Teeny garlic

[PotterWatch]

I dug up a couple of my garlic plants today. Their tops had almost completely dried out and turned brown. Both of them were very small but I went ahead and peeled them to find that under the papery exterior, it was just like the whole thing was one clove. I assume I can still use them like this so they are waiting to flavor some green beans.

 

[vfem]

They look perfectly delicious to me! EAT 'EM UP!

I'm assuming you planted these between spring and summer? They are cool season crops and generally need cooler weather to grow... and somewhere around 150-180 days to mature. In warmer zones its best to plant them in the fall to harvest come summer the following year.

 

[PotterWatch]

I planted them sometime in early spring, around Feb. or March I think. I have quite a bit left in the ground that is much bigger and has only started to get yellowing on the very outside leaves.

 

[hoodat]

Did you perhaps use some of the small bulblets at the base of the clove to plant them? Those look as though they need another seaon in the ground to get full size. It usually comes from planting teeny cloves.

 

[PotterWatch]

There were a few small ones that I planted, but I think most of the little ones were planted in a different area. I could be wrong though. I'm perfectly happy to have a little home-grown garlic to use while I wait on the rest of it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with Vfem. I think it was the time of year you planted them.

I had that happen to me when I planted in the spring. This was from garlic I ordered from a seed company and were normal sized cloves when I planted them. They are perfectly good to use. I saved several and replanted them in the fall for harvest the following year. They made excellent garlic the following year.

 

[lesa]

Hate to sound stupid here- but those look a lot more like onions than garlic...Did they smell and taste like garlic? Whatever they are- they are certainly edible. Enjoy!

 

[PotterWatch]

Yep, they are definitely garlic. My hands smelled for an hour after peeling them. I do have quite a bit more still growing that I think will end up normal sized. The stalks from the rest of them are several times the size of these two little ones. I will be planting next year's garlic much earlier though.

 

[hoodat]

In China and many Southeast Asian countries they are purposely harvested before cloves begin to form. The taste is milder when used in stir fries.

 

[freshfood]

I agree with Vfem. I think it was the time of year you planted them.

I had that happen to me when I planted in the spring. This was from garlic I ordered from a seed company and were normal sized cloves when I planted them. They are perfectly good to use. I saved several and replanted them in the fall for harvest the following year. They made excellent garlic the following year.

Hm...I planted some garlic three springs ago, on purpose to have small garlic to use when I just wanted a small amount, and also for greens. I didn't use them all and they've just stayed in the ground since they were planted - but they never formed multiple cloves, just stayed small and round or oval. Do they maybe need some fertilization to grow bigger and form more cloves?