Gemma - Garlic is tough when it comes to cold but I believe it prefers good drainage. Planting into cold, heavy, wet clay soil can cause the cloves to just rot away - so your method of module planting will probably always give you better results - unless you can improve drainage around the cloves for the winter.
I also have a heavy clay soil & have to be quite careful when it comes to all autumn planting except trees and shrubs. I grow all my veg in raised beds which have good drainage and which I can work all year round.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
It's something I need to think about Topbird, my clay is practically a no go area after November. I'm toying with the idea of putting in one raised bed this year, generally I like planting straight in the soil and most things at least do well, but a raised bed for summer salad, followed with garlic and perhaps some winter greens might make a lot of sense. I was thinking of having it as a frame I can move up and down with the rotation of the crops, emptying it out each year and starting again with fresh compost.
Gemma - I think your idea of a mobile frame would work quite well & the compost etc that you leave behind each year would help improve the soil underneath.
The only thing I would question with a single mobile frame is when you would actually move it - the garlic would be in from autumn to early summer by which time it would be planted up with summer crops. If you have room for 2 or more frames that might work better.
Other advantages of raised beds is that they warm up much quicker in spring than cold clay and the controlled contents mean direct sowing is usually more productive. If you can afford it, the company Harrod Horticultural Products do some smaller frames in various shapes & sizes which might be more moveable or easier to take apart each year. Their products are nice and sturdy but they are an easy rather than a cheap option.
Otherwise I have had success just using old bricks (loose laid) to essentially contain the contents of a few bags of MP compost. This just gives a few inches of friable compostey soil over pre-dug soil. The bricks can be moved to a new site as needed and can be used to make containers of different sizes.
Happy gardening
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
I think one frame will work if I move it in Autumn Topbird. Garlic and winter greens in it from October time, the winter greens should be out early in the spring can then follow with some lettuce and raddish while the garlic keeps going. Come the Autumn, the salad will be finished, the garlic can be harvested and I move the frame ready for the next lot of new compost and replant the garlic. That took some head scratching and a pen and paper to work out though.
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Gemma - Garlic is tough when it comes to cold but I believe it prefers good drainage. Planting into cold, heavy, wet clay soil can cause the cloves to just rot away - so your method of module planting will probably always give you better results - unless you can improve drainage around the cloves for the winter.
I also have a heavy clay soil & have to be quite careful when it comes to all autumn planting except trees and shrubs. I grow all my veg in raised beds which have good drainage and which I can work all year round.
It's something I need to think about Topbird, my clay is practically a no go area after November. I'm toying with the idea of putting in one raised bed this year, generally I like planting straight in the soil and most things at least do well, but a raised bed for summer salad, followed with garlic and perhaps some winter greens might make a lot of sense. I was thinking of having it as a frame I can move up and down with the rotation of the crops, emptying it out each year and starting again with fresh compost.
Thanks for the links Edd, I've transferred them over to my word document gardening Diary for safe keeping.
I have some 13 ft scaffold boards going spare, think they will make a good outer frame for a raised bed.
Gemma - I think your idea of a mobile frame would work quite well & the compost etc that you leave behind each year would help improve the soil underneath.
The only thing I would question with a single mobile frame is when you would actually move it - the garlic would be in from autumn to early summer by which time it would be planted up with summer crops. If you have room for 2 or more frames that might work better.
Other advantages of raised beds is that they warm up much quicker in spring than cold clay and the controlled contents mean direct sowing is usually more productive. If you can afford it, the company Harrod Horticultural Products do some smaller frames in various shapes & sizes which might be more moveable or easier to take apart each year. Their products are nice and sturdy but they are an easy rather than a cheap option.
Otherwise I have had success just using old bricks (loose laid) to essentially contain the contents of a few bags of MP compost. This just gives a few inches of friable compostey soil over pre-dug soil. The bricks can be moved to a new site as needed and can be used to make containers of different sizes.
Happy gardening
Gemma - you snuck in while I was writing! Spare scaffold boards would be better than bricks!
I think one frame will work if I move it in Autumn Topbird. Garlic and winter greens in it from October time, the winter greens should be out early in the spring can then follow with some lettuce and raddish while the garlic keeps going. Come the Autumn, the salad will be finished, the garlic can be harvested and I move the frame ready for the next lot of new compost and replant the garlic. That took some head scratching and a pen and paper to work out though.
I'm struggling to get the boards into on an envelope Edd, guess I'll just have to take my chances with them
