Mouldy Garlic

[lesleygl]

I dug up my garlic about a week ago, the tops had keeled. 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 these for planting next year?

[Glaurung]

white furry fungus? Sounds like it could be white rot. If so, I definitely wouldn't use the cloves for next year, even if they look unaffected (just not worth it) & you shouldn't grow alliums in the soil again for 8 years (though it can stay in the soil even longer). The OK looking ones should be OK to eat though, but it's best not to compost the rest of the plant either.

[magz.mccarthy]

if it's white rot, then i agree with Glaurung, definitely don't plant these next year. I have white rot all through my plot and haven't been able to grow onions/garlic successfully anywhere. I took the cloves that were affected, cut off the mouldy parts, minced the rest in a food processor, and froze little ice cubes of minced garlic. It tastes absolutely fine and will last for ages. I got around 50 cubes from a badly affected bed.

white rot stays in the soil for a long time though, so unfortunately you may not have any more success next year. I was advised to build a raised bed on top of waterproof membrane, fill it completely with new topsoil, and grow onions in that. I'm not sure about it, as it may be a bit expensive, and would have to build a new bed like that or empty it and refill it each year to get the crop rotation effect. I do love onions and garlic though, so would hate to give up on them completely.

Oddly enough, some red onions I grew from seed have not been affected at all, while 6 different types of garlic and 2 types of onions, all from reputable seed companies, all got badly affected in the same beds.

Margaret

[Alice]

Magz, onions and garlic will grow perfectly well in containers. I have a couple of big perforated crates lined with membrane and filled with compost. I grow red onions, shallots and garlic in them. It could be a much less expensive option for you than building new raised beds.

[lesleygl]

Thank you for the very useful information. I especially like the idea of the frozen minced garlic

[magz.mccarthy]

Ooh, containers is a great idea! i was thinking that I'd have to fill a massive bed with oodles of compost. I'll definitely do that next year, thanks Alice!