Perennial garlic..anybody done it.

[Jeannine]

My daughter and son in law are currently emptying the home of his 96 year old father, he was a keen gardener but has done no real gardening for about 4 years. My daughter had told me about what she thought may be onions and said there 2 distinctly different types. 1 smelled of garlic, one had what looked like onions under the ground. My first thought was he had potato onions, and the garlic smelling one may be ransoms,or garlic chives. He was known to collect things from all over so it was possibel he had dug up some ransoms.

Today she brought me a dug up large spadeful of both. Not ransoms, and it was the garlic smelling one that has what she described an onions below. I think it is garlic that he has let go and has been happilly reproducing itself for a few years, It is apperently a huge patch.They are certainly  garlic bulbs , they are about maybe half the size, but of course they would have had another month or so to grow if not pulled.. I have simply placed them in a hole well watered in and we will see what happens.

The other spadeful is an onion of some sort, again has been left to grow wild, it may be leeks , I am not sure at this point, I will keep and eye on it.

I am curious is anyone has ever left their garlic to go perennial

[Jeannine]

[galina]

When we moved we found a clump of garlic that stemmed from a bulb that was not dug up.  It may be a bit late for this year, but digging up, separating and replanting will result in normal garlic.  If the bulbs make more bulbs, the whole lot will get very crowded. 

The main difference between leeks and onions are the leaves.  Leek has flat leaves and onions have tubular leaves.  This should give you some indication which it is. 

[galina]

If the garlic has gone perennial and it is too late for separating, then keep cutting the tops for a large supply of green garlic tops.  Maybe leave the fattest stem, then dig it up and replant the garlic with the fat stem to produce normal garlics next year. 

[Jeannine]

Hi Galina, I am just going to leave it for a bit. I don;t want to grow itas regular garlic as I have a favorite of that, Just curious as to how it goes, the huga clumps he had had to be at least 4 years old. It is all flopped over this morning.

I took a closer look ay the other one after we planted it and realised it was leeks,it has the shoots growing off the side too so that verifies it I guess. I did know leeks will turn perennial if left in a suitable place I have just never seen them before.

[Elfeda]

We'll, that's how the garlic's should be grown. Pick the largest of clump every year then the rest will grow. Crop will be more in both quality and quantity every year.