Topic: garlic - leaves drying out

[aquilegia]

Some of my garlic plants' lower leaves have dried out and gone brown. According to the books, I should therefore harvest.

But surely it's two months too early?

Should I harvest them now or wait?

Also - I poked about carefully with my finger on one plant and found a large single clove. ie - the cloves were planted too late and didn't get cold enough. So when I do harvest should I eat them this year or save them for planting in the autumn?

[Tenuse]

Yes I am having this dilemma as well, I planted them in mid Feb and I have no idea when they will be ready, the tips of the leaves are yellow. However some of the garlics have flower heads and some have got weird new sprouts coming from the stem, I am wondering if this is the cloves bursting and growing seperately?

I dug one up 3 weeks ago but it was tiny, I could see that the cloves were forming but it was not a proper bulb yet.

What to do, what to do!

Ten x

[Doris_Pinks]

You may have rust on the leaves? Mine are now covered in it :(, looks nasty but has never seemed to affect the bulbs before. Dug one up today to see what the bulbs look like, and miniture springs to mind! Shall be leaving mine in for much longer!
Ten, some garlic flowers before it is ready to pick.......but I can't remember the name of the variety ??? Hope this helps! DP

[aquilegia]

Definitely not rust. When I say turned brown, I didn't mean brown - it's kind of pale, creamy colour and dried.

I might harvest one tonight anyway as I need some garlic for dinner, but can't be bothered to go to the shops just for that.

[Doris_Pinks]

I would just pull em off then Aqui, and wait for the rest of the main stem to turn!

[budgiebreeder]

Mine were planted well early about October(if my memory seves me right)Have a different sympton It was discussed last year.they have come like onions(No cloves all one bulb)Now was the solution plant earlier ?plant later ?more water ?less water?Deff. remember it happening to someone last year.

[tim]

'Harvest garlic when 4-5 outer leaves yellow'. Don't wait till  they all go, like onions.

We're going to lose the lot, this year, with white rot. February planted, they are still only one bulb. Just rotten luck that we got such a dry period.

So - pickled garlic, Gavin!! = Tim

[oubykh]

Tunuse - i had the same sproutings and was advised to pinch them out which will help to grow the bulb upto another 20%. this is not all variety's though that do this. i hope he's right as i pinched out and scattered around the carrots to deter carrot fly.

[Doris_Pinks]

Vitesse is the one that flowers, they say to remove flower stem for storage.

[allotment_chick]

I harvested mine today - lovely they are (despite the rust!)  Best of them are from the supermarket cloves!  The one's purchased from the garden centre are OK, but small-ish.  If they are drying I'd lift them - better small than none at all.

Sorry about your crop Tim ... white rot is a bug*er isn't it?
AC

[Mrs Ava]

I have harvested my Early Wights and another, but don't know as the ink washed off my label, and yes I know Tim, invest in a better pen!  Got them out because the rust was soooooooooooo bad on these two.  They have been in since November time, and they have all grown to a very decent size, bigger than I can get as Asda and have cloved up nicely.  I have them hanging to dry in my shed, where you can rest assured, vampires will be steering well clear!!  ;D

[aquilegia]

I pulled two of mine last night - they haven't bulbed up - just single clove on each - like onions.

Should I harvest them and eat them or plant them again in the autumn?

[bumble]

My garlic was planted out late last year and looks ready to dig up, my question is do you dry it by keeping the leaves on and tying them together (like onions) and then hanging them or is there another way?

[Mrs Ava]

hmmmm....mine are still whole and hanging in my shed to dry out.  Next weekend, hopefully, I am going to try and plait some to give to my mum and sis........hopefully they will be dry by then, but not too dry and brittle.