Are they chives or something else??

[antipodes]

I dug up what I thought were some young chives to keep in a pot at home - I had assumed that they had self-seeded from my big chive flowers last season. However on closer inspection, the leaves are not like straws, like chives are, but are simply rolls, but open sided. ALso they have a garlicky flavour  ???
They were growing in the old garlic plot but I didn't think that this was possible - the garlic never went to flower...
Does anyone know what they are or how they might have gotten there? I will keep them because they are tasty. The root part has a white section but they do look like chive roots... very confused.

[antipodes]

[Tee Gee]

I am not sure about the ones you describe but there are such things as Garlic chives so you might well have these but I couldn't guarantee this.

[Barnowl]

Couldn't they be garlic shoots. If the pot's a bit crowded presumably the shoots would be slimmer?

[antipodes]

But if they were garlic shoots, wouldn't I have at least something resembling a clove? they are the same thickness all the way down (about the same thickness as chives)

[Barnowl]

Apparently topset (hardneck) garlic can produce bulbils on the stalks which, when they fall to the ground,  will produce seedlings - could that be the answer?

[Eristic]

Well for my two pence worth I reckon you missed one or two heads last year, cultivated or stirred them up a bit and now they are all growing like nothing has happened. There will be no clove there now as all the reserve has gone into making new leaves.

If this is the case you have choice of leaving them to hopefully mature properly, or just harvest now as green stirfry fodder.

[saddad]

and very nice they are too... I hung some up to dry in my greenhouse one year and now have a permanent supply of small garlic shoots for stir fry..
;D

[Miss Fenella]

On a related alium note

I can recall we had a clump of what we called spring onions at home.  They seemed to be cut and come again and were very straight and not bulbous at the end (oo er - mind of a 13 year old, apols).

Any idea what they were - I'd love to grow again.  No point asking Pa - he'd  deny they existed! or say they were spring onions - Dad's are like that  ;D

[markfield rover]

Miss F could they be welsh onions?
Antipodes, my garlic chives are a 'v' shape in cross section.

[antipodes]

Oh I must have a look at your "v shape idea" , perhaps they are just garlic bulbs gone rampant!! Last year's garlic didn't work because I didn't overwinter it, so there were lots of tiny bulbs everywhere, but I never imagined they would grow again. I will take them back to the lottie I think and plant a little patch of garlic shoots. Just goes to show that things will spring back to life given half the chance!! I overwintered the garlic this year and it is going great guns so with a bit of luck, there will be bulbs!!

[sawfish]

Its not wild garlic (Allium Ursinum) is it?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/content/images/2006/05/30/alston_hall_wild_garlic_470x470.jpg

http://www.prairiemoon.com/store/product_images/Alliumcanadense3425.jpg

[Robert_Brenchley]

Not if it's chive sized.

[antipodes]

Oh non, it doesn't look like that, it really does look like chives but the leaves are not exactly tubular. I should try and post a pic even if I am sure that the answer is that I have green garlic growing from last year's leftovers. It is very strong garlic flavour! I gave a little bit to a friend to nibble to see what he thought and he was spluttering going "Thanks! now I am going to stink of garlic all day!" Long-lasting effect, hee hee

[Barnowl]

Off thread Antipodes but looking at your avatar and out of curiosity, do you have 100 sq metres or 300 sq ft?

[antipodes]

Hmm maybe it is me that can't convert measurements!!
My plot is 5 x 20 metres, so 100 square metres. I always assumed there were 3 ft to a metre??
There is about 3 m2 of fruit, another 3 of flowers and herbs and the rest is veg.

[Barnowl]

A square meter is a bit over 10 square feet so you've got about 1,000 square feet - similar to ours.

Do you find yourself running out of space yet?

[antipodes]

chortle, well i always was hopeless at maths. 300 sq feet wouldn't go very far would it?? I will fix that up.
Well no for now I haven't run out of space, it's the time factor - if you have hours to spend a bigger one is great but with just a few hours per week, it is impossible to take on more. I get a lot on it though, I suppose I squash things up a bit more than I should, but it seems to be allright. This year I have some space saving ideas, like growing corn and squash together, and I can see some areas where I will be able to squash in some lettuces (at the end of each row of spuds for example). This year I will be TRYING to grow corn, Jap pumpkins, courgettes, melons, peas, 3 sorts of beans, 80 potato plants, a big patch of mixed onions (reds yellos and echalotes), garlic (i planted about 30 cloves), tomatoes (about 15 plants) a few sweet peppers if they work out, carrots, beets and silverbeet (swiss chard). And follow on with sprouts, red cabbage and leeks for winter. Everytime something comes out, something else goes in, with some organic matter, so there is no wasted space!! It sounds like a lot but of course there is only a bit of each thing!!!

[Barnowl]

I'm also going to try the corn with squashes this year and perhaps Borlotti (for storing) as well. Also planning some onions round the slower Brassica like PSB  and  Sprouts (unless someone tells me not to  :) )