Garlic planting

greatgranny 10/16/2014, 4:43 pm

I planted my garlic and multiplier onions yesterday. Today I saw a hole in one of the garlic squares. I stuck my finger in it - diameter wise it was about the size of my thumb - it went almost all the way to the bottom of the box. I have no idea what would have made the hole. The clove is still where I placed it. Any thoughts?

**llama momma** 10/16/2014, 5:17 pm

Have you seen voles around your place? I don't see them this time of year I think my barn cats hunt them down. In early spring when I remove the tarps from beds I've found holes similar in diameter like you described.

greatgranny 10/16/2014, 5:40 pm

llama momma wrote:Have you seen voles around your place? I don't see them this time of year I think my barn cats hunt them down. In early spring when I remove the tarps from beds I've found holes similar in diameter like you described.

I haven't seen any but that doesn't mean that they are not here. I have 2 outdoor cats. Maybe they are getting them. Any way I can prevent this? I did put some hardware cloth on the box but I'm sure if they are anything like mice, that won't deter them.

**llama momma** 10/16/2014, 5:54 pm

Even with hardware cloth and tarps over winter, their appearance has been hit or miss.
Tried traps one year, got nothing.
I went 2 years and saw none. 3rd year I chased one around a box and saw holes here and there. This year number 4, I think there were a couple holes in early spring but never saw any live ones. My barn cats leave what's left of them around the yard. I'm leaving it up to the cats since I do spot them lurking around the beds.

greatgranny 10/16/2014, 7:23 pm

Until snow comes I will keep an eye on it. I hope that the cats will do their thing and bring me the evidence like they always do.

greatgranny 9/17/2015, 12:22 pm

Restoring this topic.

All of the garlic and multiplier onions that I had planted in the fall of 2014 were totally gone in the spring. Something must have had a feast.

I thought it could have been voles but have not seen any. Do voles eat garlic bulbs? I read somewhere that they don't but that they eat onion sets. Anyone know about this? I am going to be planting in late October and don't want to throw away another batch of bulbs that I just purchased from Southern Exposure. Should I maybe plant them in one of my new table tops?

CapeCoddess 9/17/2015, 1:08 pm

Hmm....another case of missing onions...
thinking

I have no idea what would eat onions and garlic. Sorry.
CC

**sanderson** 9/17/2015, 3:32 pm

I have lost both onions and garlic - they just rotted away! I think too much water. Last winter I covered against excessive rain, and we weren't allowed to water for a couple months. Much better crops.

If a critter got them, table tops may be your solution? I know I love mine.

**donnainzone5** 9/17/2015, 3:54 pm

Like Sanderson, I've often noticed that garlic and onions will rot in wet conditions.

greatgranny 9/17/2015, 4:30 pm

sanderson wrote:I have lost both onions and garlic - they just rotted away! I think too much water. Last winter I covered against excessive rain, and we weren't allowed to water for a couple months. Much better crops.

If a critter got them, table tops may be your solution? I know I love mine.

So what you are saying is that when we plant them in the fall that the wet fall, can cause this to happen? Other years that I have planted them in the fall, nothing has happened to them and they have survived. Or are you saying that a wet winter (lots of snow) would do this? Or a very wet spring?

Living in zone 4 I wonder if I should wait until the beginning of November - unless we have a forecast for a lot of snow before that.

I have to move the MM from two boxes because of a landscape issue. I plan on putting all this into the two table tops. Maybe one of them would be good to use for the garlic and onions. The drainage would be better there too.

Cajun Cappy 9/17/2015, 5:18 pm

This is why my boxes continue to be the 12" high version. The main reason is they drain well a must in soggy south Louisiana. My green onions have never rotten since i went to using 12 inch boxes and some times there is standing water around the box. The down side of course is ya hafta water often in dry times. We are trying garlic for the first time but we are hopeful with our 12"box.

yolos 9/17/2015, 5:57 pm

Last year was my first time planting garlic in the fall. It rained so much late last winter and early spring I thought it was going to ruin my garlic (but I really didn't know whether it would or not). At one point, I took all my mulch off the garlic and laid it on a tarp to dry in the sun and then put it back on the garlic. I also put a hoop cover over the bed and covered it with plastic until the rainy season ended. I left the sides open so the bed could get air trying to keep things from getting moldy. It worked but I have no idea if it was really necessary.

greatgranny 9/17/2015, 7:19 pm

The table tops are 9" tall boxes. Think that plus the fact that the bottoms have spaces for drainage, it might work. Thanks for all you input.

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