[wistow-wizard]

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.
A friend sugested thye may have been planted to deep? or poor soil.
Or is it early to dig them up?

Any garlic expert with some  advice.

[vegmandan]

Just give them some water and wait for them to fall over at the base to give you the best chance of making them bigger.

If they're still small and still standing then leave them to grow.

[compostqueen]

I grew some Solent Wight (free from Fothergills with Purple Wight) as did my lotty neighbour. Both crops were just rather small bulbs and we were disappointed at the size compared with the Purple Wight.  Mind you we soon changed our minds as they have such strong flavour and they store for yonks. I'm still eating them from last year's crop, they're in fine fettle and still very strong. They stink the pantry out. So, size isn't everything     Plus I still have two strings hanging in the shed

[Trillium]

It's true, some varieties just don't grow large, while others get quite huge. As long as the soil was well manured, watered often if dry, you'll get a bulb. I've got 2 types of very hot garlic, one is rather smallish, the other huge, but both are pretty potent. Depends where the garlic originated.

[helluvatractor]

i've got two elephant garlic plants, they were planted last oct i think.  the leaves are about as high as a small fully grown leek.  but it looks like they have rust is there anything i can do about that?
 :shock:
 also when do you know it is ready to dig up ?

[wistow-wizard]

Variety is Wight Cristo.
Pulled a couple and they tasted great, I have used the tops in salad, spring onion like, thats good as well.
Saw a piece on Hugh Fernley Wittingstalls Spring Cottage on green garlic and roasting in them in the oven, giving that a try too.
Tops are not yellow yet so I will keep watering and hope!!

[Scribbler]

I'ver got the same problem. The tops have fallen over, but this could have been the cats having a big punch-up the other night. I dug up a few, but still the size of cherry toms. Will give the garlic patch a bit of extra water and leave the rest in a few weeks longer to see if they get any bigger.

[Sir Growalot]

Lifted my garlic yesterday some good sized others smallish but size is not everything the most important is that you grew them, going to try german red next season anybody tried that before ??

[agapanthus]

I always understood that garlic was lifted when the tops had gone yellow/brown and strawy?

[Scribbler]

Yes but mine fell over before they went yellow and started to shrivel up. One was a nice size though.

I guess the same applies to shallots? Unlike the garlic, these are looking really good.

[Trillium]

Actually, once the tops start browning a bit, you can pull them anytime. The bulb growth has finished and leaving them until the tops are papery serves no purpose. They'll finish drying out of ground as well as in ground, except now you can put in some catch crops.