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Trying Martin's December Garlic Planting

Geezer66
18 years ago

After two weeks of below average temps and 6 inches of snow on the ground, we had a spell of warmer weather that melted the snow. It was 50 degrees and I was wanting to plant something. I remember Martin saying the latest to plant garlic was Dec.31st and the earliest was Jan. 1st.
I had 12 elephant garlic planted Oct.29th in a bed of one half leaf mold. A few were sprouted about one half inch. I planted a huge elephant clove by them and marked it special. I want to see if it will mature the same time as the late Oct. planted or how close to them it will be.The 12 have been in the ground 2 months and a few sprouted. Will this one planted Dec.29 catch up with those planted 2 months prior? I will see in good time. Experimenting is something I just have to do. Thinking about experiments helps to pass off the time until spring gets here. Geezer

Comments (10)

  • SpoWa
    18 years ago

    I hope to plant more garlic this weekend too, we have had the same kind of weather. I never seem to have time to get everything done, so sometimes things get planted late. Plus with garlic I never think I have enough.

  • paquebot
    18 years ago

    Indeed, I think that 12/29 plantings will catch up. With suggested planting times here being from mid-September to mid-October, those late ones always seem to catch up after little or no apparent growth. I'm beginning to lean toward later plantings as the way to go. We may worry about not seeing fall growth but then worry all winter about that growth surviving. And that is so true as all of my recent winter kill has been plants which had a lot of fall growth. I've now become accustomed to seeing nothing at all in the fall and not losing a one of them.

    Martin

  • lillieinal
    18 years ago

    i am planting this week as well. i am so lucky to have so many plant lovers that have given and traded onions and garlic with me. i got some "bottle onions" today. am so delighted, it just toped christmas off. was it you that said to let you know if i located a source ? was it martin that planted some "bottle onions"? hope they do good and i will have enough to share.

  • leftycatcher
    18 years ago

    what are bottle onions?

  • Geezer66
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    The problem I have with late planting in this neck of the woods is the fear of having to plant in wet soil in November if not planted in late September into October when the soil is nice to work with. Walking on a wet garden and planting garlic in wet soil is not my idea of fun. I don't worry anymore about garlic survival after seeing elephant going into the dormant period with 5-6 leaves 5 inches tall. I have seen them get their tops frozen and turned mushy the whole length of the leaves. Come warm weather, they grow like mad and make huge bulbs. Have never lost a bulb under these conditions. Last year, with no snow cover, they went through 2 nights of minus 10. When they thawed last winter, their leaves were all mush. I thought sure they would not survive. As usual, they did.
    Happy New Year to all. In about 3 hours is one of my favorite times because on January first I consider it turning the corner and down hill toward getting out into the dirt and answering the bell for another year of growing stuff. Geezer

  • paquebot
    18 years ago

    Bottle onions are a long onion that looks like a bottle! Most common is the Italian Red Torpedo. The yellow or white is apparently an old type which is more popular in Amish areas. That's the one I have waiting to be planted in the spring. To grow them on an annual basis, one would need a "kit". That would consist first of a lot of seeds to grow sets. Second would be lots of sets to produce large bulbs. Then some mature bulbs to produce seeds!

    Martin

  • lillieinal
    18 years ago

    i have the yellow from an amish person. all are bulbs.what color do you have martin ?

  • paquebot
    18 years ago

    My bottle onions are the yellow ones, with white interior.

    Martin

  • garliclady
    18 years ago

    I Started planting garlic in late October and finished New years eve and planted shallots on New Years Day. I have planted this late once before and all was fine . Today it is raining and I am glad ALL is planted!!!!! Hope yall got yours planted this weekend also.

  • coho
    18 years ago

    According to my experience with Amish bottle onion, if you plant seeds, you will get bottle onions, but not as big as if you had planted sets. Having replanted the smallish bottle onions last Nov 1st, I will get seed next Jul or early Aug. Here, they do not produce as much seed as other onions do.

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