Planting garlic & spring onions - Claire's Allotment part 8

[ILuvCaroline]

I can't wait till next year so I can get a better handle on planting. Although I enjoy fall planting the most!

[clairesallotment]

@ILuvCaroline In the UK there isn't much you can plant in the Autumn. Mainly Broad Beans and Garlic.

[paularinah]

How often do you have to water the spring onions?

[clairesallotment]

@paularinah When they need it really. If the weather is very dry, then a thorough water twice a week is enough.

[motorola374]

ok .. thanx for the quick response i will do that .. this year is my first year of vegetable gardening .. its been very good so far just eaten sum of my first radishes .. thanx again

[clairesallotment]

@motorola374 Any other questions just ask.

[motorola374]

hi claire , do u thin yr spring onions or just leave them ?

[clairesallotment]

@motorola374 When I sow them, I do sow them very thinly, so there is no need to thin them as they grow. Otherwise you just waste a load.

[jazzieginger]

Thankyou Claire i love your videos they are very helpfull keep it up x

[clairesallotment]

@jazzieginger Thank you, I'm glad you find them useful. I made some more videos today, but they won't be up until the weekend.

[jazzieginger]

How long does it take for the spring onions to start showing?

[clairesallotment]

@jazzieginger Usually about 2 - 3 weeks, depends on the weather. If it's very dry then water every few days, but don't drown them otherwise they'll rot.

[scottyboymu]

hi clair great and watchable vidioes, will have to make and post some pics and vids of my allotment in norfolk ive spent the last two years digging and building and now finaly im ready for some serious growing.

propergated chillies and toms inside so far but they keep dying for some reason? any suggestions

[jakeboy588]

i love using your packet as your lable, great idea

[clairesallotment]

@jakeboy588 They do biodegrade after a while, but by that time the seeds have started to grown and you know what they are.

[Goodhaggis]

We have done this, it's nice to see others dong it...........bye the bye it's great to see you doing what is good like we are.

[clairesallotment]

@Goodhaggis Glad someone else is doing the same as me. Have a great year.

[Chewbacca651]

Well u inspired me the other day so went out and bought some garlic planted it in pots found your film this morning and noticed u gave warnings about buying from supermarkets.... Well it's done now so we'll c what Tesco express garlic does lol. How do u tell if Garlic has viruses just based on where u buy it? I also started some spring onions and with the 4 day heat wave we just had they're coming on a treat !!! thanx 4 the inspiration :-)

[clairesallotment]

@Chewbacca651 Don't worry too much about buying Tesco's garlic. I'm sure they'll be ok. You know they are bad because the cloves are soft. Only plant firm ones. If when they are growing some of the tops start to look horrible, then get rid of them. If they go a light brown and fall over end of summer that's fine as they are ready to harvest.

[MrEgypt95]

claire you can put the garlic after taking the skin of then putting them in a plastic box then in the fridge ..they will sprout faster

[clairesallotment]

d@MrEgypt95 Never tried that before. Didn't plant any this year as I'm still working through last years. If I need to plant some next year, then I'll try it. Thanks.

[eredy]

yes claire is is hot

[PuNkOfNiCe]

I found this very interesting. Especially the garlic hints. I am good at killing everything I try to grow. I don't have green fingers....probably Kryptonite fingers!!

[clairesallotment]

@PuNkOfNiCe I'm sure that's not true. Don't go near superman with Kryptonite though, it makes him very ill.

[lukebuh]

hi claire!LUUUUUUURVE all ur vids u have helped me lots thanku so much!!wot do u reccomend4 keeping winged critters off veg patch???!!thinking of some sort of nettin?notice u havent any up?wot do YOU do?kindest regards.Em xxxxx

[clairesallotment]

@lukebuh Hi Em,

I assume it's birds. Netting is the best, just make sure you can easily fold it back to weed. Make sure the poles are tall enough to move the netting up as the plants grow. Netting can be bought very cheaply. I hold it up with bean canes.

[roryj123ok]

when should i plant garlic and around when can i harvest ? als can you get spring onions in sets??

[clairesallotment]

@roryj123ok There are 2 seasons to plant garlic. In the Autumn, protect with fleece over the winter. Or in Spring. You know when to harvest them when the tops go brown and fall over. Remove from the soil, dry well and hang in a frost free place and use when you need to.

[mannytwoshoes]

Description of spring onion vs normal onion? are spring onions the ones we eat for the green shoots, not the bulb?  in salads...

Thanks

[clairesallotment]

@mannytwoshoes Spring onions are the small ones you always plant from seed that you put in a salad and eat the bulb, white and the green part. In the USA they call them scallions.

