[Embeth]

Hi all

I'm a new lottie holder and going to plant our first crop of winter onions and also some garlic, my question is which is the best garlic variety to use?

Thanks for reading

Liz

[DD.]

Music!!

[mumofstig]

Music has large bulbs, with very large cloves...it is lovely.

Solent Wight has the same size bulbs, but smaller cloves (when I've grown it) is also lovely

This year I'm trying Purple Wight, an earlier variety

There are lots to choose from, and how they perform depends to some degree on soil and local climate....so each person's 'best one' can differ....as long as you grow a variety froma UK supplier you should be ok. Just don't be tempted to try supermarket food grade cloves - they are seldom successful

[compostqueen]

Purple Wight is very good too.

Solent Wight is a good one and I'm really pleased with this year's crop.  I'd have no hesitation in recommending it and will be growing it again in Spring.  I shall be growing a load of other varieties too, possibly Chesnok, Purple Moldovan, Lautrec Wight. The Garlic Farm is a good website to check out

[DD.]

Just to expand on "Music".

Mos touched on the large cloves. We've just used one for two meals - they really are that large, no piddly peeling jobs.

Check out the Really Garlicky Company website.

[sunshineband]

I like chesnok, which I get from the Garlic Farm (other places sell it too) because it is reliable, a good colour and has medium sized cloves 

[BabbyAnn]

I like Music too.  Last year I bought a multi-bulb pack from Suttons and out of the 4 varieties, I was really taken with the Illico (it is ready by a good 3 weeks before the others which was very handy) and Purple Wight (cloves as big as the Music)  Jolimont also did well, but the Solent Wight was pretty pathetic in comparison.

[savbo]

Jolimont did well for me, with Germidour smaller but a nice purple one. I've just received lovely bulbs for this year of the same plus Arno which I grew the year before...

[Sue33]

we tried elephant garlic this year without success, i think because the ground was quite wet through the summer it didn't clove at all, dug two up last week, tennis ball size which is ok, just won't store very well, it's currently in the bottom drawer of the fridge and i've used 1/4 in a bolognese and 1/4 in stir-fry - very mild but won't bother next year...

[Embeth]

Thanks for all of the replys! I think we are going to try Solent!

Liz


I must upload my allotment transformation pics only had it a month and all ready have a shed, hen house, hen run and mostly dug over!!

[compostqueen]

I am especially pleased with my Solents. They look perfect and would win any show I reckon. I bought this one home yesterday and it's been in my shed. The whole crop is this size and condition, so I'm well pleased


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[DD.]

My Music:

[Sue33]

they both look really good - must write that down, Solent and Music - can you get them from local garden centres or are they mail order only ?

[JayG]

I did successfully grow supermarket garlic this year and having "got away with it" I'm tempted to re-plant it next year, if only because I'm slightly spooked by all these tales about onion white rot appearing on people's plots.

On the other hand, DD's "Music" sounds good to my ears, even though he's clearly been raiding some poor little kid's "play-money" box!   

[mumofstig]

we tried elephant garlic this year without success, i think because the ground was quite wet through the summer it didn't clove at all,

Elephant garlic doesn't divide into cloves, it is closely related to leeks and like them it just grows a bulb at the bottom