Thanks to Jayb I've got some elephant garlic cloves (they are huuuuuge) and some potato onions.... do I need to get them in ASAP or can they wait a week?.... bit busy this week what with work, mates wedding and the mighty Orbital playing at Brixton on Friday....
They will be fine for a while, I'm not planting mine till the beginning of October. My potato onions were spring planted this year but I'm hoping planting in the Autumn will give a larger sized bulb although total harvest was good.
Hi, I'm planning on planting my elephant garlic around mid Oct (roughly the same time as last year), so I think you have plenty of time for weddings and Orbital ;)
Cool.... I was wondering if I'd have to make an early morning trip or else it was going to be planting by torchlight......
Quote from: chriscross1966 on September 23, 2009, 09:42:55
Cool.... I was wondering if I'd have to make an early morning trip or else it was going to be planting by torchlight......
that would be moon phase planting then ::) :P ;D
Did someone on here say planting at first in pots and then plant out when they have started growing is a good idea? I can't remember all the advice. Manicscouser to the rescue . He can always find past threads.
Don't bother with pots, just put them straight in. You can plant them any time now, but there's no rush. Keep them cool and dry till you plant them.
Quote from: tomatoada on September 23, 2009, 10:33:22
Did someone on here say planting at first in pots and then plant out when they have started growing is a good idea? I can't remember all the advice. Manicscouser to the rescue . He can always find past threads.
I tried that last year and was epic failz as we say in IT.....
Showing my ignorance here but what are potato onions please?
Quote from: grannyjanny on September 24, 2009, 15:30:08
Showing my ignorance here but what are potato onions please?
A bit like a shallot but not a shallot.... I'm an alliumophile so I tend to try and collect and grow wierd onions of any description. Back when I had a plot at my parents they were one of my favourites... make a great pickled onion...
chrisc
C/C1966 so thats a no then.
Can you buy them Chris, if so where. I love anything onion but not a phileowhatsit ;).
I have planted elephant garlic in November, and also in early March one year and got a good crop both times. The little bulbils that you get growing alongside the main bulbs have also grown as volunteers where I obviously didn't collect them all when digging the bulbs up, and they grew to flowering size in one season! ;D
Quote from: tomatoada on September 24, 2009, 16:28:42
C/C1966 so thats a no then.
I've never really tried the moonphase stuff, maybe if I got another plot next year I'd give it a go alongside my normal (for me) techniques...
chrisc
Put my elephant and normal garlic in last night.................... ;D
What kind of soil does elephant garlic like ?
How rich should it be ?
How deep should they be planted ?
Should they be mulched ?
Plant it now, about a foot apart each way. I just make a hole with a trowel, and drop the clove in. Any decent soil will do, they're really easy. I add a couple of inches of dead leaves or grass cuttings, and they flourish.
Quote from: grannyjanny on September 24, 2009, 18:20:13
Can you buy them Chris, if so where. I love anything onion but not a phileowhatsit ;).
not from any of the big seed catalogues IIRC.... I'd suggest posting a want ad in theswaps section with your swaps list and see if you get a bite.... Henry Doubleday used to do them , you could try the smaller outlets.... I have a friend at the heritage seed library, I'll give her a shout... alternately if I get a decent crop off them I'll have spares next year....
chrisc