[I81B4U]

Does anyone know why some of my garlic plants have produced 2-4 cloves an inch or 2 above the main bulb. It makes them look slightly Frankenstein and impossible to plait!
I'm thinking that it might be the cooler winter this year (I'm in Stirlingshire) that has done something to the original planted cloves?

[doganjo]

No idea, but I have another question.  does any other bulb look like garlic?  I pulled up a few the other day that look like garlic bulbs but I can't remember planting them where they were growing - but I DO have a terrible memory and I DO plant things in odd places.

[clydesdaleclopper]

I have found some varieties more prone to this than others. Just pull them off the stem and you can plant them for next year.

[I81B4U]

Definitely garlic as bought from the Garlic Company on the Isle Of White and put in a raised bed - but agree with the "did I plant that or not" as I now draw a plan of the beds and what I planted. That said, having recently lifted the onions and shallots I can't remember what salad / rocket seeds I chucked in (it was sunny and a glass of wine was available) so I'm looking forward to see what does grow there in the next few weeks! Good plan to reuse the "odd" cloves for next year, they are currently drying so will plant them out later this year.

[Fleecewife]

No idea, but I have another question.  does any other bulb look like garlic?  I pulled up a few the other day that look like garlic bulbs but I can't remember planting them where they were growing - but I DO have a terrible memory and I DO plant things in odd places.

If it smells like garlic then it is garlic 

[cloddopper]

Does anyone know why some of my garlic plants have produced 2-4 cloves an inch or 2 above the main bulb. It makes them look slightly Frankenstein and impossible to plait!
I'm thinking that it might be the cooler winter this year (I'm in Stirlingshire) that has done something to the original planted cloves?

 My garlic crop have also produced  quite a few of these " bulbils " , I think they are from the " Hardneck Garlic " varieties .
We've eaten some and are still here . 
I seem to remember that if you plant the " bulbils"  in early November you'll have the chance of a crop of early bulbs next year that come up like shallots .
ie Several spindly stalks from the bulbil with a small bulb in the soil on each stalk .

[cloddopper]

No idea, but I have another question.  does any other bulb look like garlic?  I pulled up a few the other day that look like garlic bulbs but I can't remember planting them where they were growing - but I DO have a terrible memory and I DO plant things in odd places.

Like you I've discovered half a dozen rock solid whitish lower half , going green at the top of the bulb   . Mine definitely came from planted cloves  that never quite made it into a full grown bulb .. Bad cold weather is the cause I suspect .

 You can get new unintentional bulbs from seeding garlic bulbils ( they are about 1.5 mm in size ) that form in the flowers .  Again I think they are only from the hardneck varieties ..

My garlic is in a permanent bed  , grown to a pattern of nine cloves  in  marked off with twine grids of one square feet sections .  So it's easy to spot weeds and things that are out of place & snip them off .
I got a bit confused when birds & squirrels decided to have a dig around in the bed and moved precisely planted bulbils & cloves .

Any doubts about a bulb being garlic cut it in half , scrape off a bit of juice from across the cut and smell it , only taste it if it smells like garlic .