Garlic golfball
Written by: adekun on 2 August, 2007 11:01 am - Filed under: blog
The garlic along with the onions has been hanging around outside to cure. Yesterday the remaining garlic was checked, cleaned and boxed. There was a spell of exceptionally humid weather which got to a couple of cloves; it could be they were bruised. A few of the onions which were a little soft on the outside previously, have since dried out.
Of the four Aomori garlic heads harvested, this one front right, is quite small comparatively, about the size of a small onion and strangely spherical. Behind, a regular head, sans a mouldy clove and a tiny Kabocha pumpkin my wife was given.
Peeling back the paper, there is just the one clove, somewhat bigger than a golf ball. I guess it could of done with another month in the ground.
I noticed that I had pushed the minimal watering regime a little too far, the leaves of the sweet potatoes were drooping and some of those on the tomatoes plants were browning. A check into the soil confirmed this. Typhoon Usagi (rabbit) is predicted to pass tomorrow afternoon. It appears to be gaining momentum. Although the rain would be welcome, I expect the tomatoes and cucumbers will suffer the same early conclusion as last year.
Patrick
2 August, 2007 #
I’ve seen this happen before, especially with elephant garlic. Usually you can still plant the single clove and get a normal bulb the following year…
I don’t know why this happens. Like you said maybe water? Maybe weeds?
Celia
3 August, 2007 #
I’ve always understood that garlic needs a spell of cold weather after planting the cloves to trigger the splitting into multiple cloves. But would that explain only some making a single giant clove?
Some of my last year’s garlic got left in the ground and as the row was near the strawberry bed they got mulched with straw and had net put over the top. Last week I remembered them - but there was no sign! I dug into the ground and uneathed about 8 large bulbs - the damp soil had rotted the skin away but not they are dry the garlic cloves are very plump and good.
adekun
3 August, 2007 #
It seems to be the only one. We had half yesterday and surprisingly it wasn’t pungent. Although the others were more darker, they are not as black as those featured in a supermarket leaflet. I’ll give it another go in October.
No garlicky strawberries Celia?
Celia
3 August, 2007 #
Excellent strawberry crop this year! the best we’ve ever had.
(but probably nothing to do with the garlic)
Patrick
7 August, 2007 #
Have you seen the recent post on ‘In the Toads Garden’?
http://toads.wordpress.com/2007/08/05/when-to-plant-your-garlic/
It would seem to confirm what Celia said about a cold spell being needed.
adekun
7 August, 2007 #
I think most people are of the opinion October is the best time to plant garlic. However, you don’t often get to see the results laid out like that. The trials make interesting reading as does the rest of the blog… Thanks for that.
Søren
11 August, 2007 #
What a huge single clove. If I knew how to, I would certainly grow a few of them every year.
Somewhere I saw it suggested, that chinese make an early harvest in march to produce single garlic. In that case, it’s maybe not a question of a cold spell, but rather a question of how long time the garlic has to mature. Short time to mature means more single cloves, long time to mature allows for splitting into cloves.
It’s just another theory
adekun
13 August, 2007 #
I go along with that. I reckon some of the garlic should have been left in the ground rather than taking it all at once. Holding out for October for another bash.
Patrick
14 August, 2007 #
Here single clove garlic is sold in stores sometimes, as a very special and expensive gourmet item. Of course to me it’s just garlic that didn’t grow right. It just all depends on what you want and what grows easily…
Meg Wolff
19 August, 2007 #
I LOVE these beautiful photos of garlic and this site! Meg Wolff
adekun
20 August, 2007 #
For me, being able to grow it (and eat it) has been so satisfying and yet it’s just garlic. Something is amiss, somewhere.