well at least it seems to be hardneck to me. our liverpool lad says to store them in jars or pint pots but I don't have room for that - should I cut the stems a little and net them instead??? is the cellar a good place? it is not very humid in there but quite cool and airy. My pantry gets quite warm at times...
I was reasonably pleased with the harvest, small heads but at least they cloved. I think I got about 30 or 40 heads.
I would store them like onions in net bagging.
Thats what I will do.
Hardneck don't keep well??
Quote from: tim on July 15, 2008, 12:50:34
Hardneck don't keep well??
really?
oh...um....ahh well
hhmmm since I bought them from the local farmer's market, I didn't know what variety they were!! Still they grew well, almost no rust so can't complain!!
how long a stem should I keep on them??
Quote from: tim on July 15, 2008, 12:50:34
Hardneck don't keep well??
I kept mine from last year in a net in the garage (unheated and car-less). Used the last one 2 weeks ago. Should point out that they were pretty small, which may be significant. I left about 2 inches (5 cm) of stem.
I find that hardneck keep a lot better than they're meant to, though not as well as some softneck.
Store mine by hanging up tied and have kept 12months although small I have planted out the largest cloves and this year they are bigger.
Am unsure how to upload a pic here, so will describe as best I can. Have threaded a double thickness length of twine between points in the greenhouses, and shed roof. The garlic has been picked leaving about 18 inches of stem on it, bent midway to get a well balanced pivot. Poked between the string, twirled over once, and do the same with the next one. Looks a bit like the kiddies aeroplanes with the wind up rubber band propeller with a garlic shoved between each loop. (If they ever untangle with a vengence I will be knocked out ;D) I appreciate it's not good manners to post another veg forum on here but if anyone want's pics of how it works pm me with your email address and I will send photos. Very simple but very effective, they should last (with luck) til May next year, and after that you will be picking 2009's fresh garlic and scapes.
You can make them into grappes. Very pretty IMHO.
I don't grow 'hard neck' varieties as such, but some of those that I do grow, go to seed and can develop a bit of a hard neck, so I split the cloves off these and put them in a net bag rather than string them up and eat them first.
I imagine how well you dry them before storage matters as well?
But DON'T overdry them!! See the garlic farm's brief.
Just found this - http://www.harvestwizard.com/2007/03/softneck_and_hardneck_garlic_t.html
I've grown purple Moldovan for the first time this year. It's ace and beautiful too. I haven't decided how to store it yet. I'll give it a chance to dry first and see what it looks like.
mine has been drying for nearly two weeks now in my little 4 vtier greenhouse is that long enough?
QuoteHardneck don't keep well??
They must do otherwise there would be none in the shops for months and months.
I think the stuff in the shops is mainly softneck which keeps longer.
Mine lasts at least until Christmas. I've never had any left after that as we use it first. Funnily enough, the maincrop went over first this year; I've lifted all the Solent Wight, while Purple Wight and Albigensian Wight are showing no sign of keeling over.
well in the end maybe it wasn't hardneck as I managed to soften the stem (as per the Bllomingfield garlic braiding instructions) and plait them?????
They are indeed titchy and my whole harvest made just one big braid and a few broken stem ones in a net! I guess there are about 25-30 heads.
I will try again in the autumn I guess! It seems to be one of those plants that you just have to keep growing even when it doesn't work properly!!
Nice excuse for a garlic discussion though!! ;)