Your comments and tips

15 Oct 08, colin (Australia - temperate climate)

We have planted garlic for the first time this year, we thought we would try supermarket garlic which was china ,and it grew really well,also califorian late and spanish all gowing great

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19 Oct 08, Maria (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

I have something growing in my garden that I hope someone could recognise from my description. I thought it may be garlic as when i tear the leaves they smell like garlic. It comes out of the ground as one single stem with the leaves coming off the centre like onion or garlic, the stem is the thickness of a leek and it gets a purple flower head on the top almost the size of a tennis ball. Is this garlic, can i eat it?

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22 Nov 10, jared (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

sounds like an ornamental Allium. If you feel the flowers are beautiful you can nurture the plant.

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20 Oct 08, Jaci (Australia - temperate climate)

Maria, yes it sounds like garlic to me. You might not want to eat any plants that have gone to seed though as they may not taste as nice. If they haven't gone to seed, let the leaves yellow and die off before pulling them out of the ground to hang and dry for a few weeks before eating. This drying out allows the garlic bulb to form properly and separate into cloves.

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22 Oct 08, warren (Australia - temperate climate)

I have planted italian red garlic and is looking great but it has shoots coming up through the centre which are actually each clove shooting from the bulb .Is this normal? I have friends growing it on commercial scale and theirs are doing the same .( My russian garlic is not doing this and is now pushing up its seed head already.) If this is not normal what do you do to get the bulb to stop shooting?

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30 Dec 10, Dennis (Australia - temperate climate)

Too much nitrogen causes the wiskas growing between the leaf / stem in soft necked varieties. Once started it cannot be stopped, at best hope it is not to bad and then you can detach the "side shoot" (small bub consisting quite a few small cloves) that devalopes from the main bulb leaving it only a little deformed. When the nitrogen is realy excessive the whole bulb distorts and breaks up and is not only ugly but also difficult to find good seed cloves for next years planting. They say that if you have a very small amount of side shooting then your nitrogen application was very accurate

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25 Oct 08, jane (Australia - temperate climate)

what time of the year can I plant garlic, on an island in a river (murray) by the sea (goolwa) and how do I get started?

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27 Oct 08, Grahame (Australia - temperate climate)

Warren, I have had the same thing happen in some of my red garlics this year. I grow quite a lot and I have them in different beds and soil types this year. The ones that are shooting seem to be the ones in the richest soil and the ones that are getting a lot of water. I suspect too much water is causing the problem but I can't be sure. It's probably time to back off on the water anyway and let them concentrate on setting bulbs. Jane, I reckon late march is the best time to get your garlic in. If you want to grow lots or a few different types I suggest getting some seed garlic. But if your not too concerned about what type you want, find some you like in a good greengrocer - locally grown if you can. I'd steer clear of the imported stuff if I were you as it is treated with all sorts of nasty stuff! Good luck

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27 Oct 08, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Jane, it's best to plant garlic at the coldest time of the year. Chill the bulbs in the fridge if you don't get really cold weather.

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29 Oct 08, Jess Harvie (Australia - temperate climate)

I have planted some garlic but I have no idea what type it is, but how many heads of garlic should I expect to get off 1 plant?

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