garlic is a disaster

[retropants]

well, i think that just about sums it up. for the first time in 21 years, I'll be eating supermarket garlic. not impressed. all bulbs are either rotten or so small that I cannot be bothered doing anything with them. It is always my most favourite thing to grow too, all that time, then you dig them up and they are all fat and smell wonderful. the weather earlier in the year has a lot to answer for.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Retropants, sorry to read your garlic is so bad, it's so annoying when you have waited so long for a crop.

Old Codger is disappointed with his, but at least he does have some salable ones.

[retropants]

I have 6 elephant garlic plants that I haven't yet dug. here's hoping!

thanks OH!

[Monika]

Our garlic is much small than last year's identical varieties - must be the lack if winter cold.

[Geoff]

I'm just letting mine rust away, haven't dared to look under the ground.

[old codger]

I have just dug my garlic up today,not brilliant but it's not to bad. I have still got my jumbo garlic in ,not sure when to lift them as they are still green,but last year when I left them in they nearly all split. Does any body know the best time to lift them, I would appreciate it if anyone could help me.

[Primrose]

My sympathies. Mine is so small and has shrunk even more after drying that it's not worth bothering with. This year was my first serious attempt at growing it and it has really put me off from bothering again.

[Chantal]

I lifted one variety (please don't ask which, but it's soft necked from IOW) and they're not as good as previous years, but mostly a reasonable size. I had checked a couple and they looked like they would rot if left, so out they came. Another soft necked variety is still growing, no sign of rot, but very small.

On the other hand, I've lifted 4 of the 30 Elephant Garlic and they are huge! I took off half the scapes this year to see if it makes much difference in the size. I usually leave them as the bees go mad for the flowers, but decided there was enough to cut some and still leave enough for the bees.

On that subject, once the flowers are in full bloom, I cut them with all the stalk and then just stick them around the garden pushed into shrubs. The look lovely, as if they had just grown there, and last for months with the bees busy on them every day.

[retropants]

wow, Chantal, that's a great tip about the flowers, thankyou! are you pushing the stem into the ground, or just floating in shrubs, so to speak?

[Ricard with an H]

This thread has provoked me to dig up some garlic, the stalks on some looked very loose and suggested something not-quite right.

The loose stalks had tiny slugs in them and right down to the bulbs, one bulb looked as if it had rot so I'm happy I pulled them early.

I took a photo to show you the green stalks which suggest I could have left them in the ground but would the slugs have taken over and the rot. I haven't read anything about slugs and garlic, not yet.

I'm sorry your garlic crop has been a failure, particularly as I'm moaning about mine and other than a few slugs I got them out just in time. Is this the trick ?

The soil in this bed is still on the sticky side so I'll add more sand, I get the feeling that sticky soil isn't good for anything even though it is rich.

What a great smell when you've lifted garlic.

The cloves in the basket are one I separated because of slugs in between the green and the outer cloves.

[retropants]

What a fabulous crop Richard, I'm suitably jealous! They look very fat & healthy, and I can just imagine the aroma

[Ricard with an H]

Thank you, I wasn't expecting a compliment though it does help because I often don't know what is above or below average. Or even average. The bed these have been grown in is producing red onions that are noticeably smaller than those in the next bed so any comment, good or bad, gives me an idea about my composting levels which have raised the odd eyebrow though I can't remember who it was has given me helpful warnings.

I'm very cynical about stuff being sold as specific nutrient and whilst it's all very well for me because I have a ready supply of composting material that possibly covers most of our needs I do feel that we are being targeted by naughty marketing claims.

I was also expecting you to say that I should have left them in the ground longer on the basis of the greenery, even at the risk of rot. Maybe a bit of rot is normal, I won't know unless I invite comment and as I said before there isn't anyone around here to help me.

I intend to make a garlic water slurry and water it onto the bed that gave me a lot of rot last year, this is apparently a cure. Both onions and garlic had rot to 50% of the crop in that bed.

[Chantal]

wow, Chantal, that's a great tip about the flowers, thankyou! are you pushing the stem into the ground, or just floating in shrubs, so to speak?

I'm just floating them in the shrubs, but visitors think I'm growing giant alliums

They last for months as they are pretty even when they dry out. My last lot went right through the winter as it was so mild.

[Redfox]

My garlic is a failure this year, never really had great crops of it but never as bad as this year.

[Ricard with an H]

Do you have any idea why ? Any changes to the soil and When you planted ?

Someone last year had planted winter garlic bulbs a little too late and whilst I don't know exactly when it's to late for me presumably this changes in different places.

I love having home grown garlic so I'm dreading having a poor year and am trying to collate any reasons for failure.

No one has yet mentioned slugs in garlic.