So, this is less of a post and more of a conundrum that has me flummoxed:
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I had resolved this year to try a garlic test: One bulb of Scottish porcelain garlic from the supermarket, 7 chunky cloves from garlic grown by me last year and 14 Sicilian Red cloves from T&M all went into one raised bed in neat rows. I wanted to test various theories about growing supermarket cloves versus grower supplied and also to see how my home-grown would adapt (they're supposed to improve year on year as each successive plant adapts).
And the results of my very non-scientific experiment: T & M cloves - none at all grew (could be the weather), my home-grown garlic clove became the smaller spring onion sized leek and the Porcelain Garlic turned into the big leek. I haven't dug the rest up yet because, frankly, I don't need leeks today.
I would absolutely love to know what everyone else thinks about this! There was a small disturbance in that raised bed about a month after planting (at the time, attributed to a fox/pigeon punch up) but that only accounts for the T&M sicilian garlic going awol - unless we have some very clever gardening wildlife who know how to plant in very orderly rows ... (I'm discounting the gnomes and fairies.)
P.S. The forecast hurricane is not quite happening in North London - yet. It is a very blustery, but dry, day here though!