Garlic outside, is it ready or rusty

[@langhebarolo]

Harvested my garlic yesterday and it smells amazing.

[@roythompson6137]

Mine planted outside late November (in NE Spain) are still small but tops dying back and plenty of rust.... Will hang on for a few weeks more...

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I would harvest them because they cannot grow anymore and if it rains, the storage potential is less

[@roythompson6137]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thanks, will do.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

🙂

[@sebastienseb7673]

I'll have what he's having!

[@Jorduan100]

I gave into the curiosity and pulled out one of the smaller ones, will have to be patient for a few weeks!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

🙂

[@oliviaparmley382]

Lovely looking garlic bulbs. I can't wait to see what mine do after last winters 39 below!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Fingers crossed!

[@paulaandreademariasilvamun8816]

Me encanta hasta el tono de tu voz. Aprendería cualquier cosa con un profesor como tu😊

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Que lindo, gracias Paula y estoy muy feliz de poder enseñarte.

[@thegrowinggardener]

I was JUST asking this question (first time Garlic grower) wasn’t sure how to Google phrase is to find the answer, so THANK YOU! 🙏🏻

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Happy to help!

[@roccoconte2960]

My garlic seems to be ready early this year , removed the scapes last week and my first leaves are turning brown , I plant music variety .

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sounds great so far :)

[@Tatika59-tj]

Что значит черенки у чеснока?

[@awinbisa]

My allotment garlic is very rusty. I think I’ll need to pick it next week. I also plant garlic in my garden (I love growing garlic) and it’s avoided the rust - perhaps as it is a lot more sheltered.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

So interesting!

[@HolmesHobbies]

I've got a few garlic beds but also put garlic and onions at the base of all my fruit trees. It's keeping grass off very well!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

That's great 🙂

[@flutterbyebye7288]

thank you for the comparison of in tunnel v. outdoors and info re rust 👍

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

🙂

[@SparrowsEndBusinessDiaries]

I’m in Essex and my first lot of outer leaves are yellowing. I’ve scraped the soil away and they’ve all split. I’m thinking of leaving them until the end of this dry spell then lifting them before the rain predicted for the following week… 🤔

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Hi, I see no benefit in leaving them if the outer leaves are splitting around your bulbs. You will just have soil getting in and the bulbs will store less well and be difficult to clean, with soil in the kitchen.

[@gawain8000]

These are great clips

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Glad you like them!

[@AnnaYAH5315]

Awesome!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks!

[@439pm]

Does your instruction not to wait for yellow leaves apply to hardneck garlic as well? I've always heard to wait until several leaves are already dry but now im wondering if it would be better to harvest my hardnecks earlier.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

As so often, it depends! Those kinds of recipes don't fit all situations, and if that is rust, for example, that makes the leaves yellow earlier, and I would just have a look to see! You are looking for clove differentiation

[@jet8485]

Is splitting of the bulb caused by rust? Because that was the case with my bulbs. First time growing garlic. The leaves had rust on it. Can you stil eat the little cloves?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

You can eat those for sure. I see no correlation here between cloves splitting, in relation to whether there was rust on leaves.

[@semiferalaquarian]

My potatoes have started to collapse before flowering and some wilted and yellowed. Otherwise look healthy. Would you suggest applying the same principle to harvesting potatoes?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes exactly. They sound ready!

[@semiferalaquarian]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig thanks Charles, you’re an absolute dude!

[@suzannefronzaglio2427]

Wow, what a difference between the two heads of garlic!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes it's crazy!

[@ximenaisabeljimenezgalindo9044]

Hola Charles ,he leido cada comentario me parece preocupante yo no tengo ajos pero si he visto que aqui ha pasado lo mismo con algunos pequeños agricultores el ajo podrido ,no dijo que todos pero si hay algunos me parece 😢curioso,🌷🌷😷🇨🇱😷🇨🇱

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Oh querido, y sí, es una preocupación. Me pregunto si ves los rastros en el cielo y si está relacionado con ellos, y su contenido cayendo bajo la lluvia.

[@trumpwon2240]

Is garlic ready to harvest before the flower opens? And are the "seeds" still viable if harvested before its open?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I don't know. You are describing hardneck garlic only because soft necks never flower. The flower stems are best cut off to eat at 15cm long, this helps bulb formation. If left they would eventually make seeds I believe, but I never saw this and nobody grows garlic from seeds. Instead, we plant cloves of good bulbs.

[@patriciaserdahl5577]

I got to go out n look at my garlic I planted in containers last year experimenting

[@icouldjustscream]

Ours aren't ready until the end of July! Zone 4 🇨🇦.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Ah fair point, hope they are good

[@pama1]

Wow impressive!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thank you 🙂

[@jeshurunfarm]

Wow. That is crazy difference.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

yes it is

[@jeshurunfarm]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig just the fact that you reply motivates me and I do believe, everyone else, so much. And since Richard Perkins have stopped producing content and we are now stuck with a bunch of American farmers to follow. It's like fake sugar and the aftertaste.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I am glad it motivates you 🙂

[@SteviesAllotmentGarden]

I planted my garlic in November last year now it's 1st April I'm Bracknell Berkshire the leaves are going a bit yellow, but I'm thinking it's still too soon to harvest, or is it, any advice greatly appreciated

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

You are absolutely right and any yellowing is just from winter weather. Those garlic will not make any bulb until later May and even then it's not mature, your harvest will be towards solstice time and it's not a question of the tops going yellow but of the bulbs being fully developed, usually in late June for softneck.

