Description
Elephant garlic is more closely related to a leek and produces very large cloves which are delicious roasted. One clove of elephant garlic can weigh the same as a whole head of ordinary garlic so plant the garlic at a wider spacing of at least 12 inches apart. The Elephant Garlic cloves are particularly large this season for even better crops your end.
Has a sweet, mild garlic flavour. 'De rigueur' at fashionable dinner tables all over the country.
Plant September to December for best results. 1 clove will yield 1 bulb of 5-7 cloves the following year. Remember you can re-plant your excess next Autumn so only need to purchase Elephant garlic for the first year. Yes, we know it's expensive but unfortunately it's also very expensive for us to buy!
Choose Amount: You can buy Elephant Garlic in sets of one, two, three, ten, or 40 (1Kg) cloves. Please select the required amount using the 'Cloves' Tab above the 'Add To Cart' Button.
How to grow Garlic:
Prepare
Prepare your soil well. Mix in plenty of good compost or envirogrind to raise the fertility of the soil. Many gardeners will tell you to space your cloves at six inches between plants but if you like bigger bulbs you can increase the spacing to 20cm. Make sure you plant in the sunniest part of the garden as garlic need full sun to thrive. Only but bulbs from a good source as ordinary shop bought varieties may not be suitable or carry disease which can be introduced to your garden. If you have a wet site with heavy clay soil grow your garlic in raised beds to keep them for getting waterlogged.
Plant
Break up the bulbs into individual cloves when you plant them and be careful not to damage or bruise them. Place the cloves in the soil 3-4 cm below the surface with the pointy end facing up. Only plant the best cloves and discard and damaged, thin or small ones. Remember that garlic needs a period of cold, at least below 10 degrees for a period of 6 weeks for the bulb to split into individual cloves. This is why garlic needs to be planted in the Autumn or very early Spring.
Care
You will need to give your garlic a little care during the growing season. If the year is dry (shouldn't be a problem!) make sure you water them through dry periods. You however should stop watering in the weeks coming up to harvest. Carefully remove any weeds as they appear but be careful as garlic has a shallow root system which is easily damaged. We recommend adding sulphate of potash to your garlic in February which will give the plant everything it needs to grow big, tasty bulbs.
Harvest
You will know when your garlic is ready to harvest when the leaves turn yellow-brown. You are better to harvest before the stalks fall over (unlike onions) as the bulb will open and will be prone to rot in storage. Dig your garlic carefully and remove any loose soil, if the weather is warm and sunny leave on the ground to dry otherwise bring indoors to an open airy place. Don't remove the garlic stalks or foliage as you'll need these to plait the garlic and to keep it fresh while drying. The longer the tops stay on the garlic the longer it will stay fresh.
For more check out our "How to grow Garlic" post here.
