Topic: My first Garlic plants

[topstar74]

Hello folks,

This is my first post on this website. I need some advice about garlic plants I planted last Dec. I had read that the end of July is the right time to harvest the crop. I have still not dug them up, but I found something strange which I have not read about anywhere on the internet or other garden forums. The garlic plants are producing baby bulbs on their stems. There are around 4-5 of them on each of the stems. Is this normal? Will this affect the growth of the bulb below? Can I remove and plant these baby bulbs elsewhere?  I can attach a picture of the same if anyone wants to have a look.

Meanwhile the bulbs below do not look too good either in terms of the number of cloves and the size of the bulb. Does this probably mean I am going to have a poor harvest?

Thanks

Regards

Topstar74

[Georgie]

Hi topstar and welcome.  I had the same thing happen to me but it's nothing to worry about.  See this thread.

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,57/topic,21932.0

G x

[amphibian]

While this is normal, it seems to be very frequent this year.

[topstar74]

Thanks. Its good to know that it is nothing to do with the way I cultivated it!

My wife came up with a myriad different reasons - Could it be you left planting it too late in the winter.......could it be you are watering it too much......it might be that your compost has excess of nutrients in it......ya di ya di ya........ ;)

[Robert_Brenchley]

It's probably something to do wiith the rather peculiar weather we've had. It certainly doesn't seem to do any harm; my Albigensian Wight bulbs were nice and big despite the extras. The Solent Wight is starting to keel over so I'll soon see what that's like, and whether it has the same thing.

[Mrs Ava]

Happened to a few of my purple wights also.

[topstar74]

Thanks to everyone for their replies.

[bennettsleg]

Where does everyone get their garlic from? I know of the garlic farm in the Isle of Wight but is there anyone else (for comparative purposes).  Also, what different varieties do people plant and how do they find the taste differs? 

Just being pro-active as I harvested my 6 "experimental" garlic plants yesterday and WOW!! What a fantastic & EASY crop to grow!  Next year the other plot-holders will be complaining about the stench of garlic coming from my plot! Should keep the bugs away too! ;D

[Georgie]

I got mine from the Organic Gardening catalogue a few years back.  I save the biggest cloves for planting in the autumn.  It's Thermidrome and I've found it reliable in pots.

G x

[Mrs Ava]

From the Garlic farm in past years....until now and I have ordered a double pack from Marshalls.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Try http://www.garlicworld.co.uk/ ; you'll find loads of addresses under 'seedstock'.