[@SteviesAllotmentGarden]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig thx Charles. One other thing, I bought some compost not realising it had so much manure in it, I repotted my healthy tomato seedlings into small pots using this new compost and kept on windowsills but they all died, was I wrong to use such a strong compost, it's my first time sowing seeds

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Oh dear, that may not be your fault because some compost has weedkiller poisons in that are really bad for tomatoes, nothing to do with the compost quality. It's a myth that too many nutrients cause problems for plants. I would be careful not to use the compost again.

[@SteviesAllotmentGarden]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig I'm not using the remaining bags I bought 5 x 80 litre my friend has clay soil in her garden she's going to buy it off me, I will go back to buying my normal miracle grow compost, big lesson learned for me, I also lost all the pepper seedlings in that same strong compost. Do u think that when I'm thinning out my seedlings into single pots that I should use more seed compost or can I use my normal compost for the seedlings? Your advice is greatly appreciated ☺️

[@colint8259]

This says a lot about the atmospheric difference. What is accumulated from rainfall and wind over the time. Does anyone get rust like this outside the cities compared to those within London as example?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I'm afraid it is pretty general and I think the atmosphere is polluted by stuff falling from these aeroplanes we see. I've had messages from people in Uruguay and New Zealand for example, suddenly suffering bad rust.

[@spoolsandbobbins]

I have a feeling cloud seeding may not be what we all think…

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yup!

[@colint8259]

@@spoolsandbobbins Absolutely, I've seen the military videos on this black budget activity. This is why I was asking based on the flight paths if people are experiencing this in or outside the targeted areas of the seeding scope. Charlie's harvest under shelter confirms my stance for greenhouse use as a standard now. Soil changes from the decades of accumulated fallout is another subject.

[@islakirk75]

Interesting. I have no rust on my outdoor, uncovered garlic and I'm in the Scottish Highlands - we rarely see any overhead aircrafts and are well outside commercial routes.

[@Tatika59-tj]

Чарльз, у нас в России чеснок сажают в начале октября и засыпают толстым слоем мульчи из листье и травы, не менее 10-15 см. Весной он сам хорошо прорастает через мульчу. Грядку не поливаем, если только совсем сухо. Ржавчины нет совсем. Чеснок очень крупный. Выкапываем, как я Вам писала, чесночная стрелка встаёт вертикально.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Это звучит блестяще! Спасибо, что поделился. Я действительно задавался вопросом, насколько это будет возражать против более холодной зимы, и какая отличная идея мульчировать таким образом.

[@imperialthreat]

Why do I just want to do garden happy hour with this guy

[@samsinterests]

What a difference!!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes a big difference

[@annefinlay-baird7006]

Mine are still very small and not splitting at all. No scapes either on the hard neck. How long can I realistically leave them in the ground?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Seems odd and mid July I reckon

[@annefinlay-baird7006]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig thank you. Too dry? Planted in November in clay soil, so next time, I’m following your example and planting in the greenhouse/poly tunnel.

[@HolmesHobbies]

You can leave them in the same spot for years if you want. Hard next should over winter just fine outside in the ground. The ones I planted last fall are about ready. The ones planted in spring are not , and I'll just let them grow another year.

[@proplockfistanterlis]

Would you compost the rust leaves ?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes I do

[@Ed19601]

My garlic is about ready. It seems to have suffered a bit from the drought and some bulbs have been eaten by voles that seem to love the softness of my compost beds

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I hope your harvest is good nonetheless

[@Ed19601]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig thanks harvested it. Predominantly big bulbs, some small ones. Little to no difference between performance of supermarkt based garlic and seed store bought garlic.

[@LilianNorman-e6o]

Beautiful

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

💚

[@jmoffat1]

Still not sure what the answer is. Our outside garlic has rust on it, so is it going to grow any bigger or should we harvest it now?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

It's a short and I don't have time to explain every detail. If you still have some green leaves in the middle, I would leave it another week because growth can continue at a slower rate but still worthwhile. If the rust is on every single leaf and they are all yellow, then best harvest now.

[@jmoffat1]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thanks for the reply. That helps a lot.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

🙂

[@kirahagan270]

Not only did a get red rust but allium leaf miner 😢I dont know what to do about it next year 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@madalinfilip6352]

Same thing happened to many people here in my country in Romania I lost half of the garlic and for next year we have to buy to plant again Is because of the bad weather that the garlic is like that

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

We found one or two also, such a horrible pest and I'm not sure! Covering with mesh can help and if they're in the soil already, you need to rotate

[@islakirk75]

Do you notice any pattern in those who don't experience rust? So far, I don't seem to have it and I'm north of Inverness.

