A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Who Grows Garlic???

Who Grows Garlic???

Just curious

Weezie

I do! I do! I grow both elephant garlic and regular bulb garlic, don't know its technical name, and society garlic. Anyway, the elephant garlic and regular garlic can be dug up and used in cooking or for whatever you need garlic for. The elephant grows a single tall stalk that gets a purple pom-pom flower on it. This is my first year with the regular garlic and so far it hasn't bloomed, not sure if it will, but each bulb produces quite a bushy little plant with lots of grassy leaves. Society garlic, as far as I know, is just ornamental. Its more of a bush with long grass like leaves that put out quite a few stalks with purple flowers. I dig up the elephant garlic (and now I will do the same with the regular garlic) and use them for cooking. Somehow I always end up with more the following year but I don't know how, meaning I don't replant it or split my bulbs, but my elephant garlic keeps coming back.

I DO TOO! BUT, not this year. I was to BUSY Romancin' Laura last fall! (maybe thats Why I WAS single) Well guessin I better have Laura's ol'factory senses checked out!

What info I'm looking for is.....

When they say "Garlic" has a medicinal value,
I am wondering is any garlic the same...???

I'm assuming they are speaking of the edible types you are all mentioning.....

I am curious about the ornamental types that are grown in the garden, the one with the big purple pom~pom on the top and / or the walking or nodding allium/onion????

Just curious....

I've been reading up on it and it's supposed to have alot of good qualities...
I am guilty of only really eating garlic in the summer time when I make my two homemade zucchini side dishes....I do put it in my speghetti sauce but I leave them in whole pieces as my little one's don't like it, but I have been reading up on it and it's a very helpful "herb" so to speak.

I'll find the book (I leave it in the car to read when I'm waiting for my son to get out of school)

Anyways, just wanted to know if the ornamental garlic was the same..???...????....?????.....?????

Weezie

My unscientific reasoning thinks that as long as the plant has allicin, the ingredient Phil mentioned, then it would have the same benefits. The elephant garlic produces a big purple pom-pom and its the same as regular garlic, only much bigger cloves. I guess its back to the latin names to determine what kind you're looking at. I will check my herb book at home and see if it has a list as well. I'll get back to ya, I promise!

Kristen,
That's what I was wondering about,
because the herb book I read said garlic,
so, that's when I wondered about the ornamental
garlic's, if they too would posess the same
qualities or charactoristics!!!

Weezie

Weezie,
Aside from elephant garlic, whic is a separate species, there is no difference between table garlic and medicinal garlic. Regular garlic does not usually bloom although the older hardneck varieties do send up a stalk that can contain miniature cloves. There are almost as many varieties of garlic as there are tomatoes, many quite rare. The 2002 edition of the seed savers yearbook lists several hundred, all slightly different in size, color, flavor, heat, storage, maturity, etc. Vermont Bean seed company sells a nice assortment of different varieties. See here.
GardenGal,
Did you plant the bulbs whole or separate the cloves first? Each clove will form an entire bulb. Planting whole bulbs generally results in stunted and overcrowded plants. Planting the biggest cloves gives the biggest bulbs.
Rick

I planted cloves and bulbs. Now I realize that I should just plant cloves, live and learn.

I still need to check my herb book Weezie. I'll do that tonight, I promise. But I think Rick and Phil have already told us all we probably need to know.

Okey-doke, this is what the herb book says, Allium sativum is the cooking/medicinal common type of garlic. It also says that garlic is a great insect repellant and can be planted around roses to repel aphids and other flying buggies.

To plant, separate the cloves and plant in the fall. For largest bulbs, prune away flowering stems that come up in the summer. In severe winter areas, plant in early spring. Dig bulbs up after tops start to fall over and place in a single layer in the shade to dry, cut away tops or plait together and hang.

Okay,
I got the garlic concept, (*I think )

I'm putting a link to the pictures of the
"Ornamental Alliums" I'm talking about!!

(Lynne, there's some BLUE ALLIUMS )

ORNAMENTAL ALLIUMS
Check out Gladiator, It think that's one
I have....
The first one's (Globemaster) are AWESOME!!!!

So, the question still stands (*I think*) is
are they the same????


Kristen,
I got my book out and it says the one you named, Allium sativum, Allium sativum But it does say that So, I'm starting to believe that, even if they
are in the same family, I'm thinking it's just basically the "garlic" that is the Medicinal value....NOT the ornamental ones...

I'm reading my book and there is sooooooo many things that it has the potential to help with...
says "it adds zip to your pizza, cures acne, repels aphid's, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, keeps away vampires, and possibly prevents heart disease and some forms of cancer...

I was wondering about the acne thing, never heard of that, says to rub the clove on to the acne,
but suggests not to do it before a date!!


Weezie

Weezie,
The chemicals that give garlic its flavor and heat are also the medicinal ingredients.
I can't say regarding ornamental Alliums, but it's often the case that medicinal plants that have been selected for appearance often have much less medicinal value. Calendula comes to mind. The original medicinal strain has flowers that are sticky. The resin responsible for the stickiness contains the medicinal compounds. This has been bred out of the ornamental varieties. I would suspect the same for Alliums. Also, some Alliums are poisonous. A good reason to be very careful with such experiments.
Rick

I did not know that Rick!!
The poisonous part!!

I had been reading it cures acne, and so many more things, but they kept using the word
GARLIC, and also referenced that ONIONS had the same qualities, so I got to thinking would
the ALLIUMS also be in the same catagory!!

Thank~You Rick!!!!

And that is why I don't do any of the concoctions or anything yet, Rick, I know a little about alot, but I'd like it to be WAY MOOOOOOOOOOOORE!!!
I wish I could find someone local or close by to
find out all the do's and don't's!!

My mom and I have thought about growing ginseng for the longest time, and but just haven't found
someone close to really give me the real dirt on those things!!! (plus the kids are little still, so in time maybe I will)!!!

Thanks Again!!

Weezie