Allotments 4 All
Photo Gallery => The Gallery => Topic started by: BarriedaleNick on June 06, 2010, 10:08:58
-
I know it's early but my garlic was very rusty and other plotholders had already succumbed to the dreaded root rot so I took em up yesterday.
Only two were rotted at the root and overall I am pretty happy with the result
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/9323_06_06_10_10_03_41.jpg)
-
Well done Nick!!
-
Well they look pretty good to me, I am not sure when to pick mine but they seem ok at the moment good look with storing them
-
nice one! Think I will leave mine in a bit longer as no signs of rust, and praying no white rot .....
Anyway - hope they taste as good as they look ;D
-
Looks great! Garlic is one thing we have managed to be self-sufficient in. This years looks strong and healthy. 1 type is starting to die-back, but the others are still going strong. No rust yet!
-
no rust here, yet but we're eating lots of scapes ;D
-
To be honest I thought they were going to be a disaster - the rust is pretty bad and they looked very sad and wilted - I would normally leave them for a couple more weeks. The rot seems to be emdemic on our site and a mate who took his up lost 1/3 to 1/2 his crop to it. There are a few undersized ones but much better than I hoped.
I am going to try a plait this year - well th OH is ;D
-
roast the undersized ones on the bbq and then squeeze into crusty bread!
-
Ours won't be ready for another month or more.
"August, pull up one bulb and see how many thin papery layers you can peel off the bulb - if there are only three, harvest the bulbs, if there are four or more, wait another two weeks or until most of the leaves have turned brown."
-
We've got few more weeks to go too...I pulled one up for a little taster today..yum..although it was a good size bulb it hasn't started to divide into cloves yet..
My garlic crop is a couple of weeks late this year..it doesn't matter..all good things comes to those who wait.. ;)
In mean while I'll stick to scapes and garlic greens that I grow from bulbils... ;D
-
Hi all,
May seem like a daft question - but how do you know when your garlic is ready to harvest? (1st year I have grown it). Also what is rust and what does it look like please?
Many thanks for any advice.
-
Glen - rust is a fungal disease which results in a rusty colour dust on the foliage - if you have it you will know!!!
How do you know when garlic is ready - well like most alliums it will use the leaf growth to feed the bulbs so you will notice a die back as it nears ripeness.
Most people I know will perhaps have a look at one or two bulbs about now to see how they are going - even if they have not formed distinct cloves you can still use it now (it wont keep well).
Also see Tim's sage advice above,,,
-
Thanks BarriedaleNick.
I don't think I have rust then. The foliage is starting to look a little yellow so I may take a look at a couple of bulbs as you suggested and use Tim's suggested test.
Thanks for the advice.
-
Hi guys.
I have pulled a bulb up tonight. It looks just like the ones in the picture above.
It does not seem to have any papery white covering on the outside to pull off - the flesh still looks young and fresh? (so i don't know how to use Tim's method) When I feel it, it feels like there are seperate cloves inside.
What should I do now? open it to have a look? or try to dry it out? Should I harvest the rest of the 20 bulbs or leave them a while?
Sorry for all the questions. :)
-
Glen - have 30% of the leaves turned brown? When did you plant?
For me, we're still 2 months too early.
-
Hi Tim.
By heck you are an early bird! ;D
I think I planted around October/November 2009 and over wintered. I don't know about 30% of the leaves being brown but some are definitely starting to die down. In your opinion should I leave the rest for a while?
The bulb I pulled smelled delicious - should I dry it out before using it?
-
I thought that you harvested garlic on the longest day. It has been very dry and most of my bulbs are still very small indeed. This is also my first year on the garlic growing front.
I had been given growing tips by Eristic but he has stopped posting due to the adverse reactions to his rather idiocyncratic methods. Though I have found several of them very effective. He encouraged me to try growing some supermarket garlic and it is doing much better than the expensive stuff.
-
Our leaves are starting to go brown but the cloves are not all that big so have left them in. Hope that this rain will swell em up a bit. I remember last year when we went to Saddads open day.Deb p had got hers up and drying and they looked really good. Praps the weekend will prove to be garlic harvest time. Hope tehy are as good as yours Barry
-
Don't rush to harvest it yet..we had late winter and that's why garlic is late this year..
