Topic: Elephant Garlic

[terrace max]

Good old Thompson & Morgan -  finally received my elephant garlic today.

Is it too late for a decent result?
What sort of soil/conditions does it like?
Can I save my own cloves for sowing next year?
Any other tips?

Many thanks.

[johcharly]

I am in the same situation, but I think I'll bang mine in as I think I read on here that Elephant Garlic doesn't need the same frosty conditions as the normal stuff.

[Mrs Ava]

Get 'em in!  ;D

[terrace max]

Get 'em in!

Got 'em in!

[Mrs Ava]

 ;D

[RichardS]

Well, this year I've got a garlic experiment going.

Planted some in December.  The stuff I got from the GC turned out to be elephant garlic even though it didn't say it on the packet.  Bit naughty, I thought, as AIUI elephant garlic isn't a "true" garlic.  So, I made up the rest with a couple of bulbs split up from last year's crop.

This weekend just gone I put in another lot of garlic - one lot of elephant garlic, and another bulb split up from last year's crop.

All of the stuff planted in December has sprouted nicely and looks to be coming along well. 

It'll be interesting to see how it all comes out.  Must have about 60 plants in total - we can get through an awful lot of garlic!

Last year's went in late - possibly as late as mid april.  It grew well enough, but the cloves were a little on the small side.   All the bulbs split into cloves nicely enough.  It also suffered quite alarmingly from rust on the leaves, but to no ill effect for either keeping ability or taste.

[Roy Bham UK]

How long does Elephant Garlic or any Garlic keep once uprooted? ???

[Mrs Ava]

We are working our way towards the end of last years harvest, enough to see us through until the first 'green' garlics can be pulled.

[chrispea27]

 ;) I still have loads left from last year,no problem with rotting!

[RichardS]

Tie it up in strings and keep it in a dry place, and it'll be fine till the next harvest (if it doesn't all get used before!!).

We're on to the last 5 bulbs from the 2004 crop now, and they're just beginning to show signs of green sprouting in the centre - if you're fussy about the taste then this should be removed before use, as some chefs say it imparts a slightly more bitter taste.

Just _don't_ keep it in the fridge!

I don't know about the storing properties of elephant garlic, I guess I'll know quite a bit more by this time next year!

[Nigella]

I have some garlic in my fridge ... some of the cloves have started to sprout - could I plant those ?  :-[

[jammyd]

Hi Nigella, I'm sure you're still okay to plant garlic, but the sooner the better. I planted some this time last year which grew well, but weren't very big when harvested.  They still did the job in the kitchen though  ;D

james

[real food]

:)In the Glasgow area, I plant my elephant garlic by the end of September for the best crops. Absolutely hardy and disease free. Because it is more closely related to the leek rather than true garlic, it seems to be resistant to some of the garlic problems.
It stores much better than true garlic, in a cool dry place, for over a year. I even have it stored without problems in a cold frame, but would recommend storing indoors, as moisture in the air can start it into growth.
I have let some of mine seed, and sown the resulting seed the next year. The resulting plant grows into one large round clove and needs another year's growth to split into individual cloves.
I have been using my own saved cloves for the following year's crops with no problems.

[jajasam]

Excuse my ignorance - but what is the difference between ordinary & elephant garlic? Is it raised from seed and what are the spacings, sowing times like compared to ordinary - many thanks.

[real food]

:)It is very much bigger!!! The heads of the elephant garlic are as big as a man's clenched fist. They are usually grown from individual cloves planted before the end of September, for harvesting July/August the following year. Most varieties of ordinary garlic are best grown in a similar time frame. I space my elephant garlic about 8 ins or 200mm apart as they are much bigger than ordinary garlic.
I was just experimenting with the seed heads.