Yes you can plant the Bulbils but it will take two years to get garlic of any size. The first year you will gets garlic rounds or very small garlic bulbs that you will have to replant again in the fall.
If your not in a hurry then this is a very cheap way to go but if your like me then I don't like to wait two years.
Just my 2 cents
Gary

hortjobpart
If your page is up to date-I support your cause and salute you.
I can't say as to all the types of topsetters but if you do a search here in the allium forum for posts about -*Martins Old Heirloom* you will read a post about this garlic bulbing to full size in a year from the bulbils.Thats how I understand it anyway and Martin is usually on the money.I'm leaving a few bulbils go (left a scape on)and will replant the bulbils come fall expecting full size garlic next summer.Elephant I know will definitely take the 2 years.I dont know if softnecks will give bulbils because they mostly don't grow scapes.hardnecks put out the scapes and a few or stressed softnecks will I think.I'm just into my 5th year with the garlic and just last fall expanded into the scape/bulbil knowledge with some of the garlic types and LOL I can't even call them by name because Martin himself sent some of us a mix of cloves from his own grown garlics.He did send out named varieties earlier and probably will again this year=watch the allium exchange page for posts about trades/exchanges and SASE for garlic you may be able to get yourself some varieties there.
Bill

That is indeed true that many, if not most, bulbils take two years to become divided bulbs. I think that a lot of it depends upon the size of the bulbil. Music bulbils are very small and the best rounds I got were about the size of a marble. Those will definitely need a second season and even then may not produce an impressive bulb. On the other hand, there are some varieties which produce bulbils almost as large as a marble. Those should definitely have enough energy stored to grow into a divided bulb.

I wouldn't ever trust using only bulbils of any variety despite the fact that I did it for years. It always worked with that one variety but nobody knows which others will behave that way. As yet, there is no detailed study which say that one certain variety or another will take 1, 2, or 3 years to get a fully mature bulb. I suspect that there are others like my old one but no clue as to which they are. I'll have the bulbils of many varieties when this season is over but not the room to experiment with them all. But I'll work something out!

Martin

As a follow up, I went through two of the 3 beds today to see which hardneck varieties have true large bulbils and which have a sort of "pseudo seed". There seems to be very little in-between size, they are either large or small.

Those which have bulbils large enough to possibly make a proper bulb in one season are: Carpathian, German Porcelain, Kilarney Red, Northern Giant, Slovenian, and Schumacher plus my own. (Schumacher is a local heirloom and the bulbils are second only to my old one.) If the past results of my heirloom are any indication, those other 6 should give the same good results. Slovenian, in fact, was planted as a bulbil and I only wish that I had had more of them to try.

Those with tiny bulbils are: Bavarian Purple, Brown Tempest, Chesnok Red, Georgia Crystal, Leningrad, Music, Pennsylvania Dutch, Purple Glazer, Russian Red, and Vostani. Those would all probably need two years if the Music results mean anything.

One other one, Legacy, could go either way as it's a small variety but with the largest of the small bulbil type. That one may produce a mature bulb in a single season.

Martin

Okay, I'm fascinated now! I'll have to look for this sort of garlic for fall planting.

So far I've had just one season planting my brother's favorite softneck from Seattle, but we don't know what it is. I'd love to try some hardneck with large bulbils, assuming someone new at this (me!) won't find it difficult in some way.

Great discussion!

thanks, Thalia