another garlic question

[N2H2o]

I searched but didnt find what I was looking for,
I have planted some bulbs I had sprout on me from the store.
I am not sure which variety they are.
the oldest of the bulbs is beginning to from a flower. do I pop this off and wait a little longer or wait till it blooms and harvest the hopefully large cluster?
first time growing garlic so I am unfamiliar with its process.

thanks.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Here in Washington we plant our garlic in October- November. They sprout grow a few inches, then winter over and start again in th spring. Never had them flower on me. I'm thinking the flower will lower the quality of the cloves.

Here are my garlics. Photo taken today

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/DSC02098.jpg[/img]

[Ozark Lady]

The plant will use more energy making seeds if you allow it to flower.

But, most of the time, with onions, when I take it off, they just start another flower.

I let my garlic flower last year, and got tiny little garlic bits in the flower.
I thought it was cute! I honestly didn't notice the flowering ones being smaller, but you just know they must be.

I planted those tiny guys, and they aren't up as of yet. Mine were grocery store garlic also. My bulbs were all smaller than the one that I started with, but sheer number, I know that I increased the quantity. I didn't notice that they tasted any better, but surely no worse.

Hey try an experiment, take one off, and let the other bloom, then tie a ribbon on the bloomer and when you harvest, tell us what the difference is!

[!potatoes!]

if you catch it before the bloom opens, when the whole stalk-and-bud aren't fibrous yet, that's good eating. we see bunches of those garlic scapes showing up at the farmer's markets every year around here.

otherwise, cut the bloom off if you want to be sure maximal energy goes to the bulb, or let it go if you're not sure it matters.

[N2H2o]

are you saying you eat the stalks with the buds on them?? I picked two this afternoon..

[!potatoes!]

yep. great in stir-fry. usually harvested when the bud is still pointing downward, so that the whole piece cut looks something like a shepherd's crook.