Topic: Garlic Virgin

[northener]

1st time i've ever grown it, does it split into a group like Shallots? If i planted in May when will it be ready? Thanks

[pamsdish]

Garlic is normally planted late autumn to over winter and harvested this time of year,you will be seeing garlic on sale in next few months

[pigeonseed]

I've heard of people planting garlic in spring, but not I think as late as May.
Normally, you see the leaves go yellow and dry out and die back, and then you can lift it and it would have created a bulb of many cloves, from the one clove you planted.

If you planted it in May, it might not have had time to make a good bulb, but you will probably get at least a much fatter, juicier clove than you planted, and maybe a small bulb. I should think it will taste nice and fresh - much nicer than garlic which has been stored.

So - nothing lost!

[gavinjconway]

You do get Spring planting garlic but as the others have said.. may is too late.

[goodlife]

I would lift them up now (if the foliage is starting to yellow)..let them dry out and plant them again in end of October-during November.
And what you don't need planting (use the biggest ones) eat rest. They might not have made much growth or divided into cloves, even if they are just round solid bulbs or a clove, they are still edible and when grown again will make into 'normal' bulb next year.

[pigeonseed]

That's a good idea. :)

[Uncle Ted]

I have, for many years now, been growing Elephant Garlic on a small commercial scale.
 My main crop of maybe 100 plants, I have been moving,every year, round the allotment and which I plant November-ish, depending on the weather.
However; as an experiment, for the last 3 years I have left a small area approx 1m x1m to  its own devises , not dug it up,not divided the cloves, just left it. All the Little Garlics are fine, they start growing when they're ready, and they have all squeezed themselves in to suit. I have learnt from this that you don't actually need to dig them up until you need them, they will remain poised in the soil for germination until either they germinate, or you want them. Baring this in mind perhaps some more enlightened person can tell us;
    'Why do we dig them up, dry them out to store them, when they are fine left in the ground,?

[goodlife]

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'Why do we dig them up, dry them out to store them, when they are fine left in the ground,?

Because most of us in UK the soil is just too wet to keep garlic in prime condition in soil for long term. Yes, they stay edible and will grow again..but I find lifting them up in optimum time with good 'paper' coverage still intact will keep them stored much longer in dry condition. I don't fancy going digging up garlic in middle of the winter from muddy ground and then having to clean it off before using.
I is much easier to have basket of nicely dried bulbs in kitchen, bulbs that not only are attractive to look at but are ready to use when I need them and not having to worry if some are available or if the ground is going to be frozen.
Not only that..garlic in ground will start sprouting much sooner in ground and is not as good to use than those that are still 'dormant' in their dry state.
When I lift my garlic...I also have chance to see what condition my bulbs and ground are, if there is any disease issues. Without this annual 'inspection' there is no knowing if there is future trouble brewing that can be avoided or issue with it lessen if catched early on.
When planting and harvesting..I know exactly the amount of my harvest and for record keeping I know what I have available to eat, for 'seed', to give/barter etc.
And for the cooks point of view..'dry'/stored garlic is totally different 'product' than fresh garlic.

[Uncle Ted]

Thanks for that goodlife, perhaps there's a difference between Elephant and normal, all the cloves I dug from my experimental patch were fine. Elephant is a much milder taste so perhaps no need to concentrate the taste by drying, and generally I will get a couple of weeks worth at a time so no issues withy frozen muddy ground. Have you ever tried Elephant Garlic? if not ask me nicely i may send you a free sample!

[goodlife]

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if not ask me nicely i may send you a free sample!  ;D Thank you...(she says nicely)..but yes, I do grow elephant garlic as well as 'normal' sorts.  ;)

[squeezyjohn]

I think soil has a lot to do with how well garlic grows.  I'm blessed with soil/conditions in the back garden that it seems to love - but given the same treatment on the allotment it does nothing at all!

Things that I do know will help your chances are:  definitely not planting in May ... I've heard that garlic needs a good period of cold/freezing weather for good clove formation and in my limited experience that has always been true.  December is when I plant mine out when there's nothing else to do in the garden and I generally harvest sometime in July when they look ready (when about half the top "greens" have gone brown).

I've only ever planted hardneck varieties so that advice may not work for softneck versions of the plant.

One more thing ... I have been told that hardneck varieties don't keep that well compared to softneck, but mine have always mainly kept well indoors hanging up until the following year's crop is ready so it shouldn't be too much of a concern if they're kept dry and out of the light.

Good luck!

[boydzfish]

I planted some garlic in Spring one year in my strawberry patch and it didn't come to anything, although the following year it started to show but didn't come to much. Last year I planted in autumn and the results were so much better I have a string of garlic drying in the garage - very badly plaited I might add!!