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Harvested the elephant garlic yesterday and it was better than I expected after lfting the tiny garlic and throwing all of the onions away.

My elephant garlic was very good too...first time growing it so was v happy with it ;)

Elephant garlic seems to be bombproof. Just as well; my garlic was pathetic as well.

Does it keep?

Quote from: pumpkinlover on August 02, 2012, 22:27:06
Does it keep?

EG is the last to finish here.  We are just finishing off last year's, (haven't dug out this years's yet) and it still tastes fine.  Was kept in the conservatory until a few weeks ago when I took it into the kitchen.

I'll add it to my list then, years since I grew it and for some reason I thought it did not keep. I remember getting a mixture on  special offer from the garlic farm on Isle of Wight, but unfortuanatly I have white rot on my plot and that year was really bad and lost the lot :'(

We are still eating last years too. Keep it in the unheated spare room along with all of the other stuff ;D

Lifted mine but the bulb split out of the papers when I dried mine.  The cloves are now forming a very hard skin.  Shall I just replant them?

Quote from: lottie lou on August 05, 2012, 10:35:05
Lifted mine but the bulb split out of the papers when I dried mine.  The cloves are now forming a very hard skin.  Shall I just replant them?

Yes, in October.  The single skin wrapper does come off relatively easily with EG, but it isn't necessary to replant them with the wrapper on.  Off is just as good, the wrapper does not prevent rotting in the ground if it is waterlogged in any case.

If you are really worried, you could stick cloves into individual small plant pots or small compartment trays - cloves half showing.  They root fast and can then be planted out with a bit of root to give them a super growing start.  But I don't think this extra work is really necessary.

A bit of slow drainage over winter seems ok here and do them no harm, but I do lose the odd garlic clove over winter and guess some might have rotted when our clay soil has been waterlogged?   Even so, I never pre-grow in pots, it isn't a big problem.

Thanks Galina, so I can just plant the cloves in October with their hard skins on?

Quote from: lottie lou on August 05, 2012, 14:46:31
Thanks Galina, so I can just plant the cloves in October with their hard skins on?

Yes.

Btw,  EG also have a few small bulblets hanging off the main bulb.  These can also be planted, but will only make a 'round' in their first year and need two years to make a fully divided EG.

Mine just grew one single bulb this year.

Quote from: Kea on August 10, 2012, 17:25:12
Mine just grew one single bulb this year.

We did have a really mild winter, maybe it didn't get cold enough.... Mine did that cos I was late planting out, but the single bulbs are huge and will make a good seed stock for next year...

Quote from: Kea on August 10, 2012, 17:25:12
Mine just grew one single bulb this year.

This happen and it is the reason why I stopped digging up the rest of mine!  The tops were still green and the first one dug up was a 'round' - since everything is held back this year because of the weather I decided to leave the rest in the ground a bit longer.  You can either eat as they are, or replant the 'rounds' in October for a fully divided clove next year - or both  ;D

I dug the rest of my elephant garlics today. HUGE bulbs, with lots of little bulblets hanging off them.

The flowers are lovely, but I took all of them off this year except one. That one had the smallest bulb - all the rest were huge.

Who can confirm that this is not just a coincidence, and that taking flowers off is essential?

I've always heard it made a significant difference, but I've never put it to the test.

When I took the flowers off I brought some of them with their long elegant scapes into the house, and they have lasted for 2 or 3 weeks, twisting round in a big jug and steadily opening the flowers. Quite a bonus. Some others got chopped into various meals for flavouring.