Grow Your Own Magazine

I read somewhere, the BBC I think, that 'anyone can grow garlic, it's easy even for a beginner' well whoever wrote that obviously doesn't know me! What has happened to my garlic, the leaves are all turning yellow / brown and falling to the floor they shouldn't be doing that yet should they? I dug one up to check but there is hardly anything there - what have I done wrong can anyone tell me?

When did you plant them? Garlic is best planted in Nov -so that the frost gets on them (causes bulbs to split into cloves.)

Yes garlic will grow anywhere .... but really to get good bulbs you must grow them on rich well cultivated and weeded land. Then give them a feed in March. Impoverished land = poor garlic

Yes, they should be turning in about now.

Are the leaves covered in rust? or have they bolted? These are common probs that don't help swelling.

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Paul

Yes I would expect the garlic to be going yellow and dying down now. If they were planted November ot thereabouts they should be good by now. If the crop is poor - have they been drought stricken? They like to be well watered in the last few weeks. Can't think of anything else.
Mine were great last year, just grown in a container. See the 50p.in the pic.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Mmmm - I tried garlic (love the stuff) a few years ago and still have the remnants skulking in my garden. I pulled up a few bulbs but was so disgusted with how small they were I put most of them back in the ground with a Must Try Harder report card - but haven't pulled one up since! Maybe I'll go and have a furtle soon and see what they've been doing with themselves... But, now I've got you lot to tell me how to do it properly, I am inspired to try again from seed this November

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Warning: I have a dangerous tendency to act like I know what I'm talking about.

I planted some garlic bulbs last October, purchased from a garden centre. Over winter they have grown some big tops which are starting to look a bit yellow. I was told this is the time pull and dry them so I dug up one plant, I have about 25.
The result was a small (cherry tomato) size garlic bulb. They have had plenty of water from me, and the heavens, I am based in Peterborough.
A friend sugested they may have been planted to deep? or poor soil.

HI Stressedoutmum2, I can fully sympathise, as mine are exacly the same as yours, and I planted last oct/nov.
Mine are also going to seed.
I'm sure now that they haven't had enough watering during May.
My 'Milan' turnip have also bolted.

DOUBLE DRAT

I can sympathise will you all - duly planted my garlic in the Autumn and when I started to look at them in April, they hadn't divided into cloves. One time when the weather on the Isle of Wight is obviously a bit warm. We used them as 'green' garlic for a month or two, but by the middle of May they had gone over and tasted earthy, as well as the leaves yellowing. Strange that the garlic farm on the island manages it, but then we're further south than they are!

I haven't had a look at mine yet - the first leaves are only just going brown now. Should i yoink a couple out and inspect them?

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Updated 20th August 2008

Go for it!

Well thank you all, erm I think I may well have planted a little too late - duh! I am new to this and do have a tendency to just plant when I get them which I think was the beginning of the year (had just got my veggie patch finished after lots of preparation last year and guess I got a bit excited and over enthusiastic). Oh well that explains a lot, a little embarrassed now - think will mark my report card with MUST TRY HARDER too and plant appropriately later in the year - sorry to be a dummy

i have got a trough full and they are starting to yellow.but somebody sugessted to leave them in til july.

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joanne culyer

StressedOutMum2, the beginning of the year is fine for some types of garlic - you get some types for Autumn planting, and some for Spring.

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
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I used a Chinese garlic that I bought at a market stall year before last.

Planted in October and by last July the leaves were turning yellow so I lifted them. About half hadn't split off into cloves.

Saved the biggest bulbs with cloves and planted them last October.

Last weekend I lifted them and all of them have set cloves and got a better crop this time.

A couple of years ago I was listening to a guy on the radio from the biggest grow on IOW and he said that if you grom this way with garlic from a supermarket or such like, then by using the best to grow on, that the garlic adapts itself perfectly to your own particular region within 3 years.

As I don't seem to have any disease problems on mine, I'm doing the same this year and looking forward to see the results.

OH has just been presented with 92 bulbs and I've got another 50 drying out in the greenhouse, some for plaiting and some for planting on.

