Elephant garlic - what are these?

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by Fat Controller, Oct 13, 2015.

  1. Fat Controller

    Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Messages:
    27,607
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Public Transport
    Location:
    At me 'puter, GCHQ Ashford Office, Middlesex
    Ratings:
    +51,884
    We had a reasonably successful shot at growing Elephant garlic - three cloves = 3 nice big fat bulbs; the plants were lifted and then hung in a cool, dry place with good airflow to allow them to dry.

    Over the weekend, we decided to try some (very nice it is too!), and discovered that all of the bulbs grown had sprouted much smaller, clove like things around the bulb:

    2015-10-11 17.46.11-1.jpg

    2015-10-11 17.46.55.jpg

    What are they?
     
    Fat Controller, Oct 13, 2015
    #1 Quote in Conversation
  2. pete

    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2005
    Messages:
    50,490
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Mid Kent
    Ratings:
    +92,087
    Yep, I got loads of those also, wondered if they are worth planting?

    Wouldn't expect much from them in just one year though
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
      pete, Oct 13, 2015
      #2 Quote in Conversation
    • Fat Controller

      Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

      Joined:
      May 5, 2012
      Messages:
      27,607
      Gender:
      Male
      Occupation:
      Public Transport
      Location:
      At me 'puter, GCHQ Ashford Office, Middlesex
      Ratings:
      +51,884
      I have a rogue clove that has sprouted already in one of the barrels for a different type of garlic, so it seems that some of them are keen. I might plant some and see what comes of them
       
      • Agree Agree x 1
        Fat Controller, Oct 13, 2015
        #3 Quote in Conversation
      • JWK

        JWK Gardener Staff Member

        Joined:
        Jun 3, 2008
        Messages:
        32,103
        Gender:
        Male
        Location:
        Surrey
        Ratings:
        +48,995
        They will grow into full size elephant garlic eventually, I reckon about 3 years. Worth the wait though.
         
        • Like Like x 1
        • Informative Informative x 1
          JWK, Oct 13, 2015
          #4 Quote in Conversation
        • dalrimple

          dalrimple Gardener

          Joined:
          Oct 3, 2015
          Messages:
          17
          Gender:
          Male
          Ratings:
          +15
          I got 21 of mine last year so iv'e planted them some where i can keep an eye on em ,thev'e sprouted so i'll wait and see what happens
          they are not true garlic and infact are a leek and the bulblets are corms .
           
          • Informative Informative x 1
            dalrimple, Oct 14, 2015
            #5 Quote in Conversation
          • WeeTam

            WeeTam Total Gardener

            Joined:
            Mar 9, 2015
            Messages:
            2,381
            Gender:
            Male
            Location:
            Southern Scotland
            Ratings:
            +5,125
            Planted about 60 of these bulbils this year and will wait and see what happens.Your best planting these asap as once the skin has dried out they take ages to sprout. I found a few from last year that hadnt sprouted and the outer skin had only just broken down in 12 months ?
             
            WeeTam, Oct 14, 2015
            #6 Quote in Conversation
          • pete

            pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

            Joined:
            Jan 9, 2005
            Messages:
            50,490
            Gender:
            Male
            Occupation:
            Retired
            Location:
            Mid Kent
            Ratings:
            +92,087
            yep, noticed the skin was pretty hard.
             
            pete, Oct 14, 2015
            #7 Quote in Conversation
          Loading...
          Similar Threads - Elephant garlic
          1. Habanerohead

            Elephant Garlic from bulbils

            Habanerohead, Oct 15, 2017, in forum: Edible Gardening
            Replies:
            11
            Views:
            1,847
            JWK
            Jun 12, 2018
          2. SvenLittkowski

            WANTED: Giant Elephant Garlic

            SvenLittkowski, Jan 31, 2014, in forum: Wants Lists
            Replies:
            1
            Views:
            976
            JWK
            Jan 31, 2014
          3. josephine

            Elephant Garlic

            josephine, Jul 6, 2012, in forum: Edible Gardening
            Replies:
            2
            Views:
            679
            Scrungee
            Jul 6, 2012
          4. Steve R

            Elephant garlic

            Steve R, Jul 13, 2011, in forum: Edible Gardening
            Replies:
            10
            Views:
            4,036
            Steve R
            Jul 19, 2011
          5. TAL

            Large Elephant Garlic - with nobules

            TAL, Jul 2, 2011, in forum: Edible Gardening
            Replies:
            2
            Views:
            1,185
            Scrungee
            Jul 2, 2011

          Share This Page

          1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
            By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
            Accept Learn More...
            Dismiss Notice