Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
giving all the flavour of garlic without the hot 'bite', and can be used to make
superb pesto.
If the earth isn't allowed to dry out close to harvesting, the cloves will just start
to sprout again - and instead of a nice solid bulb you'll end up with a tight bunch
of tiny garlic plants. Beginning in June, reduce the amount of water the plants
are given. The leaves will begin to die back as the cloves develop and the plants
are usually ready to harvest any time from mid-June to early July. The stems of
elephant garlic will remain green, while 'normal' garlic types will fade and
become much lighter. If you see slugs around the base of the plants, it can be an
indication that the cloves are starting to grow out again and the plant should be
harvested immediately.
Harvesting and storage
When most of the foliage has turned brown, harvest garlic by loosening the soil
under the bulbs with a hand fork and lift the plant gently, leaving it on the
ground for a few hours to let the soil on the roots dry out so that it can be tapped
off. 'Wet' garlic (that is, straight from the ground) has a terrific flavour, but garlic
stores extremely well if it is cured first by leaving it in the sun with good air circu-
lation for two or three weeks, as for onions (see page 116). Plait the stems together
to make a traditional garlic string, and hang it in a cool, dry place where it will
keep until the following spring.
Elephant garlic usually produces small, round bulblets roughly 1-1.5cm across,
flattened on one side, as well as the big cloves. Often there are several of these
clinging to the larger head below the soil surface. They are encased in a tough,
light brown skin. If you want to grow from them, it's best to plant them immedi-
ately. If you have to wait, snip off the very top of the bulblet's tough outer skin
to help it grow, as the skin will become even harder over time.
Elephant garlic can be cured as described for onions (see page 116), but needs a
little longer to dry out properly. Stored in a cool, dry place, it will keep right
through to the following spring, but the biggest and best cloves should be
replanted in November.
Problems
Leek rust
,
onion fly
and
eelworms
.
Rust is particularly regarded as being a disease of garlic, although it can affect
any allium species. Don't use bulbs from affected plants as seed for the following
year, don't grow alliums of any kind for at least three years in a bed that has been
infected, and destroy any volunteer plants that come up in that bed during this
time.
