Garlic: 2 huge cloves per bulb. What went wrong?

13 years ago

Hi all.

I started growing garlic a few years ago. Since then, I am growing a few different cultivars of mainly porcelain types. Just harvested a few thousand bulbs of German Extra Hardy garlic, and the majority of them are doubles. Two huge cloves per bulb. Most of the bulbs are over 2 inches in dia, with only 2 cloves, each clove a half circle. A few of the the bulbs were 2 inch rounds. In previous years, this garlic generally grew on average between 4-7 cloves per bulb, but this year, only 2. I pulled up a few samples of the other cultivars of garlic which isn't ready yet, and they are mostly doubles as well. I'm trying to build up stock, and only 2 cloves per bulb kinda stinks.

Did I do something wrong? Maybe not enough or too much of a nutrient? The plants were very healthy, well irrigated and fertilized, with many of them growing well over 5 ft tall with the scapes cut off. Could it have been the weather? We have had unusually hot weather this past spring which heated up the ground real quick, and maybe porcelain garlic doesn't like hot springs?

Any suggestions would be appreciated, so this doesn't happen again.

Thanks.

Comments (2)

blueberrier1
13 years ago
chloe,
How did you raise these? Soil amendments? Personally, I would enjoy for mine to be this size with only two cloves! These would be super for roasting as well. I am one of those folks who tries to avoid al foil and roast peeled garlic in a covered heavy clay pot with a bit of bacon fat/lard/oliveoil/butter. Think of time saved...and less stress on the finger joints...

On the other hand, if you sell garlic and folks only want a 'taste' of garlic in a dish, someone here may have had a similar crop behavior or explanation. OR, advertise your garlic at the market as timesaver garlic...cut a few open for proof. Call it 'gourmet's delight!' Good luck! Please report back on how well these 'two cloves only' store compared to the multicloved crop.

So far, with our variable weather, my garlic varieties have been similar to earlier years, despite the heavy clay former tobacco farm soil.
bloosquall
13 years ago
I have been growing quite a few bulbs a year for a while now and have never seen something like that. I do see a few garlics that only grow two cloves and had a hand full this year but not to the extend you are describing. I have some GEH this year, all went 4 cloves per bulb I'm not much help to you I know...am looking forward to somebody having a clue

Travis
bloosqualls garlic farm
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