Autumn planted Garlic

[Anita Plot]

When is it likely to be ready. The top of the leaves are brown

[Scarlet]

They should be ready in June.

[astraman1]

it should keep growing then you will get what is called the scape come up which you can pinch off and eat in salads ect then it will start to change colour as above around June ready for pulling and drying

[Scarlet]

I should have added that you can expect some of the leaf tips to be brown. They will start to bulb up later, it may be worth you giving them a feed now.

[Alison]

I gave mine a light feed on Sunday

[Jay22]

Excuse the ignorance here but what do you feed your garlic with? To my untrained eye I think mine are looking not too bad but who knows!

[Anita Plot]

Yes, what do I feed the on. I have pelleted chicken poo, Growmore and comfrey tea

[Mark Lottie]

looking forward to harvesting mine - I sowed 4 lots of supermarket garlic as well as normal sets. These were spanish grown garlic that apparently wouldnt survive the frost here but they look fine!

[Kirk]

Harvest mine usually around July or a bit later if they are looking good.
You do not want them to produce a flower head (scape) as that means they are into the flower and seed producing stage. And they use the growth in the bulb to make that.

I find that when the greenery has turned about 1/2 brown then that is a good time.

I planted a supermarket one, it is doing fairly good.
The proper one didn't get going at all well but I can see decent stems now.
The best so far was one from the market that was locally grown about 8-10 miles away. That one looks like it will produce some good results.

Just added a dressing of manure to the top of the soil for mine, it already had a bag dug in before they were planted.

As to pelleted chicken poo, Growmore and comfrey tea, yes they all will help, so scatter the first two over and water in with the third.

[Jay22]

Thanks for the info Kirk!

[beeterforit]

The end of June or July seems normal
I have a test dig with a kitchen fork to feel if the bulb has swollen if not I leave them a few more weeks

[muddled]

I harvest to dry and store in June/July.

However, I plant lots and use some as green garlic well before that. The taste is slightly sweeter and quite mild. Apart from the fact that I am as impatient as a child I find planting extra and using early means maximum production from a small space and a good use of beds over winter.

One last thing...
if we have a dry spring followed by a wet summer, garlic might split. So do be prepared for advice on harvest times to change. These 'rules of thumb' sometimes have to vary according to the weather.

[bramble]

Mark Lottie, garlic are frost hardy, if fact they need frost to split the bulb into cloves.

[Alison]

Mark Lottie, garlic are frost hardy, if fact they need frost to split the bulb into cloves.

Not all varieties are, the ones only recommended for spring sowing can't stand it very cold and I'm guessing that is what Mark was concerned about with his Spanish ones. We've had a pretty mild winter though so no guarantee it would have survived a proper cold spell.