Garlic: missed a few!

[T]

Hi All,

The snow finally melted from my little garden. So I went to check out the garlic I so lovingly planted in the spring (probably should have done it in the fall). They are surviving "okay" with all the snow and ice.

Well, in a different section of the garden where I planted garlic, not last year, but two years ago, I have several "clusters" on new garlic shoots. Ooops! I must have missed harvesting them. RAT! They are really YUMMY!

Question: what happens when a whole cluster sprouts like that? Do I get a HUGE bulb or a bunch of stunted bulb?

Any suggestions as to what to do?

Many thanks,

-T

[Gary Woods]

You get a whole cluster of small bulbs and if those are left, even smaller ones. Of course, you can harvest them in the spring for the much-prized "green garlic"...think garlic scallions.

[T]

Thank you!

Come spring I think I will dig one up and see what I find.

[Ecnerwal]

Depends - I've had one of my better harvests the year after we forgot the whole patch. Not that I do that deliberately, but it CAN work. If you want to dig them up and eat them young that's your call - I'd let most of them run to harvest time, probably.

[T]

This will be interesting!