0:00
Can you still plant garlic in January in
0:04
the UK? Welcome to Gardening with Ben. A
0:07
lot of times I get a lot of questions
0:09
asked if we can still plant garlic. So,
0:12
I'm going to answer that now for you. As
0:14
garlic is usually planted around October
0:17
time down at the a lotment and in the
0:19
garden, but can you still plant it in
0:21
January? Well, the answer is yes. And if
0:24
you fast, get some in the ground now.
0:27
And the reason for that is because
0:30
garlic likes the cold weather. It needs
0:32
the cold weather. It needs frost. It
0:34
needs snow. And the reason for that is
0:37
because the cold weather helps form the
0:40
garlic clove into the garlic itself.
0:43
Without the cold weather, it won't crack
0:45
it and create the formation which
0:48
creates the whole garlic bulb. You'll
0:50
just end up with one garlic bulb. Uh you
0:53
which you don't want. You obviously want
0:54
to be able to peel it off and get all
0:56
the cloves out. So, if you've not got
0:59
any garlic, go out and get some garlic
1:02
and get some planted. Now, most places
1:04
probably won't sell garlic at this time
1:06
of year cuz we're getting ready for
1:09
starting all the summer stock off now.
1:11
So, if you are looking for garlic, the
1:14
best thing to do will be to go to the
1:15
supermarket and have a look for a UK or
1:19
Spanish variety of garlic. try not to go
1:22
for the Chinese variety because that'll
1:24
have been grown in different climates
1:26
whereas the UK will have been grown in
1:28
the UK and uh plants tend to remember
1:32
the climate that they've been grown in.
1:33
That's why people save tomato seeds
1:36
because it's been grown in this climate
1:37
and it's done well and it will remember
1:39
for growing next year. So try and get a
1:45
UK or a Spanish variety of garlic and
1:48
then hopefully it will grow pretty well.
1:50
You might be harvesting it a bit later
1:52
than most people because most people
1:55
will be grow harvesting around July
1:57
time. You usually harvest garlic on the
2:00
longest day in the UK. Now that's an old
2:04
gardener's tale. You harvest your garlic
2:07
on the long longest day and then get it
2:10
hung up and dried out ready for using.
2:13
And the old gardener's tail I use for
2:16
planting my potatoes as well. I plant my
2:18
potatoes on Good Friday. It's all to do
2:21
with the moon. So yeah, I stick to these
2:23
little tails and I've always stuck by
2:26
them and they've always done well. So if
2:29
you've not got any garlic, go out and
2:31
get some and give it a try. And make
2:34
sure you leave enough spacing in between
2:36
it so that you can keep them weed free
2:38
because they don't like competing
2:39
against the weeds and they don't go deep
2:44
the roots. They stay pretty much near
2:46
the top. So they're not big massive
2:48
roots on them. So you need to keep those
2:50
weeds down because the weeds will fight
2:52
them for the nutrients and for the
2:54
water. So keep them weed free. And you
2:57
don't need to put any fleece over them
3:00
cuz like I said, they need the cold to
3:02
help form the formation of them. You
3:04
might want to put some netting over them
3:06
because squirrels love to pull them out.
3:09
I've had loads of issues with squirrels
3:11
pulling them out and birds love to pull
3:13
out the green shoots as well. So, you
3:16
might want to net them if you have
3:17
issues with birds and squirrels. So, let
3:20
me know if you've got any garlic growing
3:22
down at your a lotment or garden or if
3:23
you're going to plant some. Drop us a
3:25
follow to stay up to date with all our
3:27
videos and tips and advice. Until next
3:29
time everyone, remember, keep smiling,
3:31
keep shining, and keep gardening with