[Bombers]

WOW Bombers what beauts....might have a prod at mine tomorrow, but i'm not expecting anything like yours ...I've not got good soil YET!!!

They're all hanging in my garage at the moment, and I can smell them through the door.. hehe! 

[Annie]

I haven`t harvested mine yet apart from a few eaten green,When the folliage really starts to fade pull them out and hang them in bunches bulb down somewhere warm and dry.I use the greenhouse.When the outer leave dryyou can peel a few away and trim off the roots and the top of the plant,the plait if you have the patience are rehand in bunches.I have an oldfasioned larder(cool but never really cold) and my garlic will keep in there until feb/march when it tries to sprout,most people s keeps until Christmas.I also dosome lazy garlic and frozen garlic butter to fill the gap.

[Bombers]

I haven`t harvested mine yet apart from a few eaten green,When the folliage really starts to fade pull them out and hang them in bunches bulb down somewhere warm and dry.I use the greenhouse.When the outer leave dryyou can peel a few away and trim off the roots and the top of the plant,the plait if you have the patience are rehand in bunches.I have an oldfasioned larder(cool but never really cold) and my garlic will keep in there until feb/march when it tries to sprout,most people s keeps until Christmas.I also dosome lazy garlic and frozen garlic butter to fill the gap.

I plaited my garlic crop last year, and we are still using them. Albeit some have sprouted. I just hang them over some wire in my garage to dry. It is quite cool in there, and when they are dry and the skin/leaves are papery, I will plait and hang them up for future use.

[Paul Plots]

My OH has sliced and frozen raw onion to be used for cooking during the year - we'll see if it works later

I lifted my garlic a couple of weeks ago - looked as it it was ready - no problems.

Elephant garlic also up and drying - pretty good results.

I have added composted grass to the ground for the last four years - it doesn't seem to have had an adverse effect 

[zazen999]

Germidor were good for me too this year - these were lifted 2 weeks ago and I've given a few away, strung a few up and the rest have been opened up and are being used in the kitchen. I open them and save the biggest for next year's sowings [in September].

I've also attached a little pic of the mixed alliums i took to my brother's last weekend - was cute to have the nieces playing with the garlics like drumsticks and ooh ing and aah ing over the onions.

[lacewing]

I also lost three quarters of my overwintering onions and garlic to white rot this year. The shallots fared a little better, only the odd one here and there were affected. Anyone know what causes this disease, does it come in with the sets, is it in the air,  the soil or what??  I know that disease stays in the ground for many years. I seem to recall reading something (which I didn't quite understand) about planting onions, leaving them to grow for a while to activate the disease and then take then out so that the disease can't thrive and the spores will die. I must say I find this hard to belive. Has anyone else heard or read this?

[zazen999]

I also lost three quarters of my overwintering onions and garlic to white rot this year. The shallots fared a little better, only the odd one here and there were affected. Anyone know what causes this disease, does it come in with the sets, is it in the air,  the soil or what??  I know that disease stays in the ground for many years. I seem to recall reading something (which I didn't quite understand) about planting onions, leaving them to grow for a while to activate the disease and then take then out so that the disease can't thrive and the spores will die. I must say I find this hard to belive. Has anyone else heard or read this?

If you look at SG's post earlier, this is the same principle.

[mumofstig]

WOW Bombers what beauts....might have a prod at mine tomorrow, but i'm not expecting anything like yours ...I've not got good soil YET!!!

They're all hanging in my garage at the moment, and I can smell them through the door.. hehe! 

I was right....they are nothing like yours ........I'm assuming you have good soil but do you use any fertiliser as well? Any tips would help, or i don't think i will bother again

[Annie]

Is this your first time of growing garlic?

[Bombers]

WOW Bombers what beauts....might have a prod at mine tomorrow, but i'm not expecting anything like yours ...I've not got good soil YET!!!

They're all hanging in my garage at the moment, and I can smell them through the door.. hehe! 

I was right....they are nothing like yours ........I'm assuming you have good soil but do you use any fertiliser as well? Any tips would help, or i don't think i will bother again

Yep, the soil is pretty decent stuff, It was actually 'virgin' and nothing went into the soil until after winter. I 'mulched' the whole bed with well rotted cow poo (in February). I must've been lucky with them? Then again my onions turned out pretty good too? I thought it was just a good year.



  So, I'm a very happy bunny! 

[mumofstig]

OK you can stop gloating now don't think it was luck..think it was cow poo!!

I'm too frightened of using manure at the mo because of the herbicide problem, i'd have to buy it in by the bag and you just can't tell  what's in it (apart from manure )

[Annie]

Try chicken manure pellets,you just rake into the soil a week before planting,don`t give up on any vegetable unless you dont like it,If we went on one years results the would be very few of us growing potatoes!

[Celery]

The eldely plot where I am say never grow overwinter onions because they allways get disease.

          celery

[NigelB]

The eldely plot where I am say never grow overwinter onions because they allways get disease.

          celery

Hmmmm. My overwintered onions and garlic turned out fine, looking much like Bombers' results.
Mine have filled the overhead wires in the shed, the top bar on the greenhouse staging, and have spilled over onto the straw I use for the chicken's bedding.
 Very definitely my best year yet, after digging in the contents of our compost heap last autumn.
... I honestly hadn't realised garlic grew that big. 
This years' planting sets are pre-ordered, and I'm already an Onionaire. 

[Ivor Backache]

This is the first time that I have experienced white rot. Lost about15% of Bedfordshire Champions. Came to my notice last month and have been checking constantly. Give them a little tug and those that come out will have the rot. Consequently I have lifted all of them and they are drying out. Still noticed the white fluffy fungus and have burnt them as well. The red onions (mammoth red) are unaffected and were grown with the white.  Is that luck or are the red onions more resistant?