Garlic question...

[Mike in Pa]

I grew garlic (German and Russian Red) last year and it "top set" seeds on top of the plant. Can these seeds be planted? Will they result in normal bulbs??

[brosil]

Define normal. Anything that comes up will be a hybrid and pretty small. It takes time to build enough energy in a garlic to get size. I always found the best way to propagate garlic was to plant the largest cloves. Still, it won't cost much to try. Maybe you'll get a mutant garlic that will eat Philadelphia. Those seed pods harvested green make a nice addition to stir-fry.

[Gercarson]

Originally Posted by brosil

Those seed pods harvested green make a nice addition to stir-fry.

And that alone makes it worthwhile to plant - yum yum.

[Mike in Pa]

I've always done the same thing ... plant big cloves. However, my seed bulbs rotted/dried into "nothing". Just "empty" paper sacks. I still had the "seeds".

If anyone has ever tried this please let me know.

[Mike in Pa]

I found, through my internet searches, that supposedly you can plant like seeds. They will produce small bulbs and sometimes single clove bulbs which can be eaten .. or replanted and the second year should yield a normal size bulb.

[veggrower]

Originally Posted by Mike in Pa

I found, through my internet searches, that supposedly you can plant like seeds. They will produce small bulbs and sometimes single clove bulbs which can be eaten .. or replanted and the second year should yield a normal size bulb.

That is correct.

[Turkeyfether]

I don't know what to expect this year. My granddaughter dumped 2 loads of horse manure over my garlic bed without realizing it over the winter , I'll start clearing it, but, we'll see what happens.

[Mike in Pa]

If they survived the "heat" of the winter at least they won't be lacking for nitrogen, LOL.

[harrisjnet]

After my elephant garlic headed, I cut all the stalks down. I threw the tops in a flower bed. Next year I had tons of garlic come up there. It is as big and nice as the parent plants now. That was three yrs ago.

[dcross]

Garlic does NOT cross-pollinate, and elephant garlic is actually a type of leek Oh, and they're called bulbils! And you can use the dried scapes in flower arrangements.