Winter may not seem like the ideal time to be pottering about in the garden, but green-fingered enthusiasts need to ensure their beloved plants can withstand the chilly conditions. Some flora manage perfectly well during the colder months, while others can be easily damaged or completely ruined by the cold, wind and rain.
A novice gardener took to Reddit’s GardeningUK forum to seek advice on how to ensure their garlic plant makes it through to spring. Alongside a photo of the potted plant, which had four sprouts emerging from the soil, they wrote: “Hi all, I’m a pretty clueless gardener who has so far just been getting little tips and whatnot from TikTok. I saw a few videos on growing garlic and decided to give it a go, so I planted four cloves from a supermarket garlic around a month ago, and I don’t know if this is a normal amount of growth or not, but do I just leave them out here until early summer next year?
“Will they survive the cold etc? Thanks in advance.”
The consensus among users was that garlic plants are robust enough to endure the winter, reports the Mirror. One responded: “Just leave them, they will be fine. Garlic needs a period of frost in order to divide into cloves for next year. They look to be growing well.
“As long as you have good drainage in the pot so the roots don’t rot, they will be absolutely fine in cold weather. You just let them do their thing until they are ready to harvest in summer.”
Another person commented: “They are fully hardy, so just leave them be.”
A different user advised: “It’ll be fine outside. Garlic shrugs off frost no problem. I just leave mine alone until spring. If your soil gets really wet you can mulch lightly, but otherwise don’t overthink it.”
Others offered advice on how to give the plant the best chance of thriving. One suggested: “Sweep up some leaves and put them into the pot. It’ll help keep them alive from the worst of the frost/cold and help make good soil. Garlic is supposed to be overwintered, so it will be fine. Just leave them to grow now.”
The original poster responded: “Thanks! I will do this today in that case.”
In response to the same comment, another user added: “The cold in fact helps the garlic to mature in taste. Great tip with the leaves. This is making me want to plant some!”
Another participant wrote: “They need the cold so it’ll be fine! I don’t put mine in ’till Jan as they can get waterlogged, so just keep an eye on the pot that it’s not too wet (mine are in the ground so it’s a bit easier to control). They’re doing well so you should have some nice garlic off them!”
Yet another user chimed in: “You can grow from supermarket-bought garlic, but it’s best to buy horticultural as the shop-bought ones have often been treated with growth suppression chemicals. There are two types of garlic, those that can be planted in autumn to be overwintered, and those that are planted in spring.
“With supermarket garlic you won’t know which is which. Yours will probably be ok, but you might not get very big. There’s only one way to find out!”
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