Good year for garlic?

[Two_Sheds]

I pulled a lovely one yesterday: it had started to bolt, so up it came. Looks perfect: it'll go in the Virtual Show if we have one this year (hint, hint Sarz et al)

[Farmer_Gyles]

I wonder whether planting too deeply can cause smaller cloves?

Pot grown top of corm is barely one inch below ground whereas outdoor grown is three inches below ground.

i was always told to plant with the very tip just sticking out of the soil, or just slightly under .... i've never seen anything to suggest planting 3 inches deep ....

[T8Ter]

i was always told to plant with the very tip just sticking out of the soil, or just slightly under .... i've never seen anything to suggest planting 3 inches deep ....

I always plant mine twice the depth of the clove - usually get great results, this years are looking bigger than ever (top growth at least) I also always let the Elephant garlic flower (advice from the owner of The Garlic Farm) whereas I snip the flower heads of traditional garlic, how do others grow/treat theirs?

[Farmer_Gyles]

any reason why you were advised to let the elephant garlic flower?

[hollychap]

my first year with garlic , it was starting to bolt so i pulled half of it up which is now drying on the fence . the other half is still in the ground with the bolting bits snipped what should i do with the still planted ones ? do they need pulling up and drying

[binley100]

My garlic was in two different beds first .......from Wilkos planted late October - small , found an allium leaf miner bug on one and some look like they have got too wet. Second lot - planted November, given to us by another plot holder who always buys it off the market , just regular garlic , lifted just one to compare - much healthier and although not huge is a darn sight better .........Next year they will either be fleeced or go out after the leaf miners paid a visit and I won't be buying them from wilkos.......

[Jeanied]

Mine came from the sprouting bulbs in my vegetable bowl in the kitchen. It is a good year for garlic for me, because I actually got them in in time and although they aren't huge, I do have a crop - unlike last year or the year before!

[T8Ter]

any reason why you were advised to let the elephant garlic flower?

Not really, I bought the seed from there and asked the best way to grow it, and was told the plants would send a 6ft high flower spike out (they do and to pick the bulbs when the flower died, that's what I've done ever since, apart from great big purple allium fowers looking good and attracting lots of bees/butterflies the crop has also be great every year. I feed them heavily twice a week with tomato feed and a drop of chilli focus added once I see the first spike.

[Ananke]

This is the first time i've planted out on time, last October and first time i've planted garlic sold for growing rather than the supermarket stuff. They are looking better than any i've grown before, lovely chunky stalks and healthy looking leaves, hope below ground is as good.

[Paulottie]

plant on shortest day harvest on longest

Thought that was shallots?....I plant around bonfire night as a rule. Normally they are ready early June.

Acclimatised over a number of years the best cloves were used as seed,

This years are slow and there is a lot of rust. I find this tends to reduce bulb size. Last year was my best ever..... this looks poor, although the tops are robust, I hope the one I dug up is not representative of the whole...must have 8 doz in!

[Two_Sheds]

plant on shortest day harvest on longest

My garlic is in the ground for 8-9 months, I think 6 would be pushing it?

How to Grow the Garlic herb.

Onion bulbs develop in direct relationship to hours of daylight

Short-day cultivars produce their best bulbs when days are short and nights are long.
Long-day cultivars produce during long days of sunlight when the nights are short. Long-day varieties tend to be more strongly flavored and store better

source

[hollychap]

My garlic is in the ground for 8-9 months, I think 6 would be pushing it?

How to Grow the Garlic herb.

Onion bulbs develop in direct relationship to hours of daylight

Short-day cultivars produce their best bulbs when days are short and nights are long.
Long-day cultivars produce during long days of sunlight when the nights are short. Long-day varieties tend to be more strongly flavored and store better

source

the plant shortest harvest longest advice came from a thread on this forum