Topic: Solent Wight Garlic

[katynewbie]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Hurray! They have arrived from The Garlic Farm!

The instructions say to plant in the Autumn.
Can I do it now? I have the space, but is timing critical?

 ???

[Daisy_Jane]

I visited the farm while on holiday and picked up a great selection including some elephant garlic. Stank the car out for the rest of the trip  ::)

I would wait until October when things have cooled down a bit.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Mine's going to be hanging in the shed till October.

[Hyacinth]

keep the bulbs cool, KT and don't be impatient ;D

[Chantenay]

It's so exciting isn't it. But don't rush. I put my Solent Wight in very late (early March actually, but don't tell anyone, cos at that stage everyone was talking about how high their garlic was :-[, and I thought I would just have a few pathetic little bulbs). But they are such good stock that I have a HUGE crop of HUGE bulbs. I think October is the really optimum time - their instructions are very good too.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I got mine in last December, and got a variable crop; some big bulbs, some small. That may well be more the conditions than the garlic though; they were in a bad which I weeded when I was ill, and could just about manage to do a couple of square feet a day. I got rid of the couch grass but it was still riddled with ground elder. I'm going to use the biggest bulbs for planting.

[dlmartin1972]

Hi Chantenay,

Can i ask, did you harvest later because of the late planting (we harvested late june), or did they just grow faster ?

Regards,

D.

[dingerbell]

My crop from Garlic Farm was superb, Huge Solent Wight and beautiful Albigensian. Half my Heffalumps produced Grapefruit sized bulbs but the other half simply produced a single tennis ball sized clove. They roasted up nicely though. I plaited all my garlic  and they've been excellent as gifts for friends and family. My eldest daughter lives in London and her Townie friends think it's fab when she returns with produce from Dad's Lottie. I'm holding back the largest cloves for planting out in October. Trials indicate that large cloves produce large offspring. ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

My Albigensian was superb, but that was planted in a weed-free bed. I had a couple of the little Elephant Garlic bulbs as well, but no matter, most of it was huge. The Shallots didn't do so well.

[Lazy Daisy]

Only got a tiny garden, can I grow garlic in large pots or something similar

[katynewbie]

 ;D

This is all very encouraging, can't wait to get going! I will hang it in the shed til October and try my best to be patient...honest!

Daisy, the instructions I have say that you can grow them in pots. It suggests 4 cloves to a 6" pot, 6 to an 8" pot, or 8 to a 10". Keep well watered, stand outside on a patio or windowledge. Do not bring indoors, it's the cold that makes the bulbs split into cloves. Let us know how it goes?!

 ;)