What is that gadget doctor?? 
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Sorry. Should have posted a link. It is a garlic peeler.
The kind with the little nubs inside work best. Takes practice. There are even youtube videos on how to use these, LOL.
https://www.amazon.com/Bakerpan-Silicone-Garlic-Peeler-Inches/dp/B00LDSP3S2/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1499427686&sr=8-11&keywords=garlic+peeler+roller
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We dug our garlic last evening. Despite unusual weather over last winter and spring, it was ready about the same time as previous years. I was going to give it a few more days but it is supposed to rain a lot today so I figured we should get it out. Bulbs are significantly smaller than usual, despite big healthy tops. These are mostly Music, about 80 plants from about 2.1 square meters of bed. Last picture is of this yearâs garlic bed on May 13.
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Looks good. I wish I had planted 80 garlic cloves but I think I planted only about 30. Iâll be planting a lot more next year (well this autumn) cause we stirfried some scapes and everyone loves them. So now weâll be increasing our garlic crop as much for the scapes as for the garlic.
Anthony
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I finally threw the rest of last yearâs Music to the chickens. It didnât rot, but shriveled up. But it lasted until this yearâs crop was ready.
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I have a question for the garlic lovers. What is/are the difference between garlic that flowers and grow bulbs on its head? I am talking about the above the ground part.
I also have garlic that have purple color flowers comparing to most garlics I have are white flowers. I am wondering why. Anyone can explain the difference between these garlics??
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Generally speaking, hard neck garlic varieties send up a flower stalk every year (called a scape) while soft neck varieties do not. There is some controversy about when to pick off the scape on hard neck varieties. Many do it when the coils straighten however there is some evidence that if left on until much later the garlic bulb will keep better.
If you leave the scape on until it flowers, the garlic will form bulbils, tiny garlic bulbs, which can be planted to propagate more garlics (which take a couple of seasons to reach harvestable size), but these are clones of the parent. To get sexual reproduction on garlic one must go in to the flower head and remove all the proto-bulbils; which will push the plant to form seed.
As to color, I donât know for sure, but suspect it is just a characteristic of some varieties.
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Steve, thanks for explaining the garlic scape grow. My question is what determines garlic scape grow bulblets or seeds. Obviously I have some garlic doesnât flower, it grow only bulblets . And some garlic doesnât grow bulblets, it grow flower and seeds.
I planted these bulblets last fall and it grows scape as well this summer which I thought should grow single bulb garlic only
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I read a good article a while back on the advancements which allowed garlic cross breeding from seed. What I remember is one had to remove all the bulbils from the flower head (while not hurting the flower buds). If one does not do that, then even though the plant flowers it will make bulbils which are a clone of the parent. With the bulbils removed, the flower can be pollinated and produce seed. Similar to onions, except most onions go for seed (walking onions being the exception) where most garlic go for bulbils.
When I get some time, I will try and find the link to that garlic breeding article.
And yes, most bulbils will produce a small round single âcloveâ garlic their first year growing. Then the next year that round garlic will divide into cloves and be like its parent. If you had some bulbils that went right to separate cloves their first year, that is quite unusual. Might want to save that oneâŚ
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Thanks, Steve.I think I have read similar article somewhere too. I try to grow garlic from bulbllis (thanks for using the correct term ) in the future so I can eat all the regular garlic bulbs. I am not sure when these bulbillis mature so I can harvest and store them. Seeds go through flowering cycle which seem easier to determine.
I have grown garlic from bulbils for several years. I generally have a âgarlic nurseryâ for just that purpose. Helps to increase ones planting stock and still allows for maximum eating harvest.
I have never seen true seed from any of my garlic flower stalks. They flower, then the tiny bulbils form, some quite small but not a seed. But I have never tried removing all the proto bulbils, which one supposedly has to do to get true seed. If you are getting true seed from yours (Iâm assuming tiny hard onion like seed) then thatâs great. If they are like miniature garlic cloves then itâs not seed.
I will typically let the flower head stay on until dry (or until I harvest the underground garlic) to let the bulbils mature as much as possible When I am trying to collect new growing stock. Typically though 3-4 garlics is plenty for me, as each flower will have upwards of 50-100 bulbils. However as they mature they become prone to escaping from the flower head and planting themselves. I suppose one could put a breathable bag around the flower head to capture any escapees.
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I am not trying to grow garlic seeds. I try to grow garlic bulbillis. But the bulbillis have two different types, one without going through flower stage, directly grow larger than pea size , smaller than marble. Another about the size and shape of wheat grain, mostly smaller than grains of wheat. Both types of bulbillis are viable , can grow into a small garlic plant. The pea size and shape bulbillis grow plants with scape in the spring. The wheat size and shape bulbillis grow single clove garlic in the spring. When I posted the question above, I was trying to seek info on what causes these two different types of bulbillis formation.
I have noticed some of my garlics will produce larger bulbils, often along the flower stalk (with a flower head and smaller bulbils up top). Is that what youâre talking about? Those bulbils are almost the size of a store bought garlicâs clove sometimes. I had not noticed them maturing to separate cloves in the first year, but certainly seems possible.
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what varieties grow well in your area? romainian / german red grows well here and tastes great!
@Steve333
Was the garlic you purchased from ebay as good as other garlic? Mine did ok but normally i would advice people not to buy from there due to concerns i have for disease and other problems.
Hi @clarkinks
IIRC the only garlic I got via ebay, was bulbils of one variety (German Extra Hardy). Had some issues with the delivery (they were sent in a bubble envelope which the PO put thru a machine which crushed them). But I did grow them out. I also ended up purchasing some bulbs of that variety and for the most part the German Extra Hardy that I plant now are likely 90% from the bulbs not the bulbils; although I did not attempt to keep the two groups separate, I just selected the best bulbs for replanting regardless of origin.
I have mail ordered some other garlics over the years, and for the most part they have been excellent. Key is to buy from a reputable farm/grower, who will ship in a box, not a padded or plastic envelope. That said, bulbils should be fairly safe from most garlic diseases/pests since they never were in the ground.
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