No, it's not time to dig up the bulbs yet. Those are not bulbs above ground. They are bulbils growing on a garlic scape. Some believe cutting off the scape directs more energy to bulb formation; others think it doesn't matter. You can cut off the scape now if you want. The garlic bulb is below ground. It will probably be at least 3 weeks before your garlic will be ready.

Thank you GG for the prompt reply!

It sounds like my garlic can survive if I do nothing, so since I'm reluctant to do anything that may have a bad outcome I think I'll just leave well enough alone, and wait the 3 weeks or so to dig any up.

Thanks again!

Hey, that garlic looks great!

I would cut/break off the ones forming on the top and not worry about the ones in the middle of the stems or at the base. The one on the top is a garlic scape like the kinds that usually form on hardneck garlics. They are great to eat and will sap energy from the bulb if left to grow and mature.
I've found after growing garlic for 18 years that removing the scape does increase garlic size. The University of Minnesota has found the same (link below)

You don't risk any bad outcome from taking it off. Every farmer I know removes these scapes.

-Mark

Here is a link that might be useful: U of Minnesota garlic study

Thanks madroneb, that link was interesting. This line in particular:

"...In some Softneck varieties a partial flower stalk may be produced and bulbils will form directly above the bulb. This will often occur in Artichoke varieties following winters with poor snow cover and below average temperatures".

We actually had a fair amount of snow cover this year, and temps were typical Iowa wintertime temps. But I had a heavy bed of leaf mulch, and thought for sure they were well insulated. After reading this I can't help wondering if the late cold snaps we had didn't cause some of this.

As they were beginning to emerge this Spring, and it'd be forecast to drop into the high teens or something, I'd go cover them up with the leaves again. This drug on for awhile, and I just wonder if once they decided to wake up if they weren't shocked a time or two from cold weather.

I don't know, I probably should have went with the Hardneck maybe.

I think I may just have another look at them today and see about which ones I can maybe remove the bulbils from that are up a bit on the stalks.

Thanks again!

I have something similar on two K's Backyard which is listed with wegrowgarlic as a softneck. It looks very strange, like some kind of tumor. In both cases, there is no scape, just a small pocket near the base of the plant with 3-4 largish bulbils. There are about 10 plants, and none of the others have this. We haven't harvested any of the bulbs yet. I think we'll keep the bulbils to plant in the fall, to see what happens.

Cheryl

Iowajer, scapes make a fantastic addition to pesto. Basil, olive oil, garlic scapes, lemon juice/zest, and pine nuts - Tasty! I understand your hesitance to remove them, but the scapes taste just lovely. :)

Okay, I confess I've not done my due diligence in the world of garlic.

When I first decided to plant it, it was mainly because my two adult daughters use it all the time and I thought I'd be a source of fresh garlic for them... (along with potatoes, beans, tomatoes, cherries, apples, etc.) and of course we'd use some too, but not nearly as much as my kids do.

So in the limited research I did at the time, I was essentially buying the product description relative to comments like this variety "...won this or that taste test" or "...no small wonder how this got it's name" kinds of things.

And when they said Softneck would be more like what you get in the store, I thought well.., maybe that's the way to go even though we can get some bitter winters here.

But anyway, in that process I thought the kind with scapes were the Hardneck.

So here I have 2 Softneck varieties, but they must have scapes too then? So all garlic have scapes, but Hardneck are just different from Softneck scapes. (Scapes, Bulbils, Pesto... brand new words for me..) The Pesto thing sounds pretty good..., but can I get there from here - with my softneck kind?

Kinda rambled there. Well, gotta go get some cherries off the tree pronto!

Jerry

Jerry, i'm glad you're excited but don't over think it too much. Your garlic is doing great.
Softneck garlic has been bred from it's very close relative, hardneck garlic. It was bred not to form a scape because big farms had a hard time breaking off the scapes mechanically.
Even though it was bred not to scape, it still does try to reproduce sometimes as all things do in nature. Sometimes it scapes, sometimes it forms bulbils (clones) sometimes it doesn't.

Here is a great website with lots of great garlic info.

mmm....Cherries!

-Mark

Here is a link that might be useful: gourmet garlic

Thanks for the link Mark, lots of intel there for sure!

Yeah the cherries are a bittersweet time of year for me anymore.

Just because of the tree size, and amount of fruit it reliably bears every year. It seems I'm either on a ladder picking, on the ground cleaning up drops/sheds, or at the sink pitting and freezing until it's over. (Last year I took 21 gallons off her!)

But a cherry pie in November when the snow's blowing is a sweet reward!

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