[Romyazul]

How can I know when my garlics and onios are really ready? :)

[clairesallotment]

When the tops of the onions/garlic are brown & fallen over. They need to be left in the sun to dry and bring them in at the end of the summer. When you dry them out even further I hang the garlic in bunches of 10 in the shed, and the onions I put on a metal tray for about 2 weeks in the shed to dry and then put them in an onion bag. They need to be able to breathe if they get sweaty they'll rot. Keep them in any frost free cool place a garage or shed. If any feel soft throw away.

[MaZEEZaM]

i love the idea of using the packets as the labels, instead of little pastic sticks. Nice Vid :P

[mattjoeryan]

Sorry for being sexist but you are gorgeous. My cabbages have yellow eggs on them been told they are from white butterfly's how can i get red without chemicals Thanks

[clairesallotment]

Try spraying with diluted washing up liquid. If that doesn't work, then you should be able to find an eco spray at the garden centre. You're not sexist don't worry.

[jsmgibson]

What great video's! you are certainly something to aspire to, having just taken on my first allotment you are about to become my oricle! ...and its great you're replying to peoples questions and queries! Kepp up the good work. Happy growing!

[clairesallotment]

Hope the allotment is growing well. Any questions just ask. Hope you have a great year.

[coloringpencil]

I heard you say not to use supermarket garlic, but I was wondering if there is any way of getting around it. The garlic that I had a few cloves were starting to sprout, and I put them in some soil. If they become diseased, how do I know? Thank you for your video!

[clairesallotment]

You should get your garlic bulbs from a garden centre or mail order catalogue. I get mine from Thompson and Morgan. They'll most probably be fine, but they are not certified virus free. They are fine to eat don't get me wrong, but if they are diseased then they'll rot and may infect the soil.

[coloringpencil]

Thank you for your help! I appreciate it alot! I have never had a garden before. And I dont think what I have really constitutes as a garden, just a few pots on the balcony of my apartment! But thank you VERY much!

[clairesallotment]

It doesn't matter how small the space. Pots are perfectly acceptable. Anywhere you can grow stuff is a garden in my eyes.

[adymi5]

Thanks for your help, and keep up the good work.

Ady X

[adymi5]

You have helped me a lot i have just started growing veg my self This is my first time ever, you need to make a dvd on gardening. ady x

[clairesallotment]

That's another project altogether, maybe one day. Hope you have a great first year.

[ELM26]

dear clair, is it possible to plant onions without its seeds, is there another way?

[clairesallotment]

You either plants onions from "sets" which are very small onions or from seeds. The seeds take longer, grow the same as spring onions and when large enough to move thin out to 6 inches apart.

[clausandeva]

I can not do straight lines even with the string.

[clairesallotment]

Just try the best you can. Be artistic with your lines. Tell people they were straight when you put them in, the plants must have moved!!

[lozzdude]

Hey there, I started growing some of my own veg for the first time in the spring of 2008 and now that its got round into winter Im a little confused about what I can be doing. I have a samll amount of space to work in as I grow in containers on our patio. I was just wondering what exactly I could be germinating right now? Hopefully I will have a coldframe built my next week if thats any help. thanks, laurence.

[clairesallotment]

It goes a bit quite around this time. The ground tends to be too hard to dig because of the frosts. I just go up every now and then to pick sprouting broccoli, and brussels. The weather is too cold for most plants to germinate at the moment. In February some tomato seeds can be sown, Check the packets first to check. In the Autumn you can plants garlic and spring cabbages. But that will have to wait until later in the year.

[Classicmister]

Hi Clare - I enjoy your videos very much and although I don't have an allotment I do have a cold greenhouse in my garden and have had some success this year growing tomatoes, cucumbers,lettuce and spinach etc in pots and troughs. My quesion is this - Is it possible to grow any vegetables in an unheated greenhouse over the winter months? - It would be good to have a winter supply of more lettuce etc.

Best wishes

John

[clairesallotment]

John,

You can grow lettuce all year round, Check the back of the packet to make sure. The greenhouse may be too cold for them to germinate, so start them off on the window sill, them acclimatise them to the chilly outdoors. If a hard frost is foercast bring them in for the night.

[fazalgul]

whens the season to plant garlic claire?

[clairesallotment]

There are 2 seasons. You can get autumn planting garlic which you can buy now and plant asap, or there is spring planting garlic that is available in February onwards and to be planted in March. Both sets are ready when their leaves go brown usually autumn. DON'T USE SUPERMARKET GARLIC as it isn't certified disease free.

[cwaj]

Nice video, but clumpy garden....

[nuskaha]

Hi Claire, great videos.i have planted white lisbons for the last two seasons, but never have much success,as they only seem to grow very small and spindly,any advice you can pass on?

many thnks

nuskaha in jersey

[clairesallotment]

They are quite slow to start off with, but end up fine in the end. What I would suggest is when you first plant them put a fleece over the top, if they are warm they grow faster, and give them plenty of water. I find they don't grow as tall as the shop ones, but the white part is just as big, and they are much stronger in flavour. Remember also to sow them thinly. I hope that helps.

Claire