Elephant Garlic in bud

[CarolineW]

The elephant garlic I planted in the Autumn has flower buds on - can I let it flower or will it ruin the 'garlic' bulbs? (I've never grown garlic before. I planted 4 different varieties in the Autumn, but so far it looks like only the elephant garlic is wanting to flower.)

[PAULW]

Pinch them out or you will end up with a green core through the garlic which will rot and the garlic will be ruined, this happened to most of my onions last year.

[la cebolla grande]

Elephant Garlic is not the same species as others, and I think it always flowers. I planted some 2 years ago, and they came up but then vanished. I assumed they had died, but they all re-appeared this spring and have grown v well and are now flowering. Looking at the info sent with them from The Garlic Farm, I'm just letting them do their thing, and will dig some up later - they can't be stored anyway, so the green flower-core is not an issue. Use them 'green' - ie not dried.

The big problem with elephant garlic is the bulb not splitting into cloves, but rather the single clove you planted simply swellilng. I guess it actually doesn't make a practical difference though!

PAULW is quite right though, if onions flower - bolt - you've had it, many of mine are doing so this year, but again we will just use these straight from the ground now as green onions and leave the non-flowering ones for later, and hopefully storage.

LCG

[Grovsey]

I cut the flower heads of mine last year before they flowered.....I think they flower anyway not because they have bolted.....

Nightmare with onions and garlic bolting this year and my shallots too!

[jacob marley]

Elephant Garlic is not the same species as thing, and will dig some up later - they can't be stored anyway, so the green flower-core is not an issue. Use them 'green' - ie not dried.

LCG

I find the statement that they can't be stored unbelievable i store them evry year in fact i have just thrown away the remnants of last years crop away .
One of the main reasons that they do not set clove's is late planting .
Carolinew when you lift you garlic hang them up to dry with the bulbs at the bottom and the leaves tied together at top in a green house or similar until all the tops are like straw then you can store them to last you over winter (not in the kitchen) jacob marley

[la cebolla grande]

Are you talking about normal garlic JM, or Elephant? I've never tried to store Elephant, as the Garlic Farm doesn't recommend it - thats all I have to go on, and since we only ever grow 3-4 plants theres never any need to store and as it is perennial, you can leave in the ground (for years!) until/if you need it - its quite a big stately plant in the borders and so most of mone get left as ornamentals.

Naturally we dry and store our many diff varieties of normal garlic

LCG

[jacob marley]

Are you talking about normal garlic JM, or Elephant? I've never tried to store Elephant, as the Garlic Farm doesn't recommend it - thats all I have to go on, and since we only ever grow 3-4 plants theres never any need to store and as it is perennial, you can leave in the ground (for years!) until/if you need it - its quite a big stately plant in the borders and so most of mone get left as ornamentals.

Naturally we dry and store our many diff varieties of normal garlic

LCG

Iam talking about Elephant Garlic about 7 years ago my son was on a Cricketing tour of the IOW and bought me some as a present and i am still growing the same one's saved every year .
Perhaps they want to sell you some every year and thought we will sell him some yearly i have a wicked mind at times .
They will store in a nice cool airy place jacob marley

[Curvy Vixen]

Hhmmm...I have just snapped the flower heads off of my elephant garlic Figured that they would put energy into making a nice flower rather than making a nice big bulb of garlic! Should have left one on to compare I suppose...

[CarolineW]

Harvest

I snapped the flowers off, as recommended, and used the snapped off flower buds as an architectural flower arrangement in the lounge - looks great, actually. My husband keeps saying how much he likes it.

I harvested them yesterday, and they're great. Ate half the crop last night with dinner - delicious! I have strict orders from my husband to grow more next year.

I had 4 cloves from IOW Garlic Farm. One fell foul to squirrels, but 3 made it through.

I didn't know that they were perennial - I'll leave some in next year. I should have enough to do that, as we're definitely getting more than 4 cloves this time!!! :-)

Here's a picture of the first one I harvested. Thanks for all your help and advice everyone!

[Curvy Vixen]

Caroline,

I pulled my elephants up yesterday too! I was going to post and ask how big they 'should' be. I felt that mine could have been bigger if I'd left them longer but I am so impatient

From the looks of your photo mine are around the same size ~ I'd say about the size of a tennis ball maybe?

One of them stayed in the ground whilst the long green part came out in my hand so rather than dry it, I pulled some beetroot and roasted them all off together and had them for dinner I've left the other 3 in the shed to try and dry them a little...

I have about 20 little bulbils and as far as I know I can plant those next year and get more...is that right??