Teeny tiny garlic :(

[Alice]

What a shame Saphyre - I think you just lifted your garlic a month too soon.
It bulks up quite a lot in the last few weeks.
It should be left until the foliage turns brown and starts to keel over - usually about the end of July.

[maytreefrannie]

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

Mine are tiny - the leaves were all yellow, falling over but the bulbs are small and not really split.

they've been planted since October so I was disappointed, but I'll take your advice, Zazen, at least for some of them, and try putting them in the ground again for another month or two.

[zazen999]

It's worth a try - what's the worst that can happen???

Water in well, and water every day for the first fortnight in this weather - and they might just surprise you. Mine certainly did as they looked shocking above ground but had lovely big bulbs below. If you can pop some root veg fertiliser in around them as well that might help.

[Florence Fennel]

I had a quick look at the garlic last night. Mine too are very small, although the top growth is lush and healthy. I hastily put back the one I had pulled and will water and feed from today, thanks Zazen. I've already told the family that they will not have to buy garlic this year, but I shouldn't have counted my chickens!

[zazen999]

If you look at the allium thread, I sort of documented the development of my garlics as I was pulling them, and they really did double in size in the last month. If your top growth is lush, then they still have alot of growing to go - so don't pull them. They need to look bedraggled and like they have been through a hedge backwards - all dried up and unhealthy - and that's when they will be nearly ready.

[Florence Fennel]

I'll look that up Zazen thank you. First time at garlic so soaking up any info like a sponge!

[Two_Sheds]

They need to look ...all dried up and unhealthy - and that's when they will be nearly ready.

Yep, that's how mine looked.
No garlic underneath though ... just the one mini-bulb (again). Perhaps they just don't like sandy East Angular soil?

[zazen999]

Shall I send you a lump of thick midlands clay 2_S? You could knock up a little garlic bed - a foot square should do it.

[lesleygl]

I dug up my garlic about a week ago, the tops had keeled over and looked dead. They were small for the most part but they did have cloves. My problem was that some of them had some sort of horrid fungus and I had to get rid of those. Are the good ones OK to eat or have they been affected by this fungus although not obvious. Also is it a good idea not to use one or two of these for planting next year?

[DaveInBraknell]

Teeny Tiny Garlic

Hi,

I had similar problems to you guys. I got a box of garlic cloves from the garlic farm and planted them all in Septemember. My solent whites, small tiny things about the size of a large marble.

My Lautrec, and most other garlics did really well especially they purple ones.

I then looked at the instructions for Solent white, best planted in Spring..

So I chalk my marble sized Solent's up to that.

The rest where as you would expect, if not larger than supermarket varieties..

Cannot go near my shed though, it pongs

Dave

[Crundy]

Another thought: Did you let any flowers appear or did you snip them off? I had long tough twisty flower shoots appearing on mine and so I snipped them off to let the plant's energy go into the bulb.

[jacob]

Do you water your garlic? I've been a bit indecisive and have occasionally watered mine. Now I'm not sure whether I should water them quite heavily to encourage swelling or leave them to their own devices. The plants look really good -- high and thick -- far better than my previous attempt and I'm hoping for a proper crop.

I'd also been hoping to discourage them from flowering, but that didn't work, still the flower shoot (scapes, I think) were delicious.

[Florence Fennel]

Do you water your garlic? I've been a bit indecisive and have occasionally watered mine. Now I'm not sure whether I should water them quite heavily to encourage swelling or leave them to their own devices. The plants look really good -- high and thick -- far better than my previous attempt and I'm hoping for a proper crop.

I'd also been hoping to discourage them from flowering, but that didn't work, still the flower shoot (scapes, I think) were delicious.

I'm a bit worried now, I haven't had any scapes, is this not normal?

[zazen999]

I've not had any scapes either.

[Florence Fennel]

I've not had any scapes either.

Feel much better for this Zazen, thanks.
Flo