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My garlic are starting to die back and I'll be lifting them in the next few weeks. Can I keep a few bulbs back for planting out in the Autumn and if so, how is it best to store them until they go into the ground?
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yep - keep aside the biggest bulbs, and plant the biggest cloves from the bulbs. This years big cloves = next years big bulbs.
Store like you do the others for eating - i.e. strung up in cool garage, say. - but remember not to eat those you want to plant next time! -
Funny you should say - and I'll be posting my garlic results later this week - but the biggest final harvest came from the smallest clove this year [they were all weighed before and after]...just 4g produced a 256g final bulb. Interesting.....possibly a total fluke but when I analyse the results I may know more.
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I have some cloves that seemt o have bursted out, these were grown from bought (not supermarket) garlic bulbs, when is the best time to plant these?Comment
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I had one garlic bulb that didn't split, can I replant this and still get a good batch next year? Or is it best to just eat it?
I only grew elephant garlic, all in the same bed and only one didn't come true. Any reason why this happens, or is it just one of those things?Comment
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Zazen I know your a bit of an expert with garlic and onions.
So could you tell me what would happen if I decide to leave a garlic bulb in the ground, to flower every year? As in would it give more than one flower? Or is it best to dig up each year, split and replant in a new location, like I have/will this year?
At the moment I'm digging them up, splitting them to increase my stock and will be planting them in autumn for a nice flower next year. Thinking of planting a bed up with red onions and elephant garlic down the middle, allowing them to flower for a show of lovely big heads.
It was very tempting from reading books and seeing lots of chat on here about eating scapes, to cut mine. But I wanted to see them flower and just hoped I still get a reasonable crop of garlic. Turned out fine, although maybe the garlic would have been bigger if it hadn't flowered? Although my cloves are bigger than the pack I bought last year, which cost £2.99 for 4 cloves.Comment
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I have about 10 garlics that I've put aside to do just that.....I use the ones that don't bulb up though....but I have no idea yet whether they will produce one flower a year or more.
The Alliums that we leave to grow every year only produce one flower; so possibly if they are still attached at the base you'll only get one flower until they grow big enough to unattach and become a separate item.
Incidentally, leeks produce bigger flowers, which are taller and last longer before going over to seed. My biggest leek flower was as tall as me this year. I'm still waiting for all the leeks to produce seed; they are taking absolutley ages. In the same timeframe, the chives flowered, went to seed, were chopped back, flowered again, went to seed again, were chopped back and are now producing the 3rd flush of flowers this year......
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Leeks flower, well I never knew that. So is it the same kind of flower as the garlic, or a cross between a garlic and chives. What month approx will/can I expect them to flower? I've got 16 in a bed and I think I shall now be leaving at least 4 to flower. That's a real bonus, thanks for the info. Do different variety of leeks produce different flower heads/sizes? As I'll have to buy or maybe do a swap for leeks next year, so I might just be looking for which produces the best or largest flower, rather than just the taste of the leeks.
I grow loads of chives on the lottie and in the garden, and yes it's because they flower several times. Also great as companion plants and eating, so I'm very happy with the Allium family. Haven't grow garlic chives yet, I've only seen a pic in books. Looks like a really small white flower, not as large or as showy as the pink chive flower. Is this correct?
On reflection I think I was a little quick at cutting off the garlic flowers this year, because I wanted to see how the garlic was and because I was worried that I may be leaving them in the ground too long and something might start eating them. I shall be more relaxed next year and just let the flower head totally die off in the bed, I think my fear was based on the fact that I had let them flower, so didn't know if I still get any garlic cloves. However I did transfer the long stem and flower heads to stand up in the outer section of my pallet compost bin. I have nasturtiums growing up and around the bin and now also have 3 garlic flower heads standing proud. Is there anything that would start eating the garlic in the ground and should they be dug up as soon as, or is it ok to leave like potatoes?
One last thing, I had my little helpers today for a hour or 2 at the lottie and they cut a scaffold board I got hold of for a lovely new raised bed. I'd grown potatoes in the bed this year, it just was not raised prior to today. I'll hopefully be adding loads of leaf mulch, and I've just got an email from my source of chicken poo, 3 bags ready for collection. Chicken poo I'll be using on beds ready for brassica's next year and will also be putting some on a section of a rhubarb bed later on. But my question is, should I put some in my new raised bed that I'll be planting up onions and garlic into? Or is it best to just add some growmore when I put the bulbs in?Comment
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Leeks flower, the heads are bigger than onions and the flowers last much longer. Think huge chives...
Garlic chives, beautiful white flower, fabulous.
I'd leave the garlic in the compost bin if you want, or dig it up - depends on what you want or where you want it.
Personally I wouldn't add high nitrogen feed to a root veg; as you'll likely get leaf and no root or flower. I don't add anything at all to garlic, it seems to sort itself out.
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Planting out garlic bulbs not cloves
I planted out my garlic too late this year, missed the last of the frost and although they grew, they didn't split into cloves and stayed as one small bulb.
If I were to plant these out this Autumn would they work as a harvest for next year, ie, would they split into bulbs with cloves?Comment
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I believe they would Amanda.
From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.Comment
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Amanda, I've merged this with your other thread as the same question was asked on it.
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