Allotments 4 All

 ???

Previous plottie left some garlic on my plot...only a few, but have been carefully weeding and saying nice things to them. The outer leaves are turning a bit yellow. Ready or poorly?

;)

Have a scrape and see what's there, it's a bit early but who knows. On the other hand it could just be down to all the rain

Unless all the leaves die back I'd leave it until Late July Ea August to dig it up!
;D

Do both - dig one up and if healthy, have a fresh garlic with your supper, and leave the rest til ready for harvest late July/early August ;D Sunshine forecast for the next week or so should help.
If you spot seedheads forming, just snip them off to make the bulbs grow bigger.
Garlic modify themselves to your soil conditions over the years, so keeping and replanting will get you better and better bulbs. Hopefully your inherited garlic has already modified so you might have a head start! Save the biggest cloves for replanting :o :D

I tend to dig mine early July because of the white rot.  Doing that means I lift them before they rot away in the ground.  Having heard Svea I think it was, lifting hers and having a good harvest, I am quite tempted to make a start as I haven't had any fresh garlic for a couple of weeks now - 2005 harvest lasted well!

Hi

In my vegi box  we've been getting 'wet garlic' this looks just like my garlic does on the plot, and when it's cut open you can see the tiny bulbs just about to start forming out of all the rings..  Would this be normal garlic picked early???? or is it another sort altogether?   

It is really scrummy so i want to grow some next year.

P.

Normal garlic dug early, in the green.  I agree, delish!

Is the garlic you're talking about Spring planted ? I planted mine last Autumn, and according to the blurb should be harvesting in June. I dug one up, and it was still at the 'green' stage. Only one of the elephant garlic has flowered so far. Are we just late because of the weather?

What variety is it? Mine hasn't done much yet, so I'm not anticipating an early harvest.

I'm expecting to harvest my autumn planted garlic at the end of June or early July.  But then I am in London.

G xx

I think we lag behind in Yorkshire (weather-wise). I planted early purple wight, solent wight, Iberian wight. It all looks healthy, I'm just impatient.

Here is one of mine dug this morning.  Purple Wight.  Perfectly formed, developing nicely, no rot YET, but still small - this one was just bigger than a golf ball.  Have decided they can stay in for at least another 4 weeks and then I will have another test dig.  I have roughly chopped the stem and added it to our chilli for supper tonight.  YUM!

I planted some garlic Oct/Nov last year. Noticed flower heads forming today, and so I picked them off and bent over rest of stems. Was this right?

Eating young garlic:
A few years ago I was only guest in small French hotel in Aude around April time. Owners' family ate in same dining room and they asked if I liked garlic. "Oui!"
I was given a plate of young garlic (like spring onions), some bread and - not very common - fresh butter. Absolute heaven!

That plateful does sound good pete!
For flower heads on garlic see http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=57&/topic,20459.msg209592/topicseen.html#new
:)