zone 4 - can i plant garlic now - june tenth?

[vtgirl]

silly me never got around to planting it in the fall so what would happen if i stick some in now? will i be able to harvest before winter? should i bother taking up the space, cuz i have a little spot that it would fit in perfectly....

thanks in advance for any advice.....

[apple_juice]

Zone 3 here and I am planting tomorrow. I am crossing my fingers it will grow. I will cross my fingers for you too.

[Hibou]

I've tried planting garlic in the spring/summer, and it never grew bigger than a ping pong ball. JME. Maybe it will work better for you. I get a great crop with fall planting though.

[Owen'nZoe]

I think if you want it to bulb, you'll need to wait and plant it in the fall. However, you could plant it now and just use the scapes this summer. Then I'd leave it in the ground over winter and see if you get it to bulb next year. I've never tried planting in summer and overwintering, but it is so hardy, it seems like it would work.

[tankgirl73]

If you plant garlic anytime but the fall, it won't bulb. You'll get a "garlic onion", a small little ball of garlic. It's better than nothing, but it's not what you really CAN get.

If you 'harvest' the onion, dry it and replant it in the fall, then THAT will grow into a good bulb next season.

I'm not actually certain what would happen if you just leave it without drying and replanting first -- that's the method I was told about. It might work too, like Owen'nZoe says.

[reducereuserecycle]

just plant it now, don't disturb it, and then harvest next year