Is it elephant garlic? If it is this quite common. The solids are fine to eat but if they are large they make great seed for next years crop. And the babies "corms" Work best if you score them first before replanting.
It will take a couple of years to get these corms up to full size .

Thank you so much for the information! The garlic is not elephant, although I have that planted, too, and it will probably do the same thing. At our garden club meeting last night, I asked the same question, and was told that my garlic problem was probably due to a nitrogen deficiency....I have other problems with my soil that point to that problem, as well. I thought I was doing a real good thing since early last year, by putting down several inches of wood chips in all of my pathways, and as it decomposed, replacing it over and over. Well, as it turns out, it leaches nutrients out of the soil as it decomposes, so now I must build up the soil again. At least I got some good breakup of the clay....smiles. I am happy that I can still use the delicious giant balls of garlic I got! I will just have to work on my soil now, and replant in September for a good crop of garlic next year. For now, I will concentrate on getting one row ready, so that when I pull my garlic this weekend, I can plant the little corms right away. I do so appreciate the tip to score them first - they are hard little things!
Thanks again!!

Here is a link that might be useful: My garden Club website

A simple way to amend the soil for garlic:

Apply blood meal, bone meal, and wood ashes to the row, at the rate of one cup each per ten row feet. Work the amendments in, along with any compost you may have.

Long about May, side-dress with the same amendments, gently scratching them into the soil.

Garlic is a very heavy feeder, so amending is important. And it doesn't tolerate competition from weeds, so keep the rows clean.

I'm not quite sure your problem comes from a nitrogen deficiency. Bulbing is a function of day length. Could you describe what the growing plants looked like? Particularly the size, color, and bushyness of the leaves?

I do so much appreciate your great information!! I will go about gathering up these amendments!
I think day length is fine here - I am in zone 7B Southern Maryland. Several other gardeners here are growing garlic just beautifully. My plants look like everyone else's..Nice, lots of leaves, healthy, good size, etc. Most developed scapes which I cut off and ate - Yum! :) I kept them weeded, as I did with my onions (which are STELLAR, by the way!) I haven't pulled up but a few plants - the rest are not quite ready to pull up, so I may have some good garlic out of the bunch yet. At any rate, I am now much better equipped with information, and hope to grow same really great garlic for next year.
Again, Thanks so much for your help!

Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden Club website

I'm stumped, then. Nitrogen goes into foliage growth, which you say was fine. Bulbs are merely the plant's way of storing sunshine. When the day-length is right, it starts to do that.

Let us know, when you harvest the bulk of the plants, if they are mostly rounders or if they do, indeed, differentiate into cloves. It may just be that you lifted those few too early.

I'm not sure what your soil was like at harvest time, mine gets like baked concrete in some places by end June, even tho I top dress with soft compost. If soil surface is hard, try harvesting by digging, instead of pulling...as side bulbils may sometimes stay in place. If so, you'll surely see leaves there again next year.

Sounds like the plant may have decided to consolidate resources under stress conditions, and just develop the lead clove.

Last idea: is it possible it was a shallot or potato onion? (Flat leaves or round?)

Gotta go dig some more!

Interesting thought, Jules. But she said she'd harvested scapes, so that would make it a hardneck garlic for sure.

I would agree that some sort of stress caused the non-differentiation of heads. Except that other gardeners nearby, who presumably had the same growing conditions, have gotten good harvests.

Is a definate puzzlement.

OK - I did error when I said it was not an elephant garlic - it actually was. I pulled 2 plants this evening, and I am so pleased to report that they are both perfect!! I got one about softball size with cloves all around, and the other was about 2/3 that size with cloves all round as well. I also got several little bulbils, which I will plant day after tomorrow, after I amend the soil in my row. I am sure that I pulled the first couple too early, but I can't believe one week would make the difference in cloves or no cloves...does it really? At any rate, I do feel much more knowledgeable about growing garlic thanks to all of your good advice and assistance.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Garlic Pics!! :)

"I am sure that I pulled the first couple too early, but I can't believe one week would make the difference in cloves or no cloves...does it really?" no it wouldn't make a difference. The ones you pulled a week or two earlier were going to be solids anyway. You can tell at scape harvest time which elephants are going to be solids because they don't form scapes. These 2 you pulled early were probably ready earlier because they were solids. I have found that solids even large ones seem to be ready before the ones with flower stalks and cloves .
Remember also just because one is ready early not all of the are. We harvest 15 varieties and we harvested the first ones in mid may and the last ones in late June. about a third of our elephant was ready in early June (mostly solids) the second third in Mid June and the last third in late June . The Last garlic we pulled was a week 1/2 later than any others It is the one pictured in the post "Biggest Garlic".

I'm not sure I understand all I've read about the solid bulb garlic. I'm very new and have some of this type of garlic. What is the story? Is it a type of garlic and if so what kind or is it a variant in the way it is grown? Thanks for you help. JPM44

Did you have a particularly mild winter or have the garlic mulched over? One of the 'triggers' for garlic to divide is cold.