Towards the end of 2021 I planted garlic cloves out in the main vegetable plot as well as in the polytunnel beds so I could compare how they did.
Not very well was the answer in the case of the outdoor ones. They ended up being very heavily affected by rust, despite me clipping off the diseased leaves when I saw them. Now I’ve harvested both lots, this is how they look.
Outdoor garlic on the left, polytunnel garlic on the right. There really is no comparison. I suspect the reduced foliage didn’t help the outdoor ones in addition to whatever damage the rust did. I don’t know why it happened so badly this year. It’s not a problem I’ve ever had before. In the future it’s going to be polytunnel/greenhouse only. I reckon I can get away with planting the cloves near the edge of the beds so they can be removed without too much disturbance to any of the other plants.