[Sadgit]

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.

[sarah f]

wow they look fantastic, i  bet you are really pleased with that lot 
welldoneeeeeee

[Ice]

Wow.  When did you plant them?

[Hey Jude]

Yours are magnificent...............mine are not worth talking about!

[Sadgit]

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.

[mumofstig]

WOW great garlic...................and Sadgit is happy for once  

[PennyS]

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!
 

[Sadgit]

hahaha yep was a happy bunny last night, this happy feeling is actually quite nice

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..

[Spana]

Are you going to auction them off on here. I'll put in a bid if you are

[gypsy]

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.

[Trillium]

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.

[Yabba]

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?

¥

[Maccbean]

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!   

[mumofstig]

where did you get the Porcelain seed from, Sadgit?

[Sadgit]

I think they were called "music" porcelain garlic and got them from the Really Garlicky Company. Brilliant company.