🧄 Elephant garlic

Elephant garlic is actually a relative of the leek, producing enormous bulbs with a handful of huge cloves and a much milder, sweeter flavour than true garlic. It is easy to grow, hardy and productive.

The tall flower stalks carry large, spherical purple heads, which are beautiful in a border and attract bees. It tolerates most soils, and bulbs reach the size of a tennis ball.

Varieties to try

Elephant garlic (the usual form)Jumbo (larger cloves)

Plant individual cloves in October to November (or February to March) 5–8 cm deep, pointed end up, 20–25 cm apart in rows 40 cm apart. Choose a sunny spot with fertile, free-draining soil. On heavy clay, plant in raised beds or start in pots.

Use bulbs from a reputable supplier, as supermarket bulbs may carry disease. Autumn planting gives bigger bulbs. Mulch lightly over winter in cold areas.

Top tips

• Plant pointed end up.
• Choose free-draining soil.
• Autumn planting gives bigger bulbs.
• Buy certified stock.

Keep the bed weed-free, since garlic competes poorly. Water in dry spring weather, and stop watering in June as bulbs ripen. Feed with a general fertiliser in spring.

Cut off flower stems if you want larger bulbs, or allow them to bloom for ornament. Rust and white rot are the main diseases; rotate beds and don't replant garlic in the same soil for at least four years.

Top tips

• Weed regularly.
• Stop watering in June.
• Rotate beds for four years.
• Remove flower stems for larger bulbs.

Watch out for

Allium rustWhite rotLeek mothOnion fly

Harvest in July and August when the lower leaves turn yellow and flop over. Ease bulbs out with a fork rather than pulling, to avoid damage. Handle gently, as the skins are thin.

Dry bulbs in a warm, airy place for 2–3 weeks, until the skins are papery. Trim roots and stems or plait. The bulbs reach their full size and ripeness in sun.

Because elephant garlic can grow quickly in wet weather, lift bulbs on a dry day and leave them to dry on a rack with the leaves on for a week before trimming. Large bulbs also produce small ‘rounds’ (bulbils) that can be replanted to give a fresh crop in two years.

Top tips

• Lift when leaves turn yellow.
• Use a fork.
• Dry for 2–3 weeks.
• Handle carefully.

Elephant garlic has a mild, sweet flavour that is excellent roasted whole, sliced raw into salads, or sautéed in butter. Use more than you would regular garlic. The huge cloves are easy to peel.

Cured bulbs keep for about 6 months in a cool, dry, airy place. Roast cloves and freeze them, or make garlic confit in oil in the fridge.

Top tips

• Roast whole cloves until soft.
• Use more than ordinary garlic.
• Store in a cool, dry place.
• Slice raw into salads.