Normally I would be looking to harvest soon..but after other day's tester bulb..I shall leave them well alone for few weeks.
Yes I would expect this rain to work miracles..they will swell up but they need to mature after that too..it is when they will produce those few papery layers to protect the cloves...
-
Digeroo - I always try to go around third week in July for picking so I guess the longest day is about right (it is for me in the SE)
Glen - basically if they look mostly green I would leave em for a bit - the bulbs have time to swell yet - I only took mine due to rust and rot.
You dont have to dry the odd one out to eat but if you want to store them then they will need to be dried out somewhere dry and not to hot..
shirlton - I wish I could have left them for another week or two to get a bit bigger but it still should keep me in garlic all year ;D
-
"Keep all year2 Lift now??
All depends on the variety. I'm not impatient & only grow the keeping type.
Yes - we have enough all year.
See the Garlicfarm.
"Garlic Harvest takes place from May to July.
Early Wight, a purple hardneck garlic produces the first fresh garlic bulbs in the country, well received in all the Farmers Markets we attend. Customers can't wait to use fresh garlic again after using up the last of the previous year's stock.
Purple Wight, another hardneck with bigger bulbs of about 8 large fat cloves follows in June. This is a strong, hearty garlic that will keep until December and very popular with all cooks and chefs.
Solent Wight follows, a white softneck, long-keeping garlic with wonderful bouquet, length and breadth of flavour that will keep till February. Many customers tell us they are still using it in June".
-
Thanks for the info Tim I shall keep it for future orders
-
wow looking good i am still using the garlic from last year which variety have you grown? I cant wait till i can plant some fresh for next year and defiantly going to sow more solo garlic :)
-
Me? Always Solent Wight.
But some Albigensian & Chesnok thrown in for fun!
-
Thanks from me too Tim :-* :-* Always enjoy your posts (a fan) and like Shirlton have saved for future reference.
-
Yes I'd recommend the Early and the Purple Wights. Did great last year - and hoping more of the same for this year. Also growing the Albigensian as that was also succesful. Didn't have any luck with the Solent or the Chesnok. It seems for me that the autumn planted work out best
Just need to try and get a bit better at platting - miserable attempt last year ::)
-
I'm still eating last year's so haven't thought of harvesting yet. I had rustSt year and lifted in early July but they have stored well although they're a bit past their best now.
This year's crop is looming great. About an inch of yellowing at the top but 3 days of rain will have restored them I'm sure.
I grew supermarket stuff one year but wasn't impressed by the yield. Luck of the draw I suppose. Anyway I doove the ones with scales and exotic names!!
-
I lift as the first of a particular variety start to keel over. That's normally in July here. If they're left longer the cloves start parting and the skins rot.
-
I pulled my first Early Wight at the weekend - basically frustrated because I hadn't got any new potatoes for my birthday meal! - and it was lovely.
Pulled another this afternoon when the kids from the local school came round. (They passed it round for a smell and not one turned up their nose!!)
But normally I leave it until late June.
And always plant in autumn. Spring-planted ones don't always clove. (Is that the correct technical term?)
-
Thanks for the advice Tim. ;)
I think I may leave them for a while longer.
-
I remember last year when we went to Saddads open day.Deb p had got hers up and drying and they looked really good.
I put mine in in October as usual, but like most other folk this year I'm nowhere near ready to harvest mine yet. I wait until about 10% of the crop are yellowing before doing a trial lift of one or two bulbs from different areas to see if they are big enough. We have had a very dry but cool spell in Spring this year which has put my crop back about a month I reckon, so I think mine will be in for another three or four weeks. As you say, last year I had lifted the lot and had already replanted other crops in the space left by the first Open Day in June!
-
took up 6 huge bulbs of garlic, planted last autumn, planted a squash in their place, the tops of the garlic are all turning yellow and we needed some garlic for tea..didin't fancy buying any ;D
-
Can you firkle garlic or is that only spuds? Anyway had a look at a couple of mine after following this thread and they are looking good but will leave them longer - think I have always been too impatient in the past. Mine is all shop bought this year, I was very careful where it was from originally - no Chinese! Ended up with some Italian, Spanish and some Scottish (the Garlic Company, as sold in Waitrose.) I'm intending to keep some for planting this Autumn.