Comparing Ordinary Garlic and Elephant Garlic - And How To Grow Them
Elephant garlic isn’t really a garlic apparently – but it sure looks like garlic and tastes like garlic and you can grow it like garlic, so let’s not worry too much about it's family classification. (I'm pretty sure it's not an elephant though.) You can plant onions and garlic in the spring (and we do), but the autumn-planted ones always do better and we can harvest them earlier in the summer too. This is a direct quote from the Wikipedia page about those little corms we found on the main bulbs.. “There are also much smaller cloves with a hard shell, called corms, which grow on the outside of the bulb (sort of like a hang-nail). Many gardeners often ignore these, but if they are planted, they will in their first year produce a non-flowering plant which has a solid bulb, essentially a single large clove. In their second year, this single clove will then, like a normal bulb, divide into many separate cloves. While it may take an extra year, it is desirable to plant these small corms (several can be produced by each bulb) and the harvest increased, though delayed a year (but will allow you to eat more of your main crop, having these "back up" bulbets growing into full-fledged elephant garlic, in their second year).” As you can see this video took ages to make (about 9 months!) but it's interesting to see the whole growing cycle in one go, isn't it? As always, we’d be grateful if you share this too – that’s how our channel grows. Thank you! Tim and Sandra.
Comments
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beautiful!
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Many home gardeners believe that elephant garlic must be pulled when the leaves begin to yellow. However, unlike garlic or many onion varieties, elephant garlic can be stored under ground with little risk of rotting as long as the soil is not wet. In areas with dry summers, the garlic can be pulled as needed.
Bulbs produce cloves that, if kept dark and dry, can survive for two years. In our trials, we have planted cloves that were two years old and had no loss of viability. To store the cloves for an extended time, leave the bulb undivided with as much of the dry leaves ("paper") on them. Place in a paper bag and keep in a dry dark environment. -
what a life you are heading! Amazing!
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Your wife is an angel!
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what a lovely garden. love you all x
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Hello thank you for the upload. my question is: can we use the "leeks" for cooking?
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it tickled me when you were struggling to remove the elephant garlic. i was struggling with you and cheering you on.
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Hi, i have some questions :
1. What about the taste of EG compared to OG ? Same taste ?
2. How long EG grow ?
3. What do you use for the nutrition ?
4. How much you buy the seed ?
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WOW....what an amazing garden!! ;D
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Don't pay any attention to folks who say Elephant garlic isn't really garlic. It is garlic or more likely a garlic cross. Someone somewhere claimed it is a leek and the parrots took over and continue to regurgitate that misinformation. EG is probably a garlic mule. That is an infertile cross with some other species. That is apparent because the flowers on EG don't form seeds. Those a really nice elephant garlic bulbs you have there.
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the regular garlic has been left too long in the ground. it should be pulled up after the first two bottom leaves are dead, then plenty of protective paper covering is left to protect the cloves. this also ensures a long shelf life.
looks like your elephant garlic is ready to harvest...
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That's a lot of garlic
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dear friends,
we live in the south of Chile, Southamerica, and here elephant garlic is very common. we want to share a comment about the tiny garlic that grows around it. It may be reproduce in the following way: firstly, you peel it, then you plant it. Later season you are going to get a one round garlic clove. next year you plant this and you will get a normal and giant elephant garlic.
My wife and I love watching your videos. We also practise organic farming. we would like to have an e-mail contact with you, because we can exchange a lot of wise knowledge. Congratulations for your life style! -
I was taught to dig my garlic(the little ones) when the tops are half green, so the protective skin will keep them though the winter months after harvest.
If you wait till the tops are dead & dried up the protective skins will also rot away from the cloves. -
Keep on replanting the elephant garlic ones and go for a world record :)
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I bought elephant garlic at the grocery store (3 for a $1) and planted the bulbs and didn't pick off the scapes- the honeybees LOVED the blooms, it was a delight to see them covering the giant purple globes. Elephant garlic might be my most favorite thing to grow- the harvest was huge and they were so easy! (BTW, my husband says that you two need your own nature documentary; you have such a fantastic way of explaining things- I agree!)
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There accents remind me of the Vikings
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Love your garlic especially the Elephant garlic. They are huge. Your flowers a very beautiful. Loved and Subbed.
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Just curious - do you plant in winter to let the frost a them so the bulb splits? Are we too late to put some in now and just let them go? Great video. Our attempts at growing have led to nothing, but it might be down to little of no nutrients in the soil.
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That is so cool thank you so much for sharing. Is this garlic rare? Or is it easy to order? I would love to find and grow some plants are so cool when you find the right ones :) I look forward to seeing how they taste!
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