Elephant Garlic
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Lorelei Helkie
Posted on: November 17, 1998

We recently ordered elephant garlic and regular garlic bulbs from your company. The regular garlic has sprouted up from the ground and is growing very well. The elephant garlic which was planted at the same time has not shown any signs of growth. Could you please advise us on what we should do?

It is important to put a good mulch on both garlic beds to even out the extremes of the temperature fluctuations that our Southern Ontario winters can put the plants through. Both garlics should be producing some roots now or during milder weather closer to spring and will then have a better start in the spring. The long cool but not cold fall has fooled the one garlic into starting spring top growth. The cold weather we are finally getting now should stop the growth, but the mulch is needed to prevent injury to the bulbs.

A 30 centimeter (one foot) of straw mulch would be a good material to use. Hay is Ok as well but tends to pack down more. You will probably need more to get a thick layer and you will have to be careful to remove it early enough in the spring to prevent suffocating the emerging sprouts.

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