Garlic

'Albigensian' harvested July from outdoor crop.

A fantastic garlic crop this year both indoors and out.

Red Sicilian was grown in the polytunnel and was harvested at the end of June. The bulbs have been left to dry in the polytunnel but we have also been using them. The crop was followed with some young purple sprouting broccoli which is now making healthy sized plants, they will ensure we get a crop no matter the weather.

Outdoors I grew Albigensian, from my own saved cloves, and have had a successful crop of large bulbs, harvested in July as the foliage went yellow. Again drying in the polytunnel they are about to be stored in a cool dark place. The space they left behind was cleared and now has a selection of lettuces.

Last year as I harvested the bulbs I discovered that a number, particularly Early Purple Wight, had bulblets on the stem. These I removed and planted around the sides of shallow pots. When they began to sprout they were planted in their groups, but without the pots, in a spare part of the polytunnel. They produced this year either small bulbs with individual cloves, or large single cloves/bulbs. These singles will be planted outside this October. The others will be eaten!

As the Albigensian have produced bulblets I have done the same again. A useful way of increasing the crop!