Yes you can plant in a bathtub, but you may have drainage problems. You are going to need to keep the plants in moist soil, but if water accumulates at the bottom of the tub with nowhere to go your plants will rot from being waterlogged. So you can use it, but you will have to provide a means for water to drain out once it reaches the botom of the tub and a single hole isn't going to do it more than likely.

You should also visit Dixondale Farms and read their onion FAQ for some good growing info that will benefit you greatly.

Garlic root ball is 30" across and 30" deep according to one university study. I know garlic can be grown in containers, but it really must cramp it's style!

If I was presented with only a bath tub to plant in I would dig a hole about 1 foot in diameter and 1.5 ft. deep. Dispose of the dirt and replace with gravel. I would put the drain hole of the tub over the stone hole. I would then put about 2 inches of stones in the bottom of the tub and fill with outstanding soil. I would treat the tub just like a raised bed and plant the garlic and onions. I would bet that you would get a good crop as long as water was supplied when needed. Geezer

Thanks y'all, I'm so frustrated with the idea that I may just plant under a tree in the sandy soil! Heck, they didn't cost a fortune and they may just surprise me :-) It's just my green thumb feels sorry when I can't give a plant what it needs and it fails to thrive. I hate to just give up before I get in the game because it makes me feel like a failure at something in which I should perform well. I know they can't feel if I kill them, but I feel a sense of failure. :-)

minibot

Minibot, don't give up. I'm just a newbie with garlic (never even tried onions ... yet), but you're not going to let those little bulbs scare you off, are you?

I, too, have sandy soil ... at least that gives us the good drainage these bulbs need. Garlic, I am told, is an inefficient feeder, so needs a good soil, therefore you're going to have to work in some good stuff - compost, well-aged manure. We made a slightly raised bed, just to ensure good drainage and to cut down on the digging. Also easier to weed in spring; weeds = competition = smaller garlic.

"... under a tree ..." concerns me, as I understand garlic needs plenty of sun. If it's a deciduous tree, you might not have a problem. Depends on how early that tree leafs out and the path of the sun (and, consequently, the shade cast by the tree canopy). I have to deal with some shade from tall deciduous oaks, but by the time the leaves grow to any size and are casting any shade on the bed, it'll be almost time to harvest, and the garlic will still get good, full sun from dawn until at least 1:00 p.m. (Just to be on the safe side, I planted the earliest-maturing varieties at the west end of the bed, which will get the shade first.)

That tree is another good reason to consider a raised bed if you can manage it - your bulbs probably won't do well if they have to compete with tree roots. Eventually, the tree roots will make their way up into the raised bed, but by then you might have another plan in place.

C'mon ... you've got much nicer weather to work in than we have here ... 27 tonight, with about 4" of snow still on the ground from the last storm and another 4-7" expected tomorrow night.

Oh, and you can plant some of the garlic in a deep pot and either cut like chives or harvest in a few months, when they'll be like scallions ... at least, that's what I've read.

What kind of onions and garlic did you get? Good luck, and please keep us posted.

Diane
(down the road I might be asking you for advice on orchids/tropicals)

Thanks for the advice Diane (just checking back here, I haven't planted any yet!). I bought yellow onions and just some garlic that was available at the Home store, I don't know which variety, but I was looking for something fun to do in the yard. Hmmm, a raised bed...that's kinda scary :-) I don't own my house, but maybe they'd let me do something like that. Cost is always an issue too :-). Maybe I can throw them in my parent's yard! Problem is that they need constant weeding I read. My folks are over run by Oxalis!

minibot

Woohoo! I finally have garlic shoots coming up! (Another newbie here, obviously.)

Minibot, just checking back with you - did you get those onions and garlic planted? I hope you at least got them planted in your parent's yard. I would think a good layer of mulch (shredded leaves or something) should keep the weeds down considerably. Besides, weeding is a great time to let any thoughts, plans and/or worries simmer on a back burner and sort themselves out.

What's scary about a raised bed? It can have sides, or not ... just pile up the good stuff, mix it together well and you're set.

Diane