Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Sadgit on July 13, 2010, 09:10

Title: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Sadgit on July 13, 2010, 09:10
Well after what is going to be a terrible year for almost everything at the allotment, at least the garlic is a massive success.

From 178 cloves planted, we have 173 good bulbs and only 3 had rotten. Last year from 80 about 45 had rotted… Some are fist sized and are now hanging in the garage. On Average you get 6 BIG cloves from this Porcelain hardneck garlic, so that equals ~ 1038 cloves. I plan to plant 500 of them in the autumn, not bad for an initial outlay of 30 odd quids.

Finally some success this year. Spuds look TERRIBLE, peas - what peas?, broad beans - dead, onions - size of marbles still, etc etc.

Weeds yet again are BAD this year and I think it is because I rotovate which I am 100% not doing this year/next as a test. Other plots the people visit even less than me and some are almost weed free...

anyway GARLIC photos.
(http://www.sad-land.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/gallery/garlic12072010/dscf4215.jpg)
(http://www.sad-land.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/gallery/garlic12072010/dscf4216.jpg)
(http://www.sad-land.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/gallery/garlic12072010/dscf4220.jpg)
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: sarah f on July 13, 2010, 09:18
wow they look fantastic, i  bet you are really pleased with that lot 
welldoneeeeeee
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Ice on July 13, 2010, 09:23
Wow.  When did you plant them?
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Hey Jude on July 13, 2010, 09:29
Yours are magnificent...............mine are not worth talking about!
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Sadgit on July 13, 2010, 09:41
:) thanks they were planted 10th October. Thank goodness for a dry few months.

I never had any luck with the soft neck types, but hardneck did so well this year.
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: mumofstig on July 13, 2010, 09:42
WOW great garlic...................and Sadgit is happy for once  :lol:
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: PennyS on July 13, 2010, 10:05
Wow they look fabulous.

But what on earth are you going to do with that much garlic!

My crop is a bit dismal - I planted some wildflowers too close and they dwarfed them!
 :(
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Sadgit on July 13, 2010, 10:17
hahaha yep was a happy bunny last night, this happy feeling is actually quite nice :D

We do like our garlic and it won't waste, but was thinking about selling some next year, but not sure if I will be allowed due to the allotment laws..
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Spana on July 13, 2010, 10:33
Are you going to auction them off on here. :lol: I'll put in a bid if you are :D
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: gypsy on July 13, 2010, 15:07
I have not pulled up my garlic yet, it is thse first time that I have grown it. There was one bulb that looked like loads of blades of grass so I pulled that up yesterday, it is about 10 cloves of garlic without the papery skin that holds all the cloves into a bulb.
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Trillium on July 13, 2010, 15:46
Very nice garlic, Sadgit. That's the thing - garlic prefers drier weather, while all the rest of your crops like it wetter. Except potatoes, which I find odd that you didn't have success with this year.

And yes, rotovating does turn up old dormant weed seeds. If you don't really need to rotovate, then don't. I do it myself because I'm constantly adding more manure and shredded leaves for better tilth in my pottery clay soil. If I had loam, I doubt I'd be rotovating even a quarter as often.
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Yabba on July 13, 2010, 16:41
Nice ;)

What variety of garlic are they? None of mine rotted, and only 3 or 4 bolted ( out of 150 I call that winning ), but they were all pretty small :(

That's the thing - garlic prefers drier weather, while all the rest of your crops like it wetter. Except potatoes

Really? ... Damn, why couldn't you have said that last december and again this april/may? :( Mine got watered every few days ( 3 to 4 ) because they were under cover in sandy soil with a drainage ditch underneath and I heard they were shallow rooted (like onions? ) so needed more water than most veg :-S

B*gger ... could you remind me again in december ... and again around april/may, I have a short memory? :D

