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Grow Great Garlic!

Vampires beware… for the best crops, this is the time to get your garlic in
the ground, says Joyce Russell.

Varieties

Autumn planters
‘Vitesse’ is my all-time favourite as a large, well-flavoured, good keeper. Its purplish skins mean that the bulbs look lovely hanging in the kitchen. Unfortunately I’ve just lost my stock so will have to buy in a fresh supply.
‘Thermidrome’ is hardy and stores reasonably well, but it doesn’t produce such large cloves as some other varieties.
‘Purple Wight’ is a reliable variety that should store until Christmas of the following year.
‘Albigensian Wight’ can be ready as early as May and should store well into the new year.

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Good things in store

It is slightly embarrassing to be writing an article on growing garlic in a year when a large portion of my garlic crop failed. I comfort myself with the knowledge that I usually grow great garlic, and that there were extenuating circumstances that led to the failure of one of my staple crops. I also think that we learn from the mistakes of others, and no one should pretend to be perfect – so here goes.

Garlic should be one of the easiest and most rewarding crops to grow. Some varieties crop early, and others store very well. It is possible to grow a year-round supply, and it is perfectly reasonable to expect large flavoursome cloves.
I know people who have been put off growing garlic because they have only ever produced tiny bulbs, with cloves so small that they nearly disappear once they have been extracted from the skin. If this has happened to you, please do try again – great garlic should be within the scope of even the smallest of gardens or the most part-time of gardeners.

Autumn or spring?

Garlic can be planted in the autumn or in the spring, with most varieties falling into one category or the other. With a few varieties, it is said that they can be planted at any time from October through to April, but I would be wary of such claims. Such varieties will generally do better at one or other end of the time period, and in any case April is often too late to plant for a good crop in our climate.
Autumn planting tends to give larger, earlier bulbs, but some autumn-planting varieties don’t store so well. Also, if your soil is very wet and there is a high level of winter rainfall, an autumn sowing can suffer. Spring planting can give a good crop of bulbs to store right through until April or May of the following year, but if your soil is thin, dries out quickly, or is infected with any disease, it will result in a poorer crop.

Personally, I always grow bigger bulbs with larger cloves from an autumn planting, so that is my preference. The bulbs still keep for months in a dry place, and if you are lucky it lets you escape the ravages of white rot.

 

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Plan crop rotation

Harvest time

Bulbs start to swell in April or May with autumn-planted varieties. May or June sees swelling in spring-planted varieties. The next few weeks are crucial. In general, the longer you can leave the plants in the ground the bigger the bulbs will grow – up to a certain point! However, disease can lead to crop loss if the plants are left in the ground too long, and there are natural cycles within the plants that call a halt to growth.
Flowering spikes will be thrust up by any mature plant, or by younger ones that are under stress from lack of water or nutrients. Pinch out the flowering spikes before the buds open and you may push a bit of extra bulb growth out of the plants. Water is vital throughout the time the bulbs are swelling, but once they reach full size the ground should be left slightly drier.
When the leaves begin to yellow and fall over, the bulbs are fully formed. There is no point in leaving the plants in the ground any longer. Choose a good dry settled bit of weather to lift the crop. Always use a fork, as it is easy to pull the stems away from the bulbs if you just tug them out of the ground.
Spread the lifted plants to dry in the sun if possible. Rub any soil from the roots as soon as it is dry. Garlic can also be spread to dry in any covered space, provided humidity isn’t too high and ventilation is possible. When the leaves are crisp and brown, the crop is ready for storing.


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Use a large onion to weight the bottom of the string
Elephant garlic produces massive bulbs, but is mild-tasting.

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