Domesticating the wild garlic.....

[British Red]

I fancied a really large area of wild garlic (ramsoms) in the herb patch.

They aren't common round here...but where I used to live there are huge carpets of them.


Ramsoms by British Red, on Flickr

A nice guy posted me up a box full in March lifted "in the green" (growing). NB you can only dig them up with the landowners permission if you want the roots and bulbs.

Clearly disturbing the roots and 48 hours in a box handled by the post office did them no favours. They were pretty droopy by the time I got them and not happy plants. Frankly I didn't think they would survive if I planted them out. So I potted them in five large pots of compost in an airy barn in part shade and kept them fed and watered until the top growth died back.

Today most of the top growth had gone


Ramsoms grown on by British Red, on Flickr

so I had a root around to see if they had formed decent bulbs...I wasn't hopeful

The results were better than I had expected


Ramsom bulbs in pot by British Red, on Flickr

In fact very pleasing when I started digging them out


Ramsom bulbs by British Red, on Flickr

I had an area in mind in my wouodland herb area for them


Ramsom area in herb bed by British Red, on Flickr

So I scraped back the woodchip and started digging spit depth trenches


Hole for ramsoms by British Red, on Flickr

I put in the compost they came from and freshened it with some pelleted manure


Compost and peletted manure for ramsom by British Red, on Flickr

Divided the clumps of ramsoms up and spread them out


Planted ramsom by British Red, on Flickr

The topsoil went back on top...


Soil covered ramsom by British Red, on Flickr

I gave them a really good drink


Ramsom Watered in by British Red, on Flickr

Then a three inch layer of wood chip on top


New wood chip on ramsom by British Red, on Flickr

I repeated this a load more times and finished the area I have in mind for them


Finished ramsom patch by British Red, on Flickr

I hope this works - but I won't know for certain until next Spring (I'm very confident though).

Red

 

[bushwacker bob]

I just went out and collected handfulls of seeds yesterday, from the place you used to live. Shout if you want some as there are still a few about.

 

[British Red]

Thanks Sean - I'm hopefully good with these ones. There are some huge patches there huh? Especially in the woods to the side of "Rat Alley" (that little cut through lane on the way to BW).

 

[Toddy]

Those should take fine BR
I usually just scatter the wee bulbils, and kick some leaf litter over them, to seed an area.
You should have a good crop from those within a couple of years

cheers,
M

 

[Colin.W]

they look like healthy bulbs so I cant see any reason they wouldnt show green shoots soon

 

[British Red]

Lets hope - I have an area of Babbingtons leeks just established...and pots to work on three cornered leeks for next year

I'm going to lift potato onions and walking onions in a few weeks - having already lifted convential garlic, white and red onions....

I like alliums - we have Welsh onion and regular plus garlic chives in swathes now!


I am so grateful to all the kind people who have sent me obscure plants, seeds and cuttings - we are developing an interesting collection from the kindness of others!

 

[TurboGirl]

May I ask if they're acid lovers? I'm so surprised they don't seem to grow around Leicestershire, we're on clay and fairly alkaline.

 

[British Red]

No - the area Bushwacker Bob lives is high chalk and really alakaline - there are 300 yard wide carpets of em there

Heres a nice spot in Leicestershire for you

http://www.leicestershirevillages.com/quorn/gallery,342660.html

 

[TurboGirl]

Oooh, I have a freind up there who I need to visit with small garden fork... tis karma!! Thank you, Red!

 

[British Red]

.....and we have success


Ramsom by British Red, on Flickr

Great patches of them happy and flowering!

Happy Red

 

[Harvestman]

Great work Red! Yet another success for you.

Of course, in years to come the main problem will be keeping them in check, as they are horribly invasive given half a chance.

Still, whoever heard of having too much garlic?

 

[British Red]

I hope for them to "mat" - then I'll make jars of pesto and uproot the bulbs with impugnity to keep them in check

 

[spandit]

Was so glad this thread was started last year so we didn't have to wait for the results!

 

[hiho]

Was so glad this thread was started last year so we didn't have to wait for the results!

makes two of us

 

[dave53]

how do i harvest the seeds ?regards dave

 

[Toddy]

The seeds are tiny wee black things, just pull a few heads, hang them upside down in a paper bag and let them dry out. Rattle vigorously and the seeds fall out and gather at the bottom of the bag.

Sow the year you gather them for best results apparantly.

My ransoms produce little aerial bulbils....supposedly that's crow garlic and is rarer than the ransoms
I really should spend some time picking and checking what I've got though. I know I have the three cornered leek and they're easy. Didn't know about crow garlic until I did a google

cheers,
M

 

[CBJ]

Nice one Red,

They look like healthy plants,

Ive just shown my two girls how to spot and id them a couple of days ago , ( an easy one to start with) and we are going to pick some ( Have the landowners permission) and use them in a recipe or two.

atb

Craig

 

[treadlightly]

Well done Red. Must try this from seed.

 

[Toddy]

I'm confused now.
British Red, you grow a lot of the wild onions; which one looks like ransoms but has little white/translucent aerial bulbils ?
What growing isn't red coloured like crow garlic .....do three corner leek and ransoms interbreed ?

cheers,
Mary

 

[British Red]

Only just got some three corenered leek ....so time will tell! Bung me up a photo when the time comes.

You aren't thinking welsh onion?