Allium oleraceum
| Allium oleraceum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 0.2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Allium oleraceum (common name: field garlic)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle - if you want to produce clumps more quickly then put three plants in each pot. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in spring once they are growing vigorously and are large enough.
Division in spring. Very easy, the plants divide successfully at any time in the growing season and the divisions can be planted straight out into their permanent positions if required.
Bulbils can be harvested in late summer and planted out immediately.
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, it prefers a sunny position in a light well-drained soil[1].
The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply[1].
Seed is rarely if ever produced in Britain[2]. The plant usually produces many small bulbils in the flowering head and these can spread themselves freely around the garden[3].
Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes[4][5][6]. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other[7].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[8].
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, east to the Caucasus.
Habitat: Dry grassy places, waysides etc[2][9].
Edibility: Bulb - raw or cooked[10][11]. Used as a garlic flavouring in soups etc[12][13][14][15]. The bulbs are 10 - 20mm in diameter[9].
Leaves - raw or cooked. The young leaves are used as a garlic flavouring in soups and stews, but are inferior to that species[10][16].
Flowers - raw. Used as a garnish on salads. Used mainly as a flavouring in soups and stews[17].
Bulbils - raw or cooked.
Medicinal: Although no specific mention of medicinal uses has been seen for this species, members of this genus are in general very healthy additions to the diet. They contain sulphur compounds (which give them their onion flavour) and when added to the diet on a regular basis they help reduce blood cholesterol levels, act as a tonic to the digestive system and also tonify the circulatory system[K].
Usage: The juice of the plant is used as a moth repellent. The whole plant is said to repel insects and moles[5].
Pollinators: Bees, insects, self
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Although no individual reports regarding this species have been seen, there have been cases of poisoning caused by the consumption, in large quantities and by some mammals, of certain members of this genus. Dogs seem to be particularly susceptible[18].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Davies, Dilys. Alliums: The Ornamental Onions. Batsford, 1992.
- ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ Allardice, Pamela. A-Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers, 1993.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Douglas, James. Alternative Foods.
- ↑ Loewenfeld, Claire and Philippa Back. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Sowerby, John. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 1862.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Cooper, Marion. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. The Stationery Office, 1984.