no i read here that someone from vt was planting in december! the ground is frozen down here by december but maybe he mulched the spot to keep it from freezing. i plant around 11/3 to 11/7, it's cooler out, no bugs and i leave broccoli, chard and cabbage to grow as long as possible. nothing is growing! the cabbages are basically the same size as 2 weeks ago even tho i have been fertilizing them to push them, starting seed on 8/1 is too late. chard as grown little, this week will be the last picking and the broccoli has produced some new shoots. some years i take it all out by today and plant garlic before halloween. do it before mid november to allow the cloves to grow roots and anchor themselves.

Would soaking, mulching, plastic, or anything help the situation?

help what situation, that you have not planted? i don't see the connection.

"Would soaking, mulching, plastic, or anything help the situation?"

I've read about soaking cloves vs just sticking them in the ground. About the plastic or mulch, I'm just guessing because I really haven't a clue as to how garlic grows. Does it actually start growing in the fall? Or does it need the cold to go dormant, to pop up in the spring like bulb flowers?

You can still plant garlic now, but get moving on it. I don't know the weather conditions where you are or how cold it is so my suggestion is to get some sort of black material or even black plastic will work and put that down over the soil in your raised bed. If you still have some sun during the day that will warm it up some so the roots have a better chance of growing once you plant the cloves.

soaking the cloves, there has been a lot of talk about that somewhere on here, they are getting it from gourmet garlic gardens.com among other sources I'm sure. There is so truth to all that and on a small scale I feel it's worth doing.

After you have the cloves in the ground, you can leave the black cover on for say a week to keep it warmer. I use straw say 8" deep as a blanket to keep the ground at least a little insulated during the winter. If you get a lot of snow over the straw or what ever you put down for a mulch then that just adds an extra layer of protection which is a good thing.

The roots start growing very fast, I check a few that I planted a week ago and already have 2" roots growing. you most likely won't see any top growth this year planting so late but in the spring they'll pop right up...it's pretty cool. I hope I have helped you.

-bloo

Thank you everyone!

====>you most likely won't see any top growth this year planting so late

i disagree and i'm in new england along with the op. i have seen 6-8" of green growth in warm fall seasons when planting around columbus day to late october. for this reason i wait until early november and being in a colder area than me i still think that you have another 2 weeks. but don't wait until past mid nov as you do want root growth to anchor the clove against heaving. thick mulch should help and that's why 4-6" of shredded leaves are recommended, leaves are free straw costs money so does black plastic! we are frugal new englanders here you know. :) one year the ground was not frozen until 12/14 which is very very unusual and i was concerned the coming winter would harm the plants. it did not.

I planted my hardneck garlic. It has been unseasonably mild & will continue to be well into next week so it looks hopeful.

I'm going to put one of those mini greenhouse caps from GardenerSupply over the bed for some added warmth, in addition to straw mulch.

Will let you know how it goes. Thanks for the advice!

To me, there is no reason to plant garlic, in Decemer, in New England States, when the ground is freezing. Garlics are not like tulips, daffodills to require freezing dormancy.
So, why not just wait and plant them very early spring when the ground has softened.
Here in GA(z8) I have been planting garlics since August. Some are up more than a foot, some are just poking out. I will plant some more today. I am sure that they will also grow greens before freezing temps arrive. Otherwize why bother with fall planting them.

no no no. never plant garlic in the spring always plant garlic in the fall in cold climates. now i live in new england and that's my advice for the northern regions that get a real winter with freezing temperatures. maybe that works where your cold weather is in the upper 20's but if you plant in the spring up here vs the fall you will have much smaller bulbs at harvest. i can't speak for the south but i do know what does and does not work here.

As an experiment I planted 9 Nootka Rose cloves in late march this year. They sprouted and grew just fine. The key is to have some viable cloves left after being stored all winter. I'm saying it's possible to plant in the spring, not advisable.

VTgirl, I like what your doing this late in the season, warm it up a bit so the roots will have an easier time. (-;

I agree that in the far north, it's important to get the garlic in the ground in the fall. In the spring, it's usually too muddy to get into the garden and plant. As early as I ever dare venture into the garden in the spring, my garlic is always well on its way.

Ideally, it's best to plant 4 weeks or so before the ground starts to freeze. Obviously, it's difficult to know ahead of time just when that will be. In Vermont, I once planted on Thanksgiving Day -- much later than I had intended to. It snowed the very next day and that was the last I saw of my garden until spring. My garlic came up just fine that season, possibly slightly smaller bulbs than usual, but I got a perfectly acceptable crop.

Unfortunately, I put my garlic in a bit too early and the weather has been much warmer and sunnier over the last three weeks than in most years. I planted seven varieties in a 4' x 10' raised bed. I have dozens of cloves with leaves from five to seven inches. If I mulch well as soon as the ground freezes, what's the likelihood that we'll have a successful crop next spring/summer?

My yard's soil is not ideal for growing food. The amount of metal and pottery scraps I've found while digging...!
So I would like to try container gardening. I have a friend who even grew potatoes in pots and got a very nice crop.
But what about garlic? Will it over-winter in a pot ok? If I plant it now can I keep the pot in the garage or basement until spring? If so, will it need to be watered?

i never did this but i suspect it would over winter in a pot. i base this upon the fact the pot will freeze like the ground freezes and when it thaws come spring the cloves will start to emerge. now i'd have to say that you must keep the pot frozen because if it thaws then expect the plants to emerge and you don't want that until spring. so keep the pot in the shade never in the sun. also give each clove 6" spacing from the other cloves or the pot or you'll have smaller bulbs due to crowding them.

i seriously doubt it would over winter in a garage or basement because it is not cold enough (the ground frozen the pot is not) and the cloves will start to grow.

tom

Vermont guy, yes you did plant a little early...what's done is done. find some straw and place it sort of loosely around the small plants this will keep the wind from freeze drying your garlic. if you have enough you can place it over the plants also. this will protect them.

Blooming, Dig a hole large enough for the pots to sit in flush with the ground or maybe an inch higher is fine. Plant the cloves. The earth around the pots will insulate them. give the enough water for winter and cover with whatever kind of multch you have available. Several years ago I did this as an experiment.

-bloo

The pots will definitely get much colder than the ground, too fast. REMEMBER, the roade signs says" bridge ices before the road"??
So if I were you, in zone 5 or lower, I will never plant any overwinterin plant in a pot or any other container.
If I had to, then I would have dugg a hole in the ground, bigger than the pot, pack around and top of it with straw/oak leaves. Probably the more damaging cold will be as a result of rapid coolng(loss af heat) by the plants. That is why some trees and shrube will get cold damage when cold air blow over them, while the ones next to walls or other potected areas will do fine. In a long cold night temperatur will be the same for both of the above.

Thank you everyone for all of your excellent input!

I planted my garlic 2 weeks ago, not sure how deep because it was getting dark! (I watered them when I planted them... hope that wasn't a no-no.) Then I mulched them with 2-3 inches of peat moss, and covered the 4x4 bed with clear plastic. The weather has been very mild, with a few morning frosts. No sprouts as of yet.

why would you cover the bed with plastic? peat moss is extremely acidic i'd suggest shredded leaves or straw or hay.