At what size does everyone pick leeks? I entirely forgot I had any leeks left from last year, but here are 3 looking nice.
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Since they have gone through the winter it is likely they will bolt sometime soon. So they probably wonât get much bigger and Iâd go ahead and harvest and plant something new in the space. You could also let them bolt and harvest the scapes, but I donât think leak part will be as good to eat then.
If you wait much longer you also run the risk of the dreaded allium leaf miners getting into them if theyâve gotten to your area yet. So if you want to keep them going for the scapes or other reasons you might want to consider covering them or spraying with Spinosad.
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These are everywhere here. Until your post I always thought they were feral chives of some sort. Theyâre tasty.
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Yeah I only recently started eating them because I thought they were poisonous. We have them in abundance as well.
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What prompted you to eat them if you thought they were poisonous? Testing how poisonous they really are?
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Yeah, I always avoided them too thinking they had a poisonous double. AI says to make sure they are hollow stem and smell like garlic/onion. Also, there are some poisonous ones that smell like onion, but have different leaf structure.
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They look and smell so much like chives or something in the family that I didnât even think twice about them being poisonous before I tried them. Probably not the brightest thing ever though
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I had a moment of doubt in my planty competence and looked it up. Turns out my doubts were justified.
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Roasted them up tonight and they were delicious. I didnât start any leeks this year because I thought they were a bust. Going to direct sow some tomorrow for harvest next year.
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First garlic scape harvest, planted out October/November (donât recall exactly). Also donât recall the varieties. Red onions are sizing up too.
Never had space to mess with alliums before, other than chives which donât really count
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Iâve been letting my onions and garlic dry out the last couple weeks, seems like the bulbs are done forming and the testers Iâve had of each are formed. Was planning on harvesting the garlic this weekend and checking the onions and maybe giving them another week.
I refused to accept the 50-70% predicted rain of 0.05in would happen, but here we are at 0.42in and climbing.
I assume the bulbs arenât ruined, but storage life is impacted? Probably let everything dry out again?
Never done alliums before and really kicking myself for refusing to acknowledge the rain coming (also didnât cover the sandbox among many non- allium failures here)
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I planted green onion / scallions from the grocery store about a year ago with my other plants to hopefully dissuade the rabbits. Iâve been taking a few stalks every month or so. It looks like itâs mature enough for seeding!
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So many of my onion sets are bolting. Such a bummer. Thought they were treated. Wonât be ordering from keene again for onions lol
Now Iâm wondering if any Allium species are poisonous to humans (note they can be poisonous to other animals so donât let pets eat them)
Nope, all allium are nontoxic to humans. Woody ones that bolted may cause stomach upset but nontoxic.
Look al ike exist but at least wyere I am no smell alike and look alike at once.
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Yeah they tend to have a strong smell helping with identification. Honestly kinda weird how they arenât toxic to humans when they are to cats and dogs, but itâs hardly the only plant we eat like that
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Itâs an absolutely massive genus so Iâm sure theyâre a few that cross the threshold into poisonous to some degree. Iâve heard the ornamental ones can be poisonous but Iâve never looked into it to see if thatâs true or if theyâre just unpalatable.
I think some there are some lookalike plants in other genera that are poisonous.
We do have rather large and effective livers, that might be part of it.
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I harvested my garlic on Sunday the 24th. Very happy with the harvest! My first time planting garlic and onions, did not plant leeks because of spacing, and the garlic performed really well. It started to develop some rust at the end. The onions never sized up; the disease caused the leaves to wither.
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Trying on this thread- anyone have an opinion on what to do with garlic with witches broom? Harvest and process or let it go?
AI response to your question.
What Causes It?
The primary triggers for witchesâ brooming include:
- Fluctuating Weather: Drastic swings between freezing and warm temperatures (e.g., cold-hot-cold cycles) during bulb formation.
- Nutrient Imbalance: Excess nitrogen in the soil early in the growing season.
- Moisture Stress: Drastic changes in watering or poor soil drainage.
- Planting Material: Reusing seed garlic that underwent temperature shock prior to planting. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
How to Manage It
If you notice your garlic plants shooting multiple small, thin leaves from the center or separating into a âhairyâ top, you should adjust how you handle the harvest:
- Harvest Immediately: Pull the affected bulbs right away. [1, 2]
- Do Not Store: Because the cloves have already started sprouting, moisture enters the bulb, making them highly susceptible to rot. They cannot be cured or stored long-term. [1, 2]
- Eat or Process Fast: Use the affected garlic immediately as âgreen garlicâ. Many gardeners chop and freeze it, or process it into homemade garlic powder to avoid waste. [1, 2, 3]
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