Teeny tiny garlic :(

[Safhyre]

Well, have picked garlic and they are sooooooooooo small....they looked healthy above ground...but below....nowt there

[valmarg]

Have you just got a single bulb, not broken into cloves?

If this is the case, the cloves were not subjected to frosty weather. To make the bulbs split into cloves, they need to be frosted.

To do best the cloves need to be planted in September/October, and over wintered in the ground.

Thus speaketh the voice of experience.

valmarg

[Crundy]

Had the foliage turned brown? I thought you had to wait until the leaves died back before harvesting

[PAULW]

If you have a single bulb that has not divided save them and put them back in in Sept/Oct they will grow on and make a decent bulb next year.

[Two_Sheds]

I had one bulb out of a dozen planted cloves.
It was perfectly formed, but miniature, like gobstopper size not garlic size

[djhs196]

That's a shame. I'd hope that my bulbs are still bulking up currently - I try to leave them as long as possible in the ground - planting in Oct the previous year, overwintering, and then picking when there are just a few leaves still green counting back from the scape. (if you wait until all the leaves are brown, you do run the risk there's no skin to cover the cloves themselves)

Were the bulbs in as long as they could have been? e.g. early planting, late harvest?

[rustylady]

Mine were rubbish this year too. Last year great, one left to use but I think the weather got to them this year. Very wet early spring, then very hot and dry

[seasprout]

Well, have picked garlic and they are sooooooooooo small....they looked healthy above ground...but below....nowt there

This is exactly what happened to mine..

They had all that was required, Frost, water, soil. Just came out of the ground the size of Acorns.

I usually save gloves each year, but late last year bought all new from the garden centre and this happened. Poo.

No garlic for us then.

[colser]

isn't it a bit early to be digging them all up? i'm sure last year i just lifted the odd one at this time and left the rest until August

[realfood]

I lifted the first of my hardneck garlic today and they were great. Due to the hot weather they have finished growing several weeks earlier than usual.

[Safhyre]

I had planted them in october....and I recall reading some where, garlic should be planted on the shortest day and lifted on the longest day...

some of the leaves were changing colour but will admit mostly green...

I will try again next year.....shame as i use a lot of garlic and now have none

[gojiberry]

The shortest and longest day thing applies to shallots not garlic, I'm afraid to say. Garlic in this country requires as long a growing season as possible to do any good.

Ian

[taff]

I put three types in.
Purple wight, I think.. - good sized bulbs, picked last week
another purple one [can't remember the name] - slightly smaller bulbs, picked last week.
Both were hardneck ones, but came up allright.
The third lot, solent wight did split into cloves but the three or four I pulled are tiny. I'm leaving them in for a bit longer in hopes...

[COMPOST CORNER]

If you have a single bulb that has not divided save them and put them back in in Sept/Oct they will grow on and make a decent bulb next year.

What is the best way to store them if this happens PaulW?

[zazen999]

I have been digging garlic for my trial - and the first few batches were put back in the ground - they continued to grow and when harvested last week were double the size.

If you can put them back in for another month or so - then do try it.

I had to get some other garlic up to make way for toms and they haven't split, they will be kept in the greenhouse until as Paul says, sept /oct, and they will be put back in the ground.

Alliums are bulbs, and as such store energy in the bulb. They can be upped and moved about if needed, and the plant only suffers minor setbacks.....