Green Garlic

[triffid]

Here are a dozen or so spring garlic I dug up today. They were grown from supermarket hardneck cloves planted in Jan. I stuck them in the end of a bed as an afterthought. As I needed the space, I concluded I may as well try some green garlic. Still have a bed of softnecks growing away - the plants are huge, much bigger than the hardnecks.

I'm thinking I'll try them in Asian-style pancakes.

[Galina]

Hardnecks really need a cold winter to do well. After all they are mostly grown in cold winter countries, whereas softnecks are doing better in Spain and Italy, (and the South of England). Fresh garlic this time of year sounds very good. My stored one is getting a few shoots and doesn't taste as good as fresh anymore, but still not bad. But this young garlic will be divine.

[triffid]

I'd like to try hardnecks from a November planting. Some for eating scapes, some as an attempt to induce seed-set. I've been studying the old True Garlic Seed threads on HG, and it's something I'd like to try in our climatic zone. But for now, the softnecks are really putting on some size. I hope the bulbs look as good as the rest does above ground. I don't know much about garlic storage, but still eating in April (after I assume harvesting last summer) is pretty good!

[Jang]

I wasn’t sure whether your stored garlic was (I’m assuming you’ve perhaps eaten it by now!) softneck or hardneck, Galina.
Hardnecks unlikely to last this long?

Interesting plans, triffid. I’m off to read the True Garlic Seed thread!

[Galina]

They do by and large last this long. Never quite the fine flavour of freshly harvested garlic, but my stored ones both hardneck and softneck last until the early garlic can be harvested. I do not see such a huge difference between SN and HN as both last well and that is all that is needed.

[Jang]

How lovely. I have onion white rot in my vegetable area but having now borrowed a bit of extra land from my neighbour, I’m looking forward to - hopefully - my first good garlic harvest for years. Green garlic I hadn’t considered but maybe another time.

Enjoy your pancakes!

[triffid]

Fingers crossed for your garlic crop! Thank you, they were lovely