Garlic Bulblets

      I had picked and saved a lot of garlic bulblets from the tops of the seed stalks from garlic harvested back in June and early July.  Although these small bulbs will take at least two seasons to grow edible cloves, I don't want to waste the opportunity to try to grow them.

      If I remember correctly, the larger bulblets are from a purple skin hard garlic, while the three seed clusters are from soft neck garlic.  I am going to plant them all.

There are a lot of bulblets!

A quick estimate

      I laid the bulblets out in a square that was 8 x 10 inches.  Then counted two little two inch squares.  An average of 26 per small square times 20 such squares results in a count of 520 bulblets!  Each one should make 10 to 12 cloves to replant next year.  Then another year out, there could be 50,000 to 60,000 cloves!  Well maybe I won't plant them all next year.

      So it was over to the park yesterday morning to plant the bulblets in a basically empty cold frame.  Yep, we had another hard frost.

Bellevue garden, 12/2/11

      This frame contains the roots of the cardoon plants after the voles chopped off the huge mother plants.  New shoots are coming up, so I am going to leave this cold frame in place to see if I can get the cardoon to overwinter.  The soil is darker on the left side because that glass panel was off during the recent rains.

Garlic bulblets added

      I sprinkled all of the bulblets in the frame.  They will certainly be too close to each other should they all come up, but that will be a problem to deal with next spring.  If I get the opportunity, I will cover the little bulblets with an inch of compost or leaf mold.  And then wish them a pleasant winter slumber in their cozy cold frame.