How much garlic are you growing?

[maytreefrannie]

Off to the Garden Centre today - I have some planted in pots since Autumn, but since reading this thread I'm salivating, so I'll see if I can get some more for Spring planting.

[Eden]

If you love garlic then try this, my Italian friend used to make this for me when he was over here, toast a couple of slices of bread, then cut into triangles corner to corner-wise. Gently rub a peeled (and sliced in half to expose more garlic juice!) garlic clove over the toast. Take a couple of medium sized tomatoes and cut up as small as possible without the actual tomato mushing up, place in a bowl. Take 2-3 cloves garlic and slice as thinly as possible (you can use more or less garlic here, depends on how much you like raw garlic! I use about 6!) Add the garlic to the tomatoes, sprinkle over a good pinch of salt, and a good drizzle of olive oil. Stir and leave to infuse for 10 minutes (if you can wait that long!). Spoon the tomato mixture onto the toast and eat as fast as you possibly can! Yum yum!!! You can always make double/triple amounts, I also add a little bit of fresh chilli sometimes, but it's the garlic I'm wanting to taste here!! Hope you like it guys!

[Iamhanuman]

stick some basil on there too Eden
you'll never turn back
YUM

[Crundy]

Yes, I love Bruschetta too. I usually add olives as well.

[Irie Jan]

I planted some garlic cloves back in late August/ september time, 1st time I ever tried. Got a bit nosey the other week to see how they were doing. I lifted just one shoot, which is nice and green and about a foot tall above the ground. I was dissapointed to find nothing more, than what looks a bit like a spring onion

How long should they take to grow into full sized bulb's with cloves?

[Eyren]

They won't be ready until at least June, Jan - and with the cold spring we've had so far, July might be a better bet! Once the weather warms up they should put on a spurt of growth and start to fatten up

[Irie Jan]

Thanks Eyren!

I just wanted to try a few to see how they go! I will be planting some more so I get another crop. I did not want too many all at once because is only me

[OverWyreGrower]

i planted three bulb's worth in various places and feel a tad inadequate after seeing numbers in their hundreds here! but hey it's my first year, i'm practising

We use about a bulb of garlic a week in our house, sometimes more... we've got 100 cloves planted, so technically that should last us all year, but the reason for me planting that many is so that if any fail, I'm not left completely garlic-less, as I'd cry!!

[Irie Jan]

We use about a bulb of garlic a week in our house, sometimes more... we've got 100 cloves planted, so technically that should last us all year, but the reason for me planting that many is so that if any fail, I'm not left completely garlic-less, as I'd cry!!

Doh... And I thought that it was Onions that made you cry, not having no garlic! lol Mind you I know where your coming from I love my Garlic as well. I often use it. it's anoying when you want some and you have run out Thats enough to make any garlic lover cry!!

[OverWyreGrower]

Doh... And I thought that it was Onions that made you cry, not having no garlic! lol Mind you I know where your coming from I love my Garlic as well. I often use it. it's anoying when you want some and you have run out Thats enough to make any garlic lover cry!!

I won't tell you how many onions we've got planted for just the two of us!!! You would cry then!!

[gojiberry]

Bought another two bulbs yesterday and split it into 30 cloves whick I have planted up into individual pots. I wasn't going to get any more as I have about 150 already on the go. However I was thinking I could put a few extra in between the rows of carrots to deter the carrot fly.

Ian

[Iamhanuman]

don't try and make us think it's about the carrot fly Gojiberry!! Just be honest, you are a garlic nut like the rest of us!!!

[nilling]

Just wish i had planted my garlic in containers rather than my raised beds now - n00b error!! You people are growing an awful lot of garlic lol

[Iamhanuman]

i think you can get away with them in raised beds nilling.

[Eyren]

Not a n00b error, nilling - the only error is in assuming that the folks doing it in containers have found The One True Way

I grew garlic in my raised beds last year and they were my best crop so far, much better than the ones I'd planted on the allotment. I planted the cloves around the edges of the beds where I grew my outdoor toms, as that's another good companion combination.

It really depends on your local conditions. In a cold wet summer like the ones we've had recently, garlic may not do well in a heavy soil. My raised beds are a mixture of soil and compost, so they are fairly light and well-drained, as well as warmer than the soil. So, on the whole, raised beds are a perfect place for garlic!