I have a large garlic patch this year (approx. 300), a friend reckons
I should leave them in the ground to regrow next year... and they
should be even better than this year.

If I do this, I may harvest every second or third bulb and leave the
rest as suggested above.

Is this a good idea? Thoughts/suggestions appreciated.

"Jeßus" wrote

I have a large garlic patch this year (approx. 300), a friend reckons
I should leave them in the ground to regrow next year... and they
should be even better than this year.

If I do this, I may harvest every second or third bulb and leave the
rest as suggested above.

Is this a good idea? Thoughts/suggestions appreciated.

Each clove in a Garlic bulb grows into a new bulb so what will happen, and
would be happening already if you lived in the UK, is that the bulbs you
left in will split up into separate cloves and each will sprout. As they
have no room between each they will compete for the same nutrients and water
and none will grow very big at all, in fact they will be unusably small. I
tried it myself some years ago by mistake when I left one in the flower
border.

I plant individual cloves 9 inches apart in September/October to get them
growing well before the worst of the winter weather and harvest when the
tops brown/die usually in June. For you in Oz it will presumably be 6 months
different.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On Mon, 9 Dec 2013 08:39:21 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:

"Jeßus" wrote

I have a large garlic patch this year (approx. 300), a friend reckons
I should leave them in the ground to regrow next year... and they
should be even better than this year.

If I do this, I may harvest every second or third bulb and leave the
rest as suggested above.

Is this a good idea? Thoughts/suggestions appreciated.

Each clove in a Garlic bulb grows into a new bulb so what will happen, and
would be happening already if you lived in the UK, is that the bulbs you
left in will split up into separate cloves and each will sprout. As they
have no room between each they will compete for the same nutrients and water
and none will grow very big at all, in fact they will be unusably small. I
tried it myself some years ago by mistake when I left one in the flower
border.

I plant individual cloves 9 inches apart in September/October to get them
growing well before the worst of the winter weather and harvest when the
tops brown/die usually in June. For you in Oz it will presumably be 6 months
different.


Thanks very much Bob, exactly the info I needed.
The tops on mine are starting to brown... so it looks like I'll be
harvesting soon. I might go mad and plant three rows of garlic between
my fruit tree rows next year, seems to be a good market for it where I
live. Cheers.

On Mon, 09 Dec 2013 19:58:30 +1100, Jeßus wrote:


Thanks very much Bob, exactly the info I needed.
The tops on mine are starting to brown... so it looks like I'll be
harvesting soon. I might go mad and plant three rows of garlic between
my fruit tree rows next year, seems to be a good market for it where I
live. Cheers.

I wish you luck on that. Australian garlic is $14/kg last I noticed here.
I hope there is a good market for you, but ask around before spending the
$$$. Cousin decided it wasn't worth his effort as the market was
saturated when he crop came in.

"news13" wrote

Jeßus wrote:


Thanks very much Bob, exactly the info I needed.
The tops on mine are starting to brown... so it looks like I'll be
harvesting soon. I might go mad and plant three rows of garlic between
my fruit tree rows next year, seems to be a good market for it where I
live. Cheers.

I wish you luck on that. Australian garlic is $14/kg last I noticed here.
I hope there is a good market for you, but ask around before spending the
$$$. Cousin decided it wasn't worth his effort as the market was
saturated when he crop came in.

Ship it to the UK. :-)
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On Mon, 9 Dec 2013 11:55:02 +0000 (UTC), news13
wrote:

On Mon, 09 Dec 2013 19:58:30 +1100, Jeßus wrote:


Thanks very much Bob, exactly the info I needed.
The tops on mine are starting to brown... so it looks like I'll be
harvesting soon. I might go mad and plant three rows of garlic between
my fruit tree rows next year, seems to be a good market for it where I
live. Cheers.

I wish you luck on that.

Thanks.

Australian garlic is $14/kg last I noticed here.

The price varies wildly, as you would have noticed. I've seen it well
over $30/KG even in Tassie at times.

I hope there is a good market for you, but ask around before spending the
$$$. Cousin decided it wasn't worth his effort as the market was
saturated when he crop came in.

Not much cost involved (for me at least), more time than anything
else. If I could store them until the glut has passed, I could do
okay. I also had more in mind to sell/trade it locally and I shouldn't
have much trouble moving it that way.

Jeßus wrote:
I have a large garlic patch this year (approx. 300), a friend reckons
I should leave them in the ground to regrow next year... and they
should be even better than this year.

If I do this, I may harvest every second or third bulb and leave the
rest as suggested above.

Is this a good idea? Thoughts/suggestions appreciated.

No.

First there is the risk of rotting in a prolonged wet spell while the heads
are dormant.

If they survive the heads will all sprout from each clove and this is a
waste and it will crowd the next generation and you will get less next year
not more.

D

On 09/12/2013 08:39, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Jeßus" wrote

I have a large garlic patch this year (approx. 300), a friend reckons
I should leave them in the ground to regrow next year... and they
should be even better than this year.

If I do this, I may harvest every second or third bulb and leave the
rest as suggested above.

Is this a good idea? Thoughts/suggestions appreciated.

Each clove in a Garlic bulb grows into a new bulb so what will happen,
and would be happening already if you lived in the UK, is that the bulbs
you left in will split up into separate cloves and each will sprout. As
they have no room between each they will compete for the same nutrients
and water and none will grow very big at all, in fact they will be
unusably small. I tried it myself some years ago by mistake when I left
one in the flower border.

You will also get a fair number of flower spikes. I usually miss one
somewhere along the line and get a patch of garlic flowers next year.

I have a curious sport too. Most produce flowers and set seed, but the
odd one appears to grow the same basic structure and turn magically into
little bulblets at the top. I don't know if that is because my originals
have outscorssed with something or what.

I plant individual cloves 9 inches apart in September/October to get
them growing well before the worst of the winter weather and harvest
when the tops brown/die usually in June. For you in Oz it will
presumably be 6 months different.

Still time to plant them in the UK amazingly mild and warm and sunny
again outside. It was still 10C yesterday morning though slightly cooler
at 6C this morning it is now warm outside in the sunshine!


--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On Tue, 10 Dec 2013 08:23:18 +1100, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

Jeßus wrote:
I have a large garlic patch this year (approx. 300), a friend reckons
I should leave them in the ground to regrow next year... and they
should be even better than this year.

If I do this, I may harvest every second or third bulb and leave the
rest as suggested above.

Is this a good idea? Thoughts/suggestions appreciated.

No.

First there is the risk of rotting in a prolonged wet spell while the heads
are dormant.

If they survive the heads will all sprout from each clove and this is a
waste and it will crowd the next generation and you will get less next year
not more.

Thanks. I was somewhat sceptical of my friend's idea, which is why I
posted the question. I'll be harvesting within the next week by the
looks of it.