Puzzled about my Garlic

Planted two lots of cloves on 26th October. One lot - grown from Tesco garlic has shot ahead. The other lot grown from my own cloves from last year which were also grown from Tesco cloves is way behind.

Has anyone any ideas to explain the difference in growth rate?

​

​

 

Probably different varieties ? , I have never grown in a trough before , do you get good results ?

I think the ones way behind are a quite normal for this time of year

Spruce

 

I was wondering about that. Is it not better to grow out in the open? It's been said quite often on here that they need the cold to get them to divide

 

I grew them in the trough last year with reasonable results. The one year I tried then in the garden was a dismal failure - possibly due to some form of rot as I can't grow onions in the ground due to white rot.
They will have been pretty cold as the temperature in the polytunnel has often been well below freezing for days at a time.
They may be different varieties, but both lots originated from Tesco cloves.

 

Not something I have experienced, but I have read of a "cure" which involves watering the effected area with Garlic / Onion "solution". The theory is that this causes the spores to germinate and grow, fooled into thinking that there is an Onion crop to be invaded and provide food / energy, but then not finding any such actual crop they wear themselves out and die. Perhaps this has to be done a number of times, but I think it might be worth a go rather than waiting for 7 years, or so, for White Rot to run its course naturally.

 

I suppose one could construct a raised bed away from the problem area using fresh 'fill'?

 

I'm relatively new to growing garlic, but have had good success the last two years.
I just buy a few seed cloves from the garden centre and go for the ones which say OK for spring planting. They are fairly cheap.
Put some in today in 3.5in pots, in the cold frame, I will plant them out in April.

 

Plus keep a separate set of tools for it, never put home made compost on it (because it will have contaminated soil adhering to weed/plant roots), don't tread on it and spread soil from your boots, rest a water can, bucket, etc., on it that has stood on contaminated soil, never water it from buts where you've washed your hands in after working on contaminated areas, keep separate water cans for contaminated buts and uncontaminated water, use separate canes and sticks for each area, etc., etc. Or it can and will spread (speaking from experience).

 

So, apart from that, it's plain sailing?

 

Yeah, Onion White Rot is grim :( along with Clubroot :(

Worth keeping both off your site at all costs ...

 

One good reason perhaps for growing seed stock rather than supermarket cloves.

 

Indeed, I also don't buy-in Brassica or Leek plants ... just in case.