Here’s a pic of the garlic I fortunately dug before the rain!!

I just leave my garlic in the ground and use it as I need it.

yum. I love fresh home grown garlic.

Roughbarked, doesn’t it resprout if left in the ground?

Yes it will resprout just before the ones in the box in the shed do. you get a hea start on replanting. Of course you need a reasonably drained soil. A saturated soil would cause them to rot perhaps.

good crop orchid. luvly corms – and with so much you can throw away (or plant) the store stuff in the pantry. i guess you know to plat and hang in a dry, shady spot.

The reason I don’t dig my garlic is that the last time I did I have five beer cartons full of cleaned knobs and it was beautiful organic and large juicy garlic.. I had to give a lot of it away.. The pizza joints etc all have their own suppliers. I saw one supplier bringing in Zucchini and asked him if he wanted to buy garlic.. and he seemed interested but the next season he had started growing garlic as well.

roughbarked said:

The reason I don’t dig my garlic is that the last time I did I have five beer cartons full of cleaned knobs and it was beautiful organic and large juicy garlic.. I had to give a lot of it away.. The pizza joints etc all have their own suppliers. I saw one supplier bringing in Zucchini and asked him if he wanted to buy garlic.. and he seemed interested but the next season he had started growing garlic as well.

selling our excess garden produce is difficult. practically every crop provides surplus (if it grows at all). storage of garlic, onions, pumpkin and spuds is viable. processed cold storage of toms, basil and others is also worthwhile.

pepe said:

good crop orchid. luvly corms – and with so much you can throw away (or plant) the store stuff in the pantry. i guess you know to plat and hang in a dry, shady spot.

I had a go at plaiting the first lot and failed!! I hung it up though :)

I grew a lot more than necessary because it’s a good companion plant to my roses.
I’ll have another go at plaiting :)

Plait it the way a stockwhip is plaited.. and keep weaving new ones in as you go.

Speaking of garlic, does it become more pungent as it dries? Mine that I dug the other day only has a very mild aroma.

yes it does become more pungent after the tops fully dry off.

Cool. Unfortunately I won’t be able to attempt to plait….was a bit too late lifting them

AnneS said:

Speaking of garlic, does it become more pungent as it dries? Mine that I dug the other day only has a very mild aroma.

I read that you keep the leaves on until they have completely dried, as the bulbs draw in the juices and develop more flavour as a result. But I imagine that as it ages it also loses water and so the flavour would become more concentrated.

Thanks bluegreen…makes sense

if you can’t plait.. then get those string bags you buy onions in fill them with the garlic knobs and hang up in cool dry place

Thanks for all your input people:)

Good idea! Thanks for the suggestion

I will keep some of the garlic for next year’s crop, and bottle some of it in oil. Any more ideas?

orchid40 said:

I will keep some of the garlic for next year’s crop, and bottle some of it in oil. Any more ideas?

be careful with the bottling in oil. I believe if not done properly it can be a source of botulism.

bluegreen said:

orchid40 said:

I will keep some of the garlic for next year’s crop, and bottle some of it in oil. Any more ideas?

be careful with the bottling in oil. I believe if not done properly it can be a source of botulism.

Ooops – I think I’ve heard about that too :(

http://www.bloomingfieldsfarm.com/garbrdhow.html

For anyone else without a clue like me. (I can plait hair though!)