[@canecorso8251]

Here in New Zealand, I believe they don't get it in the Southern part of the south island where its coldest, similar to Inverness conditions.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

That's good to hear and I have heard however from Norway of rust being a problem. The main pattern is some kind of cover from winter rain, until maybe May, even mesh

[@TheFunctionalForce]

First year growing garlic here in Southern Germany. We sowed hard neck and have had zero rust (I pulled them up today). Is rust related to humidity or maybe colder nights at all?

[@madalinfilip6352]

We lost half of the garlic production It got yellow and then died and is not even the harvest time I think is because of the bad weather The summer here now is like Autumn(Fall) which is not good

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Oh dear that sounds terrible and I hope you have some warm sun soon

[@jaimefl9794]

Grow right for the best ❤way to go 😊

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

🙂

[@lesliehollands2689]

Could Yellow Mustard (Guillenia flavescens) as a rotational cover crop help to break the rust cycle. By the way nice Garlic.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

From what I'm saying I don't believe that would happen. It's from something in the rain over winter it seems because that must be why there is so little rust in a poly tunnel and people also have told me they have not had rust where they covered garlic beds over winter with mesh and even polythene cloches

[@spoolsandbobbins]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig interesting…

[@canecorso8251]

​@@CharlesDowding1nodigcold climates don't seem to get it?

[@fenton_cornucopia]

Here in south-west France (Pouy Roquelaure, Gers - I believe you know this place, Charles!), my garlics have suffered from rust for about the last 3 or 4 years. I have grown them in a different bed each year. Last year I thought it was because it was too dry, this year too wet! I even tried spraying them with bouille bordelaise this year and removing leaves with signs of rust before they could spread (and putting the infected leaves in a bin bag, not in the compost bin). But after a week away, when I got back, it had taken hold. Some of the garlics were sown in November, some in the spring, but they all seem to have gone the same way. The bulbs are small and not dividing. The leaves are like yours but weedier. For growing most things, we seem to be normally about 3 weeks ahead of the UK. I have had great garlic crops in the past but no more. Is there any hope for future crops or should I give up trying?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes, I know your village! Nice to hear from you and I'm really sad to hear this. I do wonder if it's related to pollution from chemtrails. On a more positive note, some have said they reduced rust a lot by covering the garlic from November to May with mesh or even plastic. Likewise in my polytunnel, there is not much. Rain does not get in there.

[@lilpipskweek6448]

My observations are:- I found a causal link between ‘water from above’ ie rain or overhead irrigation Both really encourage rust on all alliums and garlic. I grow my garlic as Charles does as a winter catch crop in the poly tunnel with great results A little rust but not very much. I am going to shoehorn in some leeks in the polytunnel as a cross reference. My leeks take a rust battering too . I have no doubt the unlawful aerial spraying by jet aircraft may contribute to all crops being affected in some way. I avoid artificial watering from above for alliums

[@lilpipskweek6448]

Just another thought on this one. Rust problems developed when I started watering using an oscillating bar irrigator. It might just have been a coincidence so no proof positive. I have suspicion though that the chlorine in mains water affects the microbial balance and knocks out those bacteria and fungi that maintain that balance. sterilising and creating a blanc canvas for rust. Isn’t gardening a great mental stimulant?

[@endrikhallmann1781]

Grown in a mixture of plants?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sown with mustard October

[@RestWithin]

Is rust bad?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

It reduces growth by making green leaves go yellow and brown so they cannot photosynthesise

[@davidsmith663]

I grow all my garlic in the tunnel. Outdoors is no where near the same quality.

[@doinacampean9132]

Mother Nature seems angrier and angrier lately....

[@spoolsandbobbins]

We’ve messed Gods creation up pretty bad. It’ll take everyone to get on board to fix it!

[@lelandshanks3590]

Very good assessment Charles we will try it.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

🙂

[@partidaportet27]

The rust is a sign of mineral imbalance, itself a likely consequence of excess Auxin production during the fruiting stages. Have you used. Liquid seaweed to help address cytokinin losses at fruiting stages?. Probably related to metal based mineral deficiency since these need to be met in micro doses and are quickly depleted by root systems. Not entirely sure why you would have not seen this in the greenhouse and only in field. Perhaps related to octaves of light reducced by plastic or glass and subsequently less energy to mobilise heavy metals through endophytic reactions???

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I don't agree because we used seaweed dried top quality this year, and saw no improvement. Same soil and compost bin my polytunnel, almost no rust.

[@mlkewilson9220]

It's common knowledge that UK is saturated with chemtrails is that what's on the garlic.

[@rossmcfarlane1219]

😂

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Who knows! It's w worldwide problem, the rust...

[@justlaughatlife8461]

@@CharlesDowding1nodigand the chem t rail s

[@catojohansen6800]

What kind of garlic is it

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Softneck and I don't know the variety name, I've been re-planting it for a long time

[@twilightprince4833]

My garlic came out the size of marbles😢

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

You could improve soil by adding some compost at animal manure this autumn

[@paatricksmith]

What variety do you grow in the poly tunnel Charles?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Same!! Unknown name

[@rmac8737]

M8ne never looks like that