Topic: Harvesting The Garlic

[squeezyjohn]

Interesting site here giving advice on growing garlic. It says that if you are unlucky enough to have white rot then you shouldn't grow alliums in that soil for 15 years!

http://www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk/growing/tips-and-advice

I don't know about unlucky enough!  It looks to be (from the posts here) an inevitable thing that will happen to you if you plan on growing onions or garlic every year!

There was a post last year about crushing up garlic cloves in water and giving the affected area a good dousing of garlic water several weeks before planting out alliums being an effective way to kill the spores.  Sounds counter-intuitive - but supposedly the garlic particles wake up the spores who then quickly find nothing to feed on and die.  I can't find the post now though.

I think that I might turn this bed in to a second asparagus bed though ... that way there will be no chance of me accidentally growing garlic on it again for a long time!

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've lived with it since I first got the plot. I just keep rotating, and never lose more than a few bulbs.

[Silverleaf]

My dad had an allotment in the 80s and one of his "things" was growing giant onions. Not for shows or anything, but just for pleasure, trying to beat his own records.

Anyway he grew a crop of non-giant onions as well every year which fitted into his rotation, but the giant onions had their own permanent bed. I don't remember him getting white rot - I'll have to ask him how he prevented it, because it sounds like he was just asking for trouble.

[BarriedaleNick]

Interesting site here giving advice on growing garlic. It says that if you are unlucky enough to have white rot then you shouldn't grow alliums in that soil for 15 years!

http://www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk/growing/tips-and-advice

There was a post last year about crushing up garlic cloves in water and giving the affected area a good dousing of garlic water several weeks before planting out alliums being an effective way to kill the spores.  Sounds counter-intuitive - but supposedly the garlic particles wake up the spores who then quickly find nothing to feed on and die.  I can't find the post now though.

This perhaps

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,78156.msg792288.html#msg792288

Started by yours truly..

We will see if this years bed is clear or not.

See this page - esp the bottom bit for info..

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r584100511.html

[gray1720]

Yes, I gave the garlic treatment a go last autumn while it was warm - will let you know when I harvest. Thus far they all look OK (bar rather a lot of bolted autumn sets), but I think it's a bit early yet...

Adrian

[squeezyjohn]

That's the one Nick ... thanks for the links ... it does make sense and looks like it would be worth trying for anyone contemplating growing garlic or onions

[Paulh]

I'm trying it this year for next year's beds as I've got it badly this year already. I don't think the weather's helped and I watered them well as they seemed dry just before we had a long damp spell ...

[lottie lou]

I lifted some from the local market which I planted last winter, so it had no lack of cold weather. Nothing had cloved; it was all solo rounds.

http://thisandthat-robert.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/solo-garlic.html

Just started lifting mine due to rust.  All of my ordinary garlic is the same as yours Robert.  Never happened before.  Do you think it is a Brummie phenomenon?  Mine were my usual saved cloves that I had thought had "aclimatised" over the years.  Elephant garlic okay though.  Very strange!  Looks as if I shall have to get fresh stock in for next seasin.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Could it be something to do with the weather last winter? It's only affected one out of three or four varieties. Then there was some solo garlic I got in a swap, and that was even stranger. It made roots, but never emerged above ground level. I'm just going to treat it as a one-off and persevere with it.