Here's a question for the gurus.

I have many, many times tried to grow elephant garlic in my little region of Maine. I have figured out the intricacies of getting it to survive and thrive even through the false springs, spring flooding, summer droughts, etc, that are common here. However, I cannot get it to grow as elephant garlic. It ALWAYS develops into Pearl Garlic, which is the same species, but grows very very different. Pearl Garlic is a valuable crop, the US even imports it from the Himalayan mountain region, but it requires much more work to harvest than garlic.

What I'm wondering, is if there is a trick into getting it to grow into the normal garlic form in northern mountainous regions, or is it just programmed to grow as Pearl Garlic in this region, no matter what I do? I have a feeling that the answer will be the latter, but...