Hard neck variety ... just bought "Marco" any good ??

What about soft-neck varieties??

And what is difference ... benefit of either ??

I just buy what I can get my hands on - Christo and Thermiwotsits this year.

Jags grew Marco last year I think and he posted a pic and they look fab. Our Lotty Sec has put Marco in which he got from Wilko and it's already 2" high

I'm doing Chesnok, Purple Heritage Moldovan and Lautrec Wight (all hardnecks). The Purple Wight I did last year were fantastic and I'd deffo do those again.

I think softnecks are more commonly found in supermarkets as they have a long shelf life, are apparently easier to plait and are easier to grow, and have more layers of papery skin and more cloves per bulb

I think that hardnecks are the ones with the rocamboles but don't quote me

I didn't look in Wilkos this year. All the (Spring) stuff I have had from their has just been listed as purple, white or elephant (which stays on the shelf). If I had known they do winter named varieties, I would have been in there like a shot - just Chrimbo stuff now though

it's like a Russian supermarket! I got the last bag of onion sets on the shelf Dutch and no name I wouldn't normally bother but because apparently they're scarce I bought them but apparently they're scarce in the low countries

Got loads subsequently having been told by the local garden centre there were none to be found

I ordered Solent Wight and Lautrec Wight And onions: Red cross, Radar and Swift....

that Lautrec is brill. Solent Wight is very titchy but is keeping really well

I'm doing Red Cross anorl Dom I've got Radar or Swift (don't know cos no label but ran out of room so the Lotty Sec has taken them to plant on his plot for us

On garlic, I keep getting given huge bulbs of thermidrome from the organic gardening catalogue.

I mean huge. They make my previously-ok Marcos look like grapes in comparison! We're talking shop-sized.

I have therefore asked my mate Chris if she could order me some too! Now all I've got to do is sort out a rotation for next year. Ha!

moonbells

I've always grown the thermidrome from Organic catalogue.... And it has been brill... But this month it said 'out of stock' so I thought i was too late..
Doh! I was too early They've got it now

And 4" deep and 4" apart do ??

2" deep and about 7" apart so you can weed them

Have just found some Germidour - never heard of this variety - the bulbs are huge so I hope these will produce well for me ...

Planted about 50 garlic sets today - 40 odd Cristo and about 10 Thermidrome. Looking at the bulbs, it looks like the Cristo is a better keeper that the Thermindrome and according to T&M Cristo is a good keeper. What I want to avoid is spring planting any because the resulting bulbs are usually pathetic when it comes to size - I usually sow a batch in spring because these are reputed to keep better. Autumn sown garlic always seems to get to a good size. Does anyone know of varieties that will keep from harvest to harvest that are Autumn sown.

thermidrome did keep

Looks like we will have a good cross section going into the ground to compare then

the Purple Wight will keep. I grew it last October and was worried it would rot in storage as the stems were going mouldy in the shed so I asked Fothergills who told me to cut the long stems off as they weren't need in storage for this variety. Did that and they're still fine. Found one on the shed floor yesterday and one in the greenhouse and they're both fine

This is what T&M say:

Quote:

Garlic : Autumn Planting : Only registered users can see links on this forum! Register or Login on forum! Autumn Planting Garlic. Hardneck (forms a stiff flower stem). Earlier than many varieties and can be harvested from the end of June. Strong, tempting flavour when used fresh. Not a storing variety. English production. If you have never grown garlic before, make sure you separate the bulbs into individual 'cloves' before planting.

Just shows doesn't it - one says one thing, another says t'other. If yours is this years though Wardy, we are yet to see if it makes it through to next June/July when we shall be digging up next years. That is how long I want one variety to keep for.

Dobies:

Quote:

Garlic Purple Wight Bulbs Stores well until the end of the year! (Semi-Hardneck type) A good garlic that is earlier than Solent Wight being ready to lift from mid June. Has an attractive purple striped skin containing strong tasting cloves. Stores well until the end of the year. 2 Bulbs (5-8 cloves per bulb).

Bloody expensive by the way. Mine were £1.99 for three bulbs - no postage because from local garden centre and produced by

Only registered users can see links on this forum! Register or Login on forum!

I'm going to just bung in some from the supermarket
I'm feeling rebelious

The co-op ones seem to be from China and taste of nowt. I'm used to the had core stuff now and there's' no going back once indoctrinated

I've done supermarket ones before Tara, the bulbs weren't huge, but were very garlicky

I've planted Marco yesterday - what were yours like Flo ?

my lotty sec's Marco have got off to a flying start. Jags Marco's looked great last year so they look to be a good variety