Would soaking, mulching, plastic, or anything help the situation?

help what situation, that you have not planted? i don't see the connection.

I've read about soaking cloves vs just sticking them in the ground. About the plastic or mulch, I'm just guessing because I really haven't a clue as to how garlic grows. Does it actually start growing in the fall? Or does it need the cold to go dormant, to pop up in the spring like bulb flowers?

soaking the cloves, there has been a lot of talk about that somewhere on here, they are getting it from gourmet garlic gardens.com among other sources I'm sure. There is so truth to all that and on a small scale I feel it's worth doing.

After you have the cloves in the ground, you can leave the black cover on for say a week to keep it warmer. I use straw say 8" deep as a blanket to keep the ground at least a little insulated during the winter. If you get a lot of snow over the straw or what ever you put down for a mulch then that just adds an extra layer of protection which is a good thing.

The roots start growing very fast, I check a few that I planted a week ago and already have 2" roots growing. you most likely won't see any top growth this year planting so late but in the spring they'll pop right up...it's pretty cool. I hope I have helped you.

-bloo

i disagree and i'm in new england along with the op. i have seen 6-8" of green growth in warm fall seasons when planting around columbus day to late october. for this reason i wait until early november and being in a colder area than me i still think that you have another 2 weeks. but don't wait until past mid nov as you do want root growth to anchor the clove against heaving. thick mulch should help and that's why 4-6" of shredded leaves are recommended, leaves are free straw costs money so does black plastic! we are frugal new englanders here you know. :) one year the ground was not frozen until 12/14 which is very very unusual and i was concerned the coming winter would harm the plants. it did not.

I'm going to put one of those mini greenhouse caps from GardenerSupply over the bed for some added warmth, in addition to straw mulch.

Will let you know how it goes. Thanks for the advice!

VTgirl, I like what your doing this late in the season, warm it up a bit so the roots will have an easier time. (-;

Ideally, it's best to plant 4 weeks or so before the ground starts to freeze. Obviously, it's difficult to know ahead of time just when that will be. In Vermont, I once planted on Thanksgiving Day -- much later than I had intended to. It snowed the very next day and that was the last I saw of my garden until spring. My garlic came up just fine that season, possibly slightly smaller bulbs than usual, but I got a perfectly acceptable crop.

i seriously doubt it would over winter in a garage or basement because it is not cold enough (the ground frozen the pot is not) and the cloves will start to grow.

tom

Blooming, Dig a hole large enough for the pots to sit in flush with the ground or maybe an inch higher is fine. Plant the cloves. The earth around the pots will insulate them. give the enough water for winter and cover with whatever kind of multch you have available. Several years ago I did this as an experiment.

-bloo

I planted my garlic 2 weeks ago, not sure how deep because it was getting dark! (I watered them when I planted them... hope that wasn't a no-no.) Then I mulched them with 2-3 inches of peat moss, and covered the 4x4 bed with clear plastic. The weather has been very mild, with a few morning frosts. No sprouts as of yet.