Seed Garlic

Last year I planted seed garlic LINK and LINK and lifted them this June, put them in a seed tray in a dark and airy spot.

Here are the results.

They have to be replanted every year for 3 or 4 years. Then you'll have big, healthy garlic cloves. 

Sunday saw me replanting the ones above (2010 seed).

Some of last years seed was a good size!

I also put in seed garlic I saved from this years garlic crop (2011 seed).

One of the 2010 seed heads prior to planting - very similar to the one I planted this year - I separated each little clove and sewed them,  about an inch or two apart, in a row. You can plant the whole head as it is - click on the link above to see the, really pretty good, results.

The aim is, in future, to bring on my own garlic from seed, which at nearly a tenner for enough good organic garlic cloves to give us a years supply, will represent a good investment - probably.

I like to run a line, scratch a shallow guide drill and dibber titchy holes in which to pop the cloves. The soil has been well dug and will be top dressed with manure. That means I'll chuck manure on top of the soil.

My bed of garlic is quite a large one as it has 2010, 2011 seed, plus ordinary garlic and Elephant garlic - last years replanted as it formed unsegmented balls - because it was delivered late.