¥
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Maccbean on July 13, 2010, 17:09
That is truly impressive!  I eat loads of garlic too, so will be looking to plant some this year.  Your cloves look massive, just how I like them!    ;)
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: mumofstig on July 13, 2010, 17:50
where did you get the Porcelain seed from, Sadgit?
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Sadgit on July 14, 2010, 09:52
I think they were called "music" porcelain garlic and got them from the Really Garlicky Company. Brilliant company.
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: compostqueen on July 14, 2010, 09:56
Brilliant crop  :D  All that garlic. Wow  :ohmy: 

My first three have been white with rot, awaiting the rest with bated breath (pardon the pun)  :D
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Maccbean on July 14, 2010, 10:46
I've just rung the Real Garlicky Company who took my details and will ring me when the garlic is ready to order.  V. excited now, I feel I'm moving to the more exotic! :lol:
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: sloegin on July 14, 2010, 10:53
Amazing!! What are the allotment rules?
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Lardman on July 14, 2010, 11:11
I've just rung the Real Garlicky Company who took my details and will ring me when the garlic is ready to order.  V. excited now, I feel I'm moving to the more exotic! :lol:

A good source doesn't always result in a good crop  :(

Mine was also music from the R.G.C. (who I cant recommend highly enough) but didn't do so well. http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=60068.0 (http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=60068.0)
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Maccbean on July 14, 2010, 11:14
A good source doesn't always result in a good crop  :(

Ah, but if I don't try, I'll never know! :)
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Cheshire Phill on July 14, 2010, 12:28

I've also had a fab garlic crop this year, just finished lifting yesterday. Approx. 100 cloves, all came on OK, no rot, some even came through as "twins" so I've probably got more bulbs than the cloves I started with!

No photos, SGs are too good, and all mine affected by rust, so so nowhere near as photogenic!! All bulbs good though, some nearly fist sized. Think mine were "Solent Wight" and Abigsenian"...will go and check.

Am trying "elephant Garlic" next season...

Phill :) :)
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: DD. on July 14, 2010, 12:32
Tried elephant garlic once.

That says it all.

In my opinion it's wonderful looking, but tasteless stuff.


But that's my view.
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: kermit on July 14, 2010, 13:18
Mine is looking good from what I can tell.  However, I pulled one around 3 weeks ago (couldnt wait!) and, whilst it was a decent size and healthy, it hadnt split into cloves.  Should they have split by now?  Planted sets in November.

I need to get them out to make space for my kale and PSB!!
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Christo on July 14, 2010, 13:28
Fantastic Garlic. Quite a result there. I look forward to seeing the expanded garlic farm next year.  ;)
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: hazie3 on July 14, 2010, 15:13
WOW! That is some impressive garlic. i know this sounds daft, but i've never thought about growing garlic and we love eating the stuff. going to read up on it and plant
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: arugula on July 19, 2010, 10:24
A great crop Sadgit and good sized bulbs.

We've had a successful crop and whilst I didn't take note of the varieties planted last year, I do keep a diary now for future refernece. I would say that having spent all that time over-wintering the crop, we wondered about the merits of doing this over leaving the ground to rest and planting in the spring (Same applying to onions and broad beans). The harvested bulbs are equivalent in size to the small bulbs you would get in the supermarket.

Or am I being too optimistic over what one can achieve growing on the west coast of Scotland?
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Jonajo on July 19, 2010, 10:42
yes elephant garlic, for me, is tasteless but it does look impressive. But roasted "normal" garlic (whole bulb) is a heavenly starter in itself with some olive oil and good bread.That yummy sweet, sticky texture it goes to after roasting is phenomenal. A wonderfully nice way to use up any glut.
Title: Re: Garlic Harvested!!! Woo hoo what a crop!
Post by: Trillium on July 19, 2010, 17:13
Elephant garlic is actually a misnomer as it's more closely related to leeks, hence the milder flavour. I too tried it....once.

Mostly I grow the variety Music as it's good for my area. I've tried quite a few other varieties but found they didn't keep well for me or for any length of time. Growers have better storage facilities which is why they'll have them. Hope to get to our annual garlic festival this year and try out yet a few more varieties. This year I won't buy a pound each of seed.  ::)