Best Garlic To buy ?

Looking at the http://thegarlicfarm.co.uk/TSeed-Ga...Garlic--Sow-Garlic--Isle-of-Wight-Garlic.aspx and not too sure which, so garlic experts to the fore ,soft neck ?,hard neck ?,elephant ?.
I usually plant what to hand ,last year I had 2 huge bulbs from France ,they grew but not as big as originals, shop bought, usually get a usable amount.This year will be looking for more bulbs so shopping early.

 

I cannot tell you, but I can say I'm going to stick to hard necked jobs from now on. These do not have those fiddly cloves close to the stalk that are a real pain to peel. but a lesser number of larger useable cloves and I found my hard necks were clear of onion white rot whereas the purple Wight succombed although they were grown in the same bed.

Cheers, Tony.

 

I have read that once you have one that you like you should replant from that and over time it will adapt to your local conditions.

So perhaps buy one-of-each and see how they perform, and then keep that one going in future?

I'm not a big an of starting with Garlic from the supermarkets (not that you are planning to) as it will often have been grown in, and suitable for, a completely different climate

 

So try a variety pack and work from there

 

Generally the are good value for money too, so you'll get all the garlic you want, in several varieties, and can then choose what works best next season.

I think I'll do that too! We must be close to the buying-time for Garlic for Autumn planting ?

 

I bought my garlic bulbs from an organic grower who had a stall on Orton Farmers Market. While the offspring were not as large, they have produced a bit of a mystery.

Where I was expecting there to have been a flower head, had I left them in the ground long enough, there's a small cluster of tiny bulbs. You can see one trying to burst out of the stem in this picture. The bulb just below the stem on the right has come from another plant. So, do I plant these this season, or do I split the bulb as I did to begin with?

I grew two varieties last year, and only this "Old English" one has produced these tiny bulbs...

Regards,
Steve

 

I had those on the ones from France ,I pushed them into the soil ,and marked the spot. I thought they were bulblets like you get on Elephant Garlic ??

 

I've done a bit of Googling and came up with how they do it in California Dunno how much relevance it'll have with the UK. I'm not sure that last year was such a good season; too much rain and not enough warmth in spring and early summer. Hopefully,
might be better next time round.

However, it still sounds like a lot of patience is required for garlic. Some of the nicest I've tasted has in fact been bought in Aldi, with a grown in China label on them. (I know, heresy!) Never been keen on the Spanish grown ones.

Regards,
Steve

 

I buy my garlic in Aldi. Spanish as you say not good,

 

But I've also heard that some Scottish garlic growers get their seed garlic from Canada as that grows more productive crops than locally grown seed garlic.

Yes, try (and keep trying) several varieties of both hardneck & softneck garlic each year, both with autumn & winter planting until you find what you like/works best fot you.

Softnecks are supposed to store better than hardnecks, so may be (doubly) better if spring planted for a later harvest, but as mentioned above can have lots of fiddly, small cloves, but a garlic press makes short work of those.

I plant the vast majority of my garlic in autumn, but if you're interested in a cheapish spring planting collection (especially if you've a £5 voucher code from T&M's latest catalogue), this seems like good value to me (I ordered a few packs when they were 20% off last weekend and got them at 9 bulbs for £5.19 +P&P): http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vege...arlic-sets/spring-garlic-collection/aww4118TM

Cristo is my favourite softneck for both autumn & spring planting. Cristo (softneck) garlic cloves are normally all of a good size. Here's some Taylors Cristo bought last year (3 bulbs for £2.99), showing the size of cloves :

 

I've found my previous post about Garden Centre Cristo Garlic:

 

Yes