I agree - and looking at the Gardener's Supply website, their description seems to suggest that this is an ideal way to cultivate garlic - which, IMO, it is not. However, I don't see much of a downside for mild weather climates. In San Diego the closest they get to a cold spell is a losing streak by the Padres.
Freezing temps, heaving/thawing are non-issues for those in zones 9 & 10.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tjg911
i hate to disagree with those who are agreeing with me but i don't think containers or bags are a good choice for growing garlic because i read in The Complete Book of Garlic: A Guide for Gardeners, Growers, and Serious Cooks By Ted Jordan Meredith that garlic does not grow well in containers.
as to the cold and not being in the ground, if you are in a latitude where the ground freezes the garlic cloves are in rock hard frozen soil so nothing is growing and the same would be the same for containers. when your ground is frozen solid 2' deep, it is not any different than being in a container and having that frozen solid but in the ground it is somewhat protected from say +5 or -15 degrees. i'm not sure that matters when garlic is only 3 or 4" below the ground but with 2' of snow on the ground that does insulate the ground but a container should be too. now if all you have is 5" of snow then the container is not insulated.
now when it warms up the ground does protect from heat and i suspect that's a lot more important. hot weather crops like hot soil and containers are ok but garlic is not a cuke or pepper plant.
tom
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