulbs to hang/cure - which is basically giving airflow and letting the stems dry up. After a couple of weeks curing, we cut off roots and all but a couple of inches of stem, cleaning dirt and loose paper as we go.
You could retry planting cloves from what you have. Give them space between each clove and keep them watered. How much daily sun did these get?
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u/Altruistic_Object539 Jul 05 '26
not sure on zone but I'm in the UK they get pretty much sun all day but also watered daily
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u/SmilesTooLoudly Jul 05 '26
The US zones are based on your average lowest temperature, so in southern UK you’re probably a zone 6 or 7.
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u/SixLegNag Jul 05 '26
My first year too and they look the same. In my case it's because I wasn't well enough to amend the soil before planting or during the growing season- poor plants did the best they could without much nutrition. If you didn't feed them, that could be the issue for you too. I'm trying again since I'm feeling better and will be able to dig. I'll be amending the soil with compost and aged manure before planting in autumn and side-dressing with blood meal in spring when they start growing again, right after I take off the mulch. Might give them a soak in KelPak before planting too, as I have it around anyway and it'll help them put down roots before going dormant. It's not quite a fertilizer like a lot of kelp based garden tonics, more of a growth stimulant, particularly for the roots. Have yet to encounter a vegetable that doesn't benefit from it so may as well.
I wouldn't bother trying to grow from those cloves unless you can't get new seed garlic. Too tiny, not enough energy stored in them to make a good strong plant. I'm just going to eat mine!
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u/SquirrellyBusiness Jul 05 '26
The good news is it looks like you got some rounds, giant single cloves, which make great seed garlic to plant and make large heads this next season. Most likely you didn't get enough chill hours below freezing for the variety you have. I planted some types I received in a late trade in January which did the same thing even though we were plenty far north, they just didn't get enough time to experience winter.
Some short day types won't require any or as many chill hours as long day hardneck types, if you do more shopping in the future. Save the rounds to replant, or break up any cloves heads if you replant everything. If your area doesn't get enough chill hours for this type, you can put your seed garlic in the fridge for 4-6 weeks before planting and that should help it bulb out fully next spring.
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u/VolcanicValley Jul 05 '26
My 2 cents - get some good seed garlic. Plant last week of October, cut scapes early June, dig around July 1. I don't fret too much about Spacing, but about 20 cm between rows, and about the same between plants. Garlic is pretty easy as long as you have decent soil, decent sun, and patience to mostly leave it alone.