Elephant garlic: cultivation in your own garden

For a long time the relative of the leek was almost forgotten. We show you how to successfully grow elephant garlic in your own garden.

Remarkable, or how big a single clove of elephant garlic appears compared to a conventional clove of garlic? The giant garlic looks similar to leek, but forms bulbs in the shape of garlic. Find out here how you can grow this mild alternative and rarity in your garden.

The elephant garlic or giant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum subsp. ampeloprasum) actually does not belong to the close relationship of our ordinary Garlic (Allium sativum). But both are members of the bulb family (Alliaceae) and look astonishingly similar underground, because the elephant garlic also forms many small bulbs over the year, which are then harvested in autumn. The tubers reach the size of a decent onion with a diameter of about seven centimeters, but have a milder taste than the common garlic. The foliage of the giant garlic, however, is more like its close relative, the

leek (Allium ampeloprasum). The elephant garlic blooms from June white, pink or reddish in the typical AlliumFlower balls on long stems. The plant reaches a height of up to 150 centimeters. Below we present 6 tips for growing elephant garlic in your own garden.

1. The right location for elephant garlic

The elephant garlic grows best on well-drained, sandy soils with a good supply of nutrients. Sandy loam soil, which can also store enough water for growth, is ideal for this. Sunny and warm locations encourage the development of the large tubers. In winter, the soil should not freeze completely, a halfway protected bed also protects the elephant garlic from freezing. In addition, there should be no other bulbous plants near the plant, otherwise the risk of diseases increases significantly. It is also suitable as a secondary crop Onions (Allium cepa), Leeks or garlic do not.

The elephant garlic goes particularly well with umbellifers (Apiaceae) how Carrots (Daucus carota), fennel (Foenicum vulgare) or Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa), because here he drives away the carrot fly (Chamaepsila rosae), whose maggots eat their way through the tasty root vegetables.

2. The correct planting time for elephant garlic

The individual toes are planted in autumn or spring from March about 10 centimeters deep with the tip up in the ground. The distance between the individual onions should be about 20 centimeters. The toes planted in autumn can form roots before winter and then have a better start to the season next year. However, a very cold winter can also kill the small plants, which is why it is always worth keeping a few toes for spring.

3. Fertilize and care for elephant garlic

For the elephant garlic, one addition of compost in the spring is usually sufficient. If there is no compost available, it is worth giving an organic slow release fertilizer like ours Plantura organic universal fertilizer. Since the plants are somewhat sensitive to drought, the crop should be mulched regularly in order to ensure a closed soil surface. The water is kept better in the soil, and the mulch decomposes over time and supplies valuable nutrients. And last but not least, weed seeds with a layer of mulch have a much harder time overtaking elephant garlic. Further Benefits of mulching You will find here. In the event of prolonged drought, the relatives of the leeks should be watered regularly. Once the giant garlic begins to pull in its leaves and turn brown, it no longer needs any additional water.

4. Harvest elephant garlic

Harvesting elephant garlic is very easy. It begins in July and can last into autumn. Once the plants have become wilted and brown, the tubers can be dug up as a whole. If you want to store the tubers, it is best to let them dry together with the soil. Further information and tips can also be found in our special article on Garlic harvest and storage.

5. Propagate elephant garlic

On the outside of the tuber, there are often tiny bulbs that can be planted out in the same way then within a year to normal sized individual toes and a year later to the giant bulbs to develop. The toes can also be planted out again and usually form a spherical one next to the tuber AlliumFlower on a long peduncle. However, these flowers are mostly sterile and do not form seeds from which elephant garlic can be grown again. On the other hand, with vegetative propagation through tubers and toes, the variety can be preserved and there is no risk of crossbreeding with other types of onions.

6. Dry and preserve elephant garlic

The small broiler onions that sit on the outside of the bulbs of the elephant's garlic can be placed in the same way as pearl onions or used fresh. Freshly dug up tubers are tied to the herb and hung for a while in a dry place protected from the weather. Alternatively, you can put the fresh toes in oil, for example together with tomatoes. The dried tubers are best kept dry and in the dark with soil and the protective white skins at around 5 to 10 ° C, otherwise the toes will sprout like potatoes. They can then be kept over the winter and can thus be used continuously in the kitchen.

The elephant garlic is unfortunately only very rarely found in specialty markets, so it is easier to buy the onions on the Internet. An organic source of supply is the Bioland-Hof Jeebel, which offers the rarity on its website biogartenversand.de.

If you are now curious and want to know more about garlic and its relatives, take a look at our article 11 curious facts about garlic stop by and let yourself be surprised.