Taff im told if the garlic stays in one bulb its due to not enough cold,we always plant in Oct /Nov colder the better it seems, i even for a laugh planted a sainsburys one last year and it grew just nicely a bit small but very strong (solent i think it was)im trying elephant this winter
Three of my garlic plants planted mid December have "flopped" over at the base (less than an inch from the soil) but I don't know whether this is because they've been caught with the edge of the lawn mower and nudged / squashed by a size 12 boot or whether they've decided to announce themselves ready for harvest / give up the ghost and drop dead.
Are there any other signs that would give me a clue? I didn't think they would be ready for harvesting so early especially since they went in quite late.
Just to confuse matters, I read somewhere (it might have been on here actually) that you shouldn't wait till the leaves go yellow, as it then keeps less well. All a bit academic in my case as it has rust so it's coming out tomorrow, ready or not
You SHOULDN'T wait til they go yellow? Oh! I thought you were meant until they DID turn yellow.
Now I'm most confused!
I'm tempted to pull the fallen ones up tonight and hanging them to dry (would the greenhouse been too warm a place to dry them?) and see what they're like. I'm concerned with them now laying down they wont be as effective at growing any further and don't want them to rot.
I though that as well Clari, like onions. And maybe it's true. I'm confused too. But someone will be along in a minute who knows The tradition is to plant on the shortest day and harvest on the longest day, which is fast approaching but Ithink it's a bit later with modern varieties.
The greenhouse might be too humid, depending on the weather.
I think the shortest day tradition is for shallots or something else, certainly not for garlic. Although I've been growing garlic for over 40 years I note it is still treated as an unusual crop in my 'Expert Book.'
Pull them as and when you need one for the kitchen, you don't have to wait until they are all harvested.
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Alan4711
Are there any other signs that would give me a clue? I didn't think they would be ready for harvesting so early especially since they went in quite late.
Just to confuse matters, I read somewhere (it might have been on here actually) that you shouldn't wait till the leaves go yellow, as it then keeps less well. All a bit academic in my case as it has rust so it's coming out tomorrow, ready or not
You SHOULDN'T wait til they go yellow? Oh! I thought you were meant until they DID turn yellow.
Now I'm most confused!
I'm tempted to pull the fallen ones up tonight and hanging them to dry (would the greenhouse been too warm a place to dry them?) and see what they're like. I'm concerned with them now laying down they wont be as effective at growing any further and don't want them to rot.
I though that as well Clari, like onions. And maybe it's true. I'm confused too. But someone will be along in a minute who knows
The tradition is to plant on the shortest day and harvest on the longest day, which is fast approaching 
but Ithink it's a bit later with modern varieties.
The greenhouse might be too humid, depending on the weather.
I think the shortest day tradition is for shallots or something else, certainly not for garlic. Although I've been growing garlic for over 40 years I note it is still treated as an unusual crop in my 'Expert Book.'
Pull them as and when you need one for the kitchen, you don't have to wait until they are all harvested.
...wherever you have two gardeners you have three opinions.....
Lifted my floppy ones last night now they're hanging in the garden to dry. Not sure if they were ready or not but as long as they're edible!
I think I shall instruct OH to lift his this week as they're showing signs of rust - they appear to have some nice fat bulbs so fingers are crossed
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.