[smc]

is this true any one???   my onions and garlic are about 2 months old in the ground and going great guns really, but some body told me and have seen a picture of some one cutting the tops of the green shoots whilst in the ground?? think only a inch or so maybe just the little brown tips   does any one know better?             blooming rain had my whole weekend pllanned

[Yorkie]

I've never heard of it and can't quite see the rationale for doing that, but others may be wiser than i am

[Swing Swang]

I think that you can eat the immature flowiering heads and stems of (query softneck) garlic. Maybe this is what is being talked about.

Regards,

SS

[Laverne88]

My garlic has been in since about October and I'm not touching it until the tops start going dry............ unless I run out if garlic in the kitchen, of course!

 

[zazen999]

Only nip the flower stems out if they bolt....never heard of taking the leaves off. Are they getting confuddled between people who chop back the leaves of leeks when transplanting?

[mumofstig]

Are they cutting the flower scapes off,  have a look here
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=16228.0 for an old thread about them

[Trillium]

On garlic, you want only to remove the flower scape, which if allowed to grow, will diminish the size of the bulb below.
As for onions, in North America it is very common practice, commercially and domestically, to cut the tops off YOUNG seedling onion plants to about 2-3" tall to encourage more root growth. But it's not done once the trimmed youngsters are in the ground and growing. If you have any brownish tips on growing onions, just ignore them. The plant will  sort itself out.

[Swing Swang]

Scapes! That was the word I was after.

Anyone tried them though?

SS

[Sue32]

what is softneck garlic?  I've also heard of 'green' garlic as being very strong but what is meant - can you un-confuse me please.
I've planted Christo and Arno -  do these terms apply to theses varieties do you know?  Are they strong flavoured

[Trillium]

Scapes are the unopened flower buds of garlic and are very nice used in stir fries. You still get the garlic taste but not quite so potent.

Softneck garlic is the specific type (not variety) that is grown in more tropical climates where they actually have less daylight than our northern climates. The plant is keyed to the daylight times and won't do as well in our northern areas. They'll grow but not as well.
Green garlic could just be the flower scapes, or perhaps garlic chives.

Strong flavoured garlic is specific to varieties but I'm not familiar with the 2 you mention.

[HLS]

My vegbox (I'm not even trying to be self-sufficient in vegetables this year) should have some green garlic in it this week, but by the time I see it I'll be away from the computer for the weekend.  I'll report back if no-one else has replied before I return!

From the description, it sounds like garlic harvested young, before the foliage dies back (so probably not much in the way of bulb), but I'm not sure.  The vegbox company definitely didn't mean wild garlic, as they sent out a recipe that included both.  They seem to use 'green garlic' and 'wet garlic' interchangeably - that is, unless I've completely misunderstood and there's another sort!

[Ropster]

Im prety sure green Garlic is just garlic picked early (ie wet garlic)

[mumofstig]

Im prety sure green Garlic is just garlic picked early (ie wet garlic)

That's right   Similar looking to a leek, but with garlic taste, mine tasted a bit milder than normal i think

[Paul Plots]

Every year I keep a look out for and snap off the unopened flower buds on my elephant garlic. Doing this seems to help give a better sized crop later on. 

[realfood]

Taken from my website:-
There are two types of Garlic available for growing. They are :-

Hard-neck Garlic  (allium sativum ophioscorodon)

This is the best one for Amateur growing, as it has bigger cloves and fewer of them, and a stronger taste. It is also easier to peel the cloves for cooking. It is called a hard-neck garlic as the stem is hard and stiff like a pencil. It also carries a flower stalk or “scape” with a bud at the top, which can  form “bulbils”. In addition, bulbils are sometimes formed some way up the stalk. However, for the biggest crop of garlic, it is best to take off the buds as soon as they appear, and use them as flavouring.

Hard-neck cultivars include “Christo”, Porcelain Garlic,

 

Soft-neck Garlic  (allium sativum sativum.)

This is the one that you are likely to find on sale in the Shops having been imported from France, Spain or China. It does not carry a flower stalk. The “soft neck” is in fact the dried flat leaves, and these are the ones used to form into “plaits”, though I do not think that it is worth the effort.

Soft-neck cultivars include “Germidour and Thermidrome”.

In the UK, both types are available from suppliers for planting in the late Autumn.