Garlic

Did you plant an Autumn one, or perhaps a Spring one (early)

 

i use a lot of garlic could you grow it from the garlic you buy from the supermarket

 

Cheers Ziggy.

Kirsten I planted an autumn planting variety.

Digger, some people say they have a lot of luck growing with supermarket bought garlic bulbs, and others say the results are a bit on the feeble side. As usual with a lot of gardening questions, people have different views. Perhaps someone more experienced might comment? Would be interested myself in that one.

 

Best not to plant supermarket garlic, it has most probably been grown in a warmer climate and won't be suitable for this country.

You best bet is to cough up for some proper UK bulbs the first time, maybe choose 2 or 3 different varieties, and from the ones that grown best, and you like the taste of, then replant your own cloves - those WILL be the best ones for you, going forwards.

 

I heard reports that supermarket garlic (unless organic), can be treated with chemicals to retard sprouting, and even then it may not be suitable for growing in our climate. And that's before you get into whether it's certified desease free stock suitable for planting.

 

My experimental supermarket garlic is doing well -

 

You have an experimental Supermarket?

 

Well its more shabby than experimental :-) , but it been a useful source for free planties - most recently these chillies which came from a few seeds left out from the curry I made on monday & have got a big leggy for being in the heated propagater for a whole four days..

 

Nick, I'd get that garlic outside and cool it down.
It looks slightly leggy.

I agree, supermarket peppers are ok as a source of seed.

 

Garlic is outside in the warmest corner of my garden - Im growing it in an old recylcing box but its had a fleece tent over it since the end of last year which has cut back the light a bit.

Hugely impressed with the pepper seeds - itching to get them potted on but I will probably leave them another week on the windowsill

 

They look fine to me, Peppers do germinate with a bit of a stem on them. When you prick them out bury them up to the seed leaves. Give them plenty of light, most peppers grow quite slowly.

 

Get rid of the fleece, Garlic needs some cold. If they are a supermarket variety from a much warmer climate they won't fare well in this country anyway, so you won;t get a good crop ... if they do well keep some back for next year and keep using your own - dunno if Old Wives Tale, but supposedly they adapt to your climate and will improve over time accordingly. (But if they are from a hot country, originally, you'd be better starting with some cloves of a variety suited to UK)

 

I take a different view: which is that spending months growing something from unknown seed that might (might be a big "Might" though) not perform well is something I can't be bothered to waste my time and energy on. There is a risk with Supermarket veg that it was from seed bred for a different climate, or from an F1-cross such that the second generation (F2 - that you will grow using seeds from the Peppers etc.) might not have the charteristics of the parent.

They may well be fine, but I would only grow such things as an experiement alongside a sure-fire variety as well.

However, if they DO turn out well keep your own seed for future years (but do NOT do that if you have bought F1 seeds). You can get heritage seeds that are not F1 if you want to grow and then keep your own seeds for future years. Forgotten the name of the company, I think it might be "real seeds", but I think there may be a dodgy site with a similar name too ... hopefully someone else will know.

 

I think we have been here before on this one Kristen.
But I cant compete on post lengths so I give up.

 

We have,

This is the legit one,

http://www.realseeds.co.uk/

I've used them and they are good.

This is the naughty one,

http://www.therealseedcompany.com/

Don't use them, you'll get arrested