Topic: Elephant Garlic

[CDave]

What shall I do with my Elephant Garlic?

I "Found" 4 bulbs of Elephant Garlic in the polytunnel- from last year. The cloves are huge, firm and green. Outer skin is like paper with no sign of rot. Can't see anywhere that recommends planting at this time of year. Shall I take a chance and plant it - or maybe try to store it for November planting? If I store it - where is best? Not sure that the polytunnel will be my best bet - will probably get a bit too hot. Thanks.

[Ellen K]

option 3: eat it.

[goodlife]

Elephant Garlic need autumn planting and looong growing season ahead for it to make into large bulb.
Ellen's option 3 does sound tempting to me too...BUT...if you don't try, you won't learn. Stick few cloves into ground and see what happens.. ;) I suspect they will grow a little bit..not making into bulbs but the cloves will swell up bit.
If that happens..when the tops start dying and they need lifting..you can always plant them again in the 'proper' planting time. At least your cloves will stay alive..if you just leave them, I doubt they will survive alive or in good enough condition for planting until autumn.

[CDave]

Elephant Garlic need autumn planting and looong growing season ahead for it to make into large bulb.
Ellen's option 3 does sound tempting to me too...BUT...if you don't try, you won't learn. Stick few cloves into ground and see what happens.. ;) I suspect they will grow a little bit..not making into bulbs but the cloves will swell up bit.
If that happens..when the tops start dying and they need lifting..you can always plant them again in the 'proper' planting time. At least your cloves will stay alive..if you just leave them, I doubt they will survive alive or in good enough condition for planting until autumn.

Good post - gonna try that. Big thanks. Dave

[artichoke]

My elephant garlic, I thought, was lifted last autumn and gradually eaten over the winter.

But some have come up, ENORMOUS, in the bed where they were but I missed them.....so they have been growing since last year's spring or even the autumn before that (sorry, can't remember). Around them are broad beans sown in autumn last year.

I am leaving them there to see how huge they get. The BBs don't seem to be put off by them.

Something I enjoy is watching allotment neighbours pulling their garlics while I pull the elephants. So far, they are astonished by the difference in size. I love it that they have accepted elephant cloves to try out.

[Robert_Brenchley]

It won't give you a crop this year, but it will survive and give you one next year. The stuff's indestructible.

[claybasket]

I planted some garlic I brought from Turkey last yr,  4 massive bulbs the cloves were not like the elephant garlic but they were twice or more bigger than the normal stuff,they are growing well and big strong stocks can't wait to see them when they are ready :)

[chriscross1966]

My elephant garlic, I thought, was lifted last autumn and gradually eaten over the winter.

But some have come up, ENORMOUS, in the bed where they were but I missed them.....so they have been growing since last year's spring or even the autumn before that (sorry, can't remember). Around them are broad beans sown in autumn last year.

I am leaving them there to see how huge they get. The BBs don't seem to be put off by them.

Something I enjoy is watching allotment neighbours pulling their garlics while I pull the elephants. So far, they are astonished by the difference in size. I love it that they have accepted elephant cloves to try out.

Might well be the result of those hazlenut sized  offsets growing... if so it'll be a big single clove bulb that you get.... never got them to hatch myself, might try putting them straight into plunged pots in a frame this year if I get any....

[artichoke]

I hadn't thought of that - the "hazlenut sized  offsets". I don't want to dig them up at the moment because I'd like to see if they get any bigger than the ones I deliberately planted in autumn.

[Curryandchips]

I get lots of 'volunteer' plants presumably from the bulblets, I let these grow where possible, then harvest the onion sized single cloves to replant the following year, often producing heads the size of large cooking apples ...

[Gordonmull]

Is elphant garlic used like normal garlic or do you do something different with it? Also, can it be grown in pots?

Cheers

Gord

[chriscross1966]

It's alike a big mild garlic, most frequenlty roasted with other veg, though you can use it as "normal "garlic. The root-system is extensive so it would have to be a pretty big pot, at least 12", probably rather more....

[Gordonmull]

Cheers. I shall file it under "experimental" and give it a go in the ground when I get a lottie.

[Jokerman]

What are the hazelnut sized thingies? I have saved all mine from last year in an enelope and completely forgotten them until this thread jogged my memory :)

Anyone actually got them to grow?

[steve76]

Never got any of mine to grow in the 2 years that i have grown elephant garlic.... dont know why ???

[Robert_Brenchley]

Mine grow; if you leave them for a couple of years they turn into a normal heffalump root.

[chriscross1966]

THis year I plant them into a nursery bed as soon as they are harvested... got just the space for them at the end of the asparagus bed...