Elephant Garlic!

[ripley]

Hi

Been to lottie and my Elephant Garlic has a seed head developing, it is also happening with a number of onions!!?

Lots of different advice given- leave and pick as soon as possible. Pick the seed head off. Compost.

Any advice especially about the Elephant Garlic as it is huge and I only have one! ;)

[ripley]

[shirlton]

We always take the flowers off all of our aliums

[Ben Acre]

Remove the heads ASAP.

[ripley]

Thank you for your replies.

As I said someone adviced me to remove them where as other advice was leave it. However,  I removed it on onions but waited on Elephant Garlic until I checked on here.

Will it effect the storage of the garlic latter?

Thanks for your help I have so much to learn! Ripley

[Ben Acre]

Thank you for your replies.

As I said someone adviced me to remove them where as other advice was leave it. However,  I removed it on onions but waited on Elephant Garlic until I checked on here.

Will it effect the storage of the garlic latter?

Thanks for your help I have so much to learn! Ripley

Nope The stored Garlic will still store ok.

[Toadspawn]

You can use the developing flowers in stir-fries.

[1066]

Hi
as an experiment last year I took some of the heads off, and left others on. I couldn't see any difference in the garlic - taste, storing etc. The bonus was that I got 6 ft tall allium flowers  ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Allegedly, the bulbs are bigger if you take the flowers off. It makes sense, since making seed takes a lot out of a plant. The flowers - not the stems - are, as has been said, good in soups or stirfries.

[lavenderlux]

I wasn't particularly impressed with the flavour of elephant garlic but the flowers are lovely so I now keep mine growing for the flowers (much loved by bees).  I don't think it makes much difference to the size of the cloves whether or not you remove the flower buds)

[chriscross1966]

I wasn't particularly impressed with the flavour of elephant garlic but the flowers are lovely so I now keep mine growing for the flowers (much loved by bees).  I don't think it makes much difference to the size of the cloves whether or not you remove the flower buds)

Roast it in butter as unchopped cloves, spread on warm granary bread.... yum...

[realfood]

Ripley, the storage of elephant garlic is not affected by leaving the flower head on, as it comes from in between the separate cloves, as can be seen on the photo on the right side of this page :- http://www.growyourown.info/page145.html
This photo was taken in the following year as I had forgotten to lift this head of elephant garlic. You can see the remains of the flower spike after I had cut it down.
I find elephant garlic will easily store for years, an amazing achievement.

[Debs]

Going off on a tangent here but. . .

I have some garlic in fridge which is sprouting lovely healthy green shoots.

I know we should all use certified seed etc.. but will it grow if I plant it out??

Debs

[Vinlander]

Elephant garlic used to be infested with virus, but it was cleared years ago.

I suspect that you are safer if it comes from a commercial producer than if you get it from a neighbour - unless they can remember buying virus-free stock.

Cheers.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Lots of people grow shop garlic, and I haven't heard of any problems. Plant it and see.

[Debs]

Yup, nothing to lose I guess.

In it shall go tomorrow

Debs  :)

[1066]

found this photo from last year  :) tis my avatar  8)

[attachment=1]

[Debs]

Hi 1066,

Do you allow the flower to grow before harvesting the garlic?

or do you grow yours for flowers alone??

Debs

[1066]

Yes I let it flower before harvesting. I harvest half and let the rest go to flower. This year I'm growing it at home so I get to enjoy the flowers from the comfort of my sofa  :) So not grown purely for the flowers as I'll still use the garlic  :)

[pigeonseed]

It's a lovely flower 1066 - I thought it was chives when I saw your avatar.

I cut all the garlic buds off last week and ate them. It's nice to have sweet fresh garlic taste, as all the local shop garlic is a bit harsh and musty now. I ate the flower stems too, they were tender. But maybe elephant garlic is tougher.

I'm relieved that garlic isn't affected by flowering, I'd always assumed it was the same as onions. Good to know!  :)

[chriscross1966]

I dehead my garlic... last year the bulbs I let flower (as an experiment plus I was told that the bees love them as indeed they do) were smaller than the ones I pruned the heads off.... As next year I will have two rows of it (assuming I can do something about the white rot that seems to be lying in wait for us on our site) then I will let some flower in order to collect seed...... plus I'm hatching vague plan to keep bees.....

chrisc