She tried this successfully last year (well sort of), she minced it up and put it in jars with white wine vinegar as a lazy garlic. Provided it's kept in a cool dark place it's fine.

However "well sort of" was because some of the jar lids were obviously not of a grade to stand up to vinegar and disolved. What a pretty shade of green those turned out. This year she is using pickling grade jars and lids.

I loathe garlic with a passion, but my kids love the stuff so I grow it for them....just so long as they collect it themselves from the lottie and don't visit me after they've eaten it. Trouble is it does so well on my plot. I shove the cloves roughly in holes, fumbling through thick gloves and holding them at arms length, then I try to forget it until harvest time, when I arrange to be as far away from my plot as possible - though the soil still stinks for weeks - and the stuff grows madly just to spite me. The trick is obviously to hate what you grow, it does far better than the things which have all my TLC.

So, this is roughly where you should be now with autumn set garlic.
You're not a dummy! I spent years labouring under the illusion that growing garlic was easier than falling off a log and being dissapointed with the marble I dug up....all because I was given the same poor info... Infact to grow it really well is a bit off an art.

PS you've gone all red...no need for embarrassment.

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Paul

Thank you to you all, I don't feel so bad now this is why I like this place - I am learning all the time

I've been doing the same as Stacey Steve. The first year I bought some garlic from the garden centre, then each year for the past 4, I have chosen the best cloves to plant on. It's looking really good this year, so I think it does get acclimatised.

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This was my second year at attempting garlic and I've had the same problem both times. Last year I put it down to the horrendous rainy weather (they were in a pot and got waterlogged). This year they're on the lottie, in a raised bed with BFB added before planting them in February. We did have frost after that to help them split and they grew away happily. Now though, they're all falling over, very thin and spindly having stopped growing a bit ago, and I just have marbles for garlic.

Is it worth me trying Stacey's idea and replanting some of these, or do I just start again and plant in October instead? I love garlic so am desparate to get them to grow for me!!

And stressedoutmum, at least you know you are not alone

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Hope it's ok to add a question. Mine is spring planted, when should it be ready for pulling?

Also if it does turn out to be any good and I save some for planting, can I plant in the Autumn or does it need to be Spring again?

Thanks

I must have been very lucky as planted the bulb we brought back (not on purpose) from a holiday in Annecy. I planted it in the Autumn left it alone and it has produced a reasonable crop.

Maybe it heard by allotment neighbour saying it will never grow as it was not bought from a supplier ..

I finally got round to pulling some up to inspect after Parrot's encouragement- it is nearly there! Some of them look a bit poorly and seem to be rotting around the base of the stalks. Hmmm...
Pics of the one I pulled up at Michelle's Garden: Allium impatience if you'd like to have a look!

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Updated 20th August 2008

Stacey Steve, just in relation to storing the garlic, does your OH mince it by hand in some way, or just peel and whizz through the food processor? It does sound like a useful way to go (I am after losing a lot which I plaited and stored in the shed - maybe 1/3 of what I had).

Winged One, poor lass, she spends hours peeling it and then as she has a mincer on her Kenwood, she puts it all through that, using the medium sized plate.

For minced garlic it is best to use the cloves from garlic that has been dried for a few weeks as if you were plaiting it. If you use it before it has been through the drying stage, then it is a bit wet and maked more of a paste but is still a good addition for stir fries, soups etc.

Evidentially there was a program on the TV the other night where the chef was using "wet garlic" and as a consequence a few of the girls at work have asked if I grow that type.

I have explained that it is just where it is a bit fresher than what you buy in the supermarket and have agreed to hand some over for them to try.

Ah - I guess that means I'd have to arrange a weekend in me ma's so - I have a Kenwood but no mincer on it but she has one on hers. I was thinking of just whizzing in the food processor - but it sounds like that's not the best idea.

I was terribly confused by the wet garlic last year and spent ages trying to take off the layers that would be papery if dried - Hugh fearliessly eatsitall (to use his appparent handle in here) was just using the whole lot this week so that's what I'll be doing before it dries this year.