Elephant Garlic...

[Grovsey]

I have 3 plants which are about 2 feet high (planted in Oct 2006)...They have produced what I am worried is seed pods or whatever they produce? This happened last year on my normal garlic and my mum said it was the garlic going to seed...

However, someone else told me Elephant Grlic flowers??

[BAZ]

Hi G.
You need to remove the flower head. Otherwise the plant diverts the bulbs energy, into producing the flower, rather than creating the big bulb that you get with Elephant. Am also growing Elephant and Cristo, this year.

Enjoy the crop!

Baz

[Earthbabe]

Glad I found this. We found seed heads on two of ours today and have picked them of. Phew!!

Same has happened with a couple of the other garlics and a couple of the onions. All deheaded today. Hopefully things will be ok.

[Snadger]

I always thought that garlic had to flower so that the new cloves would form around the base of the flower stem?

[Nicos]

I think you should remove the flowering stem. You can then chop it up and cook with it- like a sweet, mild garlic.
We cut ours today, and shall be eating some of them tomorrow with fresh pasta!!

[Paulottie]

That's interesting Nico's, always hated onion flower stalk flavour-but i shall try that next time i have a bolter. Always wanted to grow elephant garlic must plant some this year. Have you had any problems with rust on it? my garlic was nearly rust free untill this rain and now....doh!

[Nicos]

Rust? Yes- just started in the past couple of weeks!

[Flummery]

Elephant garlic is related more closely to leeks I understand Snadger, so what applied to 'normal' garlic may not apply to this.