Thanks Mark for your reply. Here is a picture.

hello mizzreed, there was a thread a few months back with a photo of a bulb similar to yours - it had fully matured but each clove had sprouted within one pseudostem. No-one had any answers as to why it happened though:(

Here is a link that might be useful: garlic formed clusters

I had one Silverskin plant do that last year, in an otherwise uniform and productive row. I left the clumper in the garden, unmoved. It persisted all winter without mulch, temp to -5F, and this spring about 20 growing stalks emerged. I've been cutting them at the soil line and using them like scallions (g'allions). I wouldn't want to have a garden full of these things, but having one clump for green cutting is kind of nice.

Are you sure you planted only an individual clove to create this? It appears more like you planted an entire head of garlic.

drmbear,

Yes, I am positive that I planted only one clove, because every clove I planted is doing this! I have 30+ bulbs that look like this. Should I just yank them up, and start fresh again next fall? I could use the room for other crops currently. Thanks for your replies.

Thanks for the photo and i'm sorry to hear it's happened to all your garlic.
If you could use the ground for other things and don't want all the green garlic i'd say go ahead and pull them. I don't really think there's a chance for regular heads at this rate.
-Mark

If you don't want that to happen, you might as well just go with hardnecks. For example, this german red hardneck garlic can generate up to baseball sized bulbs with only around 5-6 cloves, each which could be as big as your entire bulb. I've found that a lot of soft neck varieties often rot in the winter, or just don't get big enough. They are also prone to having the problem you have if you plant the cloves too early.

I believe that species matters a lot. The ones that can produce leek sized top growth can usually make the biggest bulbs. All I gave was some 10-10-10, and an inch of horse manure, and yes, they are as big as they look against those dried maple leaves and lawn.

Get a reliable species, and I'm pretty sure you might get some reliable results.

Looks like something damaged the growing points in all the cloves after the basal plate had generated a real good set of roots, resulting in the basal plate dividing pretty much out of control. Perhaps herbicide residue in the mulch?

Wow! German red hard-neck garlic get to baseball size for you?

I'm jealous! Mine never get bigger than a golf ball!

It's probably the soil and zone differences.

Here's a photo of one in my field doing the same thing. I agree some kind of damage caused it, it but unlike the OP's, it's only a few dozen out of many thousands. I don't think its variety related because there are a few doing it in all the types I have planted. Perhaps some minor damage while breaking up the cloves before planting?

I believe it has to do with the conditions you give it. Some of the keys to enormous garlic as long as you have a decent species are.

1. Full sun
2. Well aerated, good draining soil
3. Early planting
4. Large cloves to start with
5. consistent moisture levels
6. Top dressing with wood chips, compost, or mulch
7. Adequate spacing
8. High microbial activity in the soil(organic matter, worms, bacteria, etc)
9. Compost/ alfalfa tea+ added epsom salts & unsulphurated molasses

10. Balanced slow release nitrogen, ie 10-10-10.

If you don't know already, it is absolutely necessary to remove the scapes to get maximum sized bulbs, but anyone should be able to get large garlic with the right conditions. You should be able to tell pretty soon by the appearance of the leaves on if the formula is right.

For example, this plant up front has 2 inch diameter leaves, and is still at least 2 months away from the harvest date. The heavy look with dark green thick leaves that often twist and flop due to their mass are a good indicator for large garlic.

Do you have any pictures of your garlic plants? Almost any species should be able to get much larger than a golf ball. Some soils have calcium deficiency which can be fixed with gypsum.

I am also in PNW (Seattle area) . I have just one 3' by 5' bed of them. I planted mine about the same time Mark did (down in OR).

I do not have any multiples. But remember having some years ago when I was in GA.

A QUEASTION to Mark:

When do you expect to pull yours ?. Just trying to get get an idea time wise. I know the condition when garlic should be harvested. I remember I used to to do it in around mid June back in GA.

Hey Stevelau, If you don't have anything to offer about the multiple sprouting garlics, could you start another thread?
I grow large garlic too and would like to read you're input, but on this specific thread, this is not the subject.

Seysonn, early ones in late june, everything else, July 1ish.

-Mark

My guess that is the result of some disease (virus?). I get a few like that and I grow in the same soil (in raised beds) over and over. I do remove half the mix and replace it with disease free soil, but some varieties are more susceptible than others.

I've never had that occurance with hardneck garlics before, but it will happen with some kinds of softnecks.

Mizzreed i am having the same problem with two varieties of my garlic this year, Native Creole and Ajo Morado.
Had a long cold winter and cool dry spring so may be weather related. My other garlic is growing normal.
Am hoping to save some cloves to replant the Creoles this fall but they are gonna be small.