In Praise Of Garlic

[SarzWix]

I only ever grow soft-neck varieties (no flower scape), because I want it to store for much longer than hard-neck types (which have a flower-scape).

So with that in mind, my favourite varieties have been:

Wight Cristo (or just Cristo) - this is my favourite for untroubled, steady growth with good sized bulbs, which taste great and store well.

Early Purple - more flavour than Cristo, but doesn't store quite as well. Sometimes produces massive cloves too.

Abigensian - usually bigger cloves than Cristo, and a stronger flavour too.



All of these grown on the allotment with fairly heavy clay soil.

[Tripmeup]

Would definitely recommend Sprint as I had a great crop from it this year
Pics to follow

[Snadger]

Its my first year growing 'proper garlic' rather than supermarket.
I think it was solent wight i bought.

Ive had great results, big strong plants, nice sized bulbs- much bigger than the supermarket stuff!!
I have got rust, as many people seem to have.
Ive got a few drying, have eaten a few, very very strong tasting!
all together, very good!

Other way round with me cpt. Garden centre bought stuff ('Marco' seems to ring a bell), was rubbish.
Tesco's finest lived up to its name though!

[T8Ter]

I only grow Elephant Garlic currently, a farm bought variety that I've grown on for the last 5 years, but now I have an allotment I'm hoping one of the older guys down there are still growing a strain we had 30 years ago, and if there are I'll be buying/begging some cloves as it was fabulous stuff.
My EG still in ground I just hope the white rot stays away with all this rain (it's P-ing down again now )

[Ananke]

I grew a variety called Music, lifted them yesterday but I think they could have been doing with another week or two. A few good sized heads, much better than the supermarket ones that I've always grown.

Most of these will be going back into the ground in October.

[Thelma Sanders]

Early Purple Wight, gave me a good crop with quite a few very big bulbs. Music bulbs are a bit smaller than last year, but they got really bad rust

A few had white rot, but I've been pulling those ones apart and salvaging what I can to eat as I need it now.

Considering the weather - I think the garlic has done well

[Feral007]

I'm worried now that I've missed planting garlic - did it need to go in, in autumn? or can I put it in in spring? We love garlic - the garlicker the better!

[Snadger]

I'm worried now that I've missed planting garlic - did it need to go in, in autumn? or can I put it in in spring? We love garlic - the garlicker the better!

Autumn is best in UK..............not sure about Oz?

[VirginVegGrower]

I grew a variety called Music, lifted them yesterday but I think they could have been doing with another week or two. A few good sized heads, much better than the supermarket ones that I've always grown.

Most of these will be going back into the ground in October.

Early Purple Wight, gave me a good crop with quite a few very big bulbs. Music bulbs are a bit smaller than last year, but they got really bad rust

A few had white rot, but I've been pulling those ones apart and salvaging what I can to eat as I need it now.

Considering the weather - I think the garlic has done well

I think I'll be looking for Music too - have heard good things about it.

[PyreneesPlot]

Last year we had Messidrome which was good (my neighbour was impressed and as he's French and a chef I was smug!!) and yielded around 1.8kg, dried weight, from about 55 cloves.

This year was Thermidrome which produced more big heads, but the flavour of the fresh does not seem as pungent. Not weighed as it is still drying, but is this much -



I had a bit of rust this year and they were planted in mid December. I'll probably go back to messidrome this year - it was cheaper, too - and try something else as well.

[Tripmeup]

Sample of my Sprint garlic harvested yesterday...most bulbs are this size..

[VirginVegGrower]

Last year we had Messidrome which was good (my neighbour was impressed and as he's French and a chef I was smug!!) and yielded around 1.8kg, dried weight, from about 55 cloves.

This year was Thermidore which produced more big heads, but the flavour of the fresh does not seem as pungent. Not weighed as it is still drying, but is this much -

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I had a bit of rust this year and they were planted in mid December. I'll probably go back to Thermidore this year - it was cheaper, too - and try something else as well.

I've looked at these two, which are prized by chefs apparently. I've also looked at Picardy Wight which suits cold and wet - it may be the way forwards for my outdoor crop for next year.

[hamamelis]

I had French Thermidrome too- complete with rust, same as almost everyone else. It's done pretty well, considering I'm a bit clueless, and it was orange, rather than green, for the last month. I have no pics, and I gave half of it away, so I can't take a photo. Anyone know if it's OK to save rusty bulbs for replanting? Or maybe I should try something different, experiment a bit.

I also have one elephant garlic, which is not quite ready, and has avoided the rust despite having a totally orange garlic plant leaning on it for a week...

[Kestrel]

Would definitely recommend Sprint as I had a great crop from it this year
Pics to follow

Me too. Sprint is an early variety (name is a givaway) and was a very good size and before rust took hold. Jolimont was smaller but still good. Solent Wight has been much slower to get rust, despite being in the same bed, and is still in the ground, still in growth and hopefully getting bigger.

[Kaiya]

My Thermidrome was very pungent fresh last night! No idea if garlic gets more or less pungent as it dries but everyone in my house is very smelly today...