Garlic often needs time to adapt to your conditions. Sometimes this takes as much as three seasons. I'd guess that's your problem.

For this fall, in addition to preparing the bed, select only the largest cloves for planting. And give them lots of room. Most of the literature suggests 4" spacing, but you'll find 5-6" produces bigger bulbs.

Side dress, long about May. Garlic is a heavy feeder.

And, finally, if size is a criterium for you, then choose a variety whose natural potential is to grow huge. Kettle River Giant, for example, which, under ideal conditions, can grow bulbs 5 inches in diameter.

Last fall I dug a trench and worked in a lot of compost before leveling the row and planting. This spring I side-dressed with 10-10-10 a couple of weeks after they started to grow and again in early June. I just pulled the bulbs and think they are a good size though I didn't measure. They are out in the garden now, drying enough so the dirt will rub off before I bring them in.

Are you clipping off the scapes when they appear in the spring? My garlic grows 1/3 bigger on the plants where I trim them off as compared with the ones where I miss the scape. This made the biggest difference for me in bulb size, and Music is one of my ``staple'' varities that I grow every year. Good luck!

garlic likes well drained soil. raised beds might help in heavy soil. i use a similar method to old roser. i make a trench, and fill it with compost from the back of the leaf hill at the town dump or old horse manure. i got my music from a local organic farmer. its the largest garlic i have. some bulbs were 3 inches in diameter. i plant my cloves 6 inches apart in grids of 3 or 4 rows 8 to 12 inches apart.
keep improving the soil, and you'll be fine. music is a great variety.

keith in calumet

I just harvested my garlic. Elephant and Music. Neither were as large as the heads were that I planted the cloves from. rxkeith, you grow 3" music in Northern MI?? (that's where Calumet is, right?) There's still hope for me yet! :) I clipped off the scapes, and these are the largest garlic I've grown yet (my third year trying, each gets better). I'll start ammending the soil now, and plant the largest cloves from my "crop" about 6" apart for the music, and maybe 8" for the elephant.

Thanks All!