Is it my imagination or did someone recently mention that their
experience of growing Marco was very unsatisfactory? The only reason I
ask is that I realise that I have planted Marco - and it's sprouting v.
well at present; this is the first time I have tried this type (Goodness
knows why I bought it - seduced by use of superlatives on the packet I
suspect - as I normally grow either Blanak or Solent Wight). Anyway -
any feedback on Marco would be helpful. At least I will be prepared :-))
--
Gopher .... I know my place!

Gopher wrote:
Is it my imagination or did someone recently mention that their
experience of growing Marco was very unsatisfactory?

If it is the post I'm thinking of, I'm afraid I can't remember the
poster, but it was in reply to me and the 2 garlics were lautrec and
solent white. (Cos they're the 3 I planted along with elephant garlic
this year)

"Gopher" wrote ...
Is it my imagination or did someone recently mention that their experience
of growing Marco was very unsatisfactory? The only reason I ask is that I
realise that I have planted Marco - and it's sprouting v. well at present;
this is the first time I have tried this type (Goodness knows why I bought
it - seduced by use of superlatives on the packet I suspect - as I
normally grow either Blanak or Solent Wight). Anyway - any feedback on
Marco would be helpful. At least I will be prepared :-))

It was I.

Yes Marco, compared to our Thermidrome and Germindour, was a complete
disaster for us last year, we got no proper heads at all and the plants grew
a bit and then stopped. But then we have had the same problem with Solent
White in the past too. (sorry!)
The strange thing is I obviously didn't get all the tiny bulbs of Marco out
of the ground before I rotovated it and we now have rather a number of Marco
plants growing as weeds, much better than they grew last year.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London

In message , Bob Hobden
writes

"Gopher" wrote ...
Is it my imagination or did someone recently mention that their experience
of growing Marco was very unsatisfactory? The only reason I ask is that I
realise that I have planted Marco - and it's sprouting v. well at present;
this is the first time I have tried this type (Goodness knows why I bought
it - seduced by use of superlatives on the packet I suspect - as I
normally grow either Blanak or Solent Wight). Anyway - any feedback on
Marco would be helpful. At least I will be prepared :-))

It was I.

Yes Marco, compared to our Thermidrome and Germindour, was a complete
disaster for us last year, we got no proper heads at all and the plants grew
a bit and then stopped. But then we have had the same problem with Solent
White in the past too. (sorry!)
The strange thing is I obviously didn't get all the tiny bulbs of Marco out
of the ground before I rotovated it and we now have rather a number of Marco
plants growing as weeds, much better than they grew last year.

Thanks Bob .... will try to remember to let you know how things go.
--
Gopher .... I know my place!

Gopher wrote:

Is it my imagination or did someone recently mention that their
experience of growing Marco was very unsatisfactory?

If I may, I'll add a small bit, from an area that may not have that much in
common with you (the Northeastern American colonies):
Garlic adapts to local conditions, so don't declare anything a failure (or
success!) until you've grown it a few seasons and re-planted your own
cloves. I only buy a bulb or two of a new variety, since that will
multiply into plenty of seed stock if it succeeds, and little lost if it
doesn't.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

jane wrote:
Oh and you have to remember to snip off the emerging flower
scapes when they look like swan necks next spring. They make
excellent pesto! That way, the bulbs bulk up.

Whilst we're on the subject ...

Garlic, onions and leeks, when they start going to seed or growing
flower heads or whatever, what, if anything, can be done to rescue
them or limit the damage?

My impression is - garlic, you can just leave it or cut it off (at which
point?) and they still grow fine, but not so well if you don't cut them;
onions and leeks, you can still eat them, but you can't store them once
they have started growing a flower stalk?

Am I correct? Is there anything to be done to prevent them going to
seed, and is there anything I can do on first spotting it happening?

My leeks have done rather badly this year. Don't know if it's the lack
of water, but I thought the soil they were in was better than
previously, but they seem to have stopped growing at about half an inch
thick, for some reason. :-

wrote:

Garlic, onions and leeks, when they start going to seed or growing
flower heads or whatever, what, if anything, can be done to rescue
them or limit the damage?

My impression is - garlic, you can just leave it or cut it off (at which
point?) and they still grow fine, but not so well if you don't cut them;
onions and leeks, you can still eat them, but you can't store them once
they have started growing a flower stalk?

Am I correct? Is there anything to be done to prevent them going to
seed, and is there anything I can do on first spotting it happening?

Mine store ok. I nip off the flower stalk as soon as it shows.

My leeks have done rather badly this year. Don't know if it's the lack
of water, but I thought the soil they were in was better than
previously, but they seem to have stopped growing at about half an inch
thick, for some reason. :-

Ditto - and most have thrown flower stalks. Leaks are fine apart from
the flower stalk is can be pretty inedible, and once you've removed
the stalk there often tends to be not much left.

In my experience onions vary. If you snip off the flower heads early, some
onions seem fine and store ok, others not. But then that's the same for
those haven't thrown flowering stalks :-)