Garlic

[judimac]

My garlic is begining to lie down! I thought the yellowing of the leaves was due to the perishing winds we had a few weeks ago, but I'm begining to wonder if it's just that it's ready for lifting? I planted it in October.

[2dogs]

sounds like there ready, altho a bit early, id dig one up and have a look.
fingers crossed

[John Roundhill]

I planted my garlic in October and harvested it last weekend. I had fantastic results and 200 heads are now drying in my greenhouse. When fresh they are lovey baked in the oven with olive oil and squeezed out onto crusty french bread.

JR

The Vegetable Bed

[Canucksintheuk]

Do you have to wait for all the leaves to brown? I found a lovely row of garlic in our new allotment - have never grown it before so have no idea!

as for roasting it in the oven - if you like soft goats cheese - mix the roasted garlic with that - it's lovely on a good cracker Even better with some artichoke heart on it

[Mikey & Annie]

I planted some home-grown garlic cloves and dug one up last week. I don't know if it's malformed or just too early. There was no bulb - it just looked like a baby leek. Any ideas?

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Mikey & Annie, sorry I missed your post yesterday! When did you plant the garlic cloves because they need a long time in the ground??

[Mikey & Annie]

The garlic was planted about October 2009.

[Hollie the Wollie]

Sorry to hijack the post - I have a head of garlic in my fridge that is obviously very old. It was right up the top in the door shelf and I only know it's there now as it's started to sprout bright green shoots - they must be over 2" long.

Can I plant this in the garden?!

[Shetty]

Yes Hollie, go ahead, I did it a couple of times and allthough it's the wrong time of the year, I think, to grow proper garlic bulbs, you can use the green shoots like spring onions - with a twist
Just break up the bulb into its cloves and stick them in the ground like you do with onion sets.

[Hollie the Wollie]

Oooh okie doke! I will give it a go. I'm running short on space so I will put them in amongst some of the other veg and keep my fingers crossed! Thanks

[Lesley Jay]

Originally Posted by Mikey & Annie

I planted some home-grown garlic cloves and dug one up last week. I don't know if it's malformed or just too early. There was no bulb - it just looked like a baby leek. Any ideas?

Hi Mikey & Annie, well you planted your garlic out at the best time of the year as it needs cold weather for vernalisation to encourage the cloves to form but rather than having nice weather during the spring we had dreadful wet and cold weather which can be the cause of a poor harvest. Using garlic cloves that were saved from the previous years harvest can also cause problems. Home grown garlic that hasn't formed cloves can apparently be saved and planted out again in the autumn which is supposed to give good sized bulbs the following year.

[Mikey & Annie]

...will try that if I give em more time and still no go - I take it you just leave em in the ground rather than dig em up, chop the leaves and stalk off and then replant in autumn?

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Mikey & Annie, this is something that I haven't tried but I've read about it - although there were no details, so I would try your suggestion. Let's hope you get a bumper crop!

[Mikey & Annie]

Everything comes to he (and she) who waits.

Harvested around 40 healthy garlic bulbs yesterday - almost a year's supply for us.

Will be replanting some of those cloves later this year.

[Ace]

Originally Posted by Mikey & Annie

Everything comes to he (and she) who waits.

Harvested around 40 healthy garlic bulbs yesterday - almost a year's supply for us.

Will be replanting some of those cloves later this year.

A year's supply? How will you keep them for a year? Do garlic bulbs once dried last ages?

[Mikey & Annie]

I meant a year figuratively speaking because we use so much of it - but when these were split and sown last winter they looked as if they'd last for a few more months. I bent the stalks over and hung em in the brick outhouse where it's dry. Does anyone have any experience of how long garlic can be stored?