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Is it possible to get fullsize garlic from bulbils in 3 years? I've only been able to get small bulbs by the third year, going bulb-ils to rounds to bulbs. At that stage I'm not sure whether to break those small bulbs into cloves for a third sowing, or plant the small bulbs whole. (Leave them in the ground?) In any case these are not what I'd call fulllsize. If there's no way to get proper size bulbs direct from rounds, another season's growth is needed.

Originally I thought starting with bulbils would save space because they can be planted very close together, and presumably (?) so can rounds. But no: If you want a harvest every year you have to be planting year-1 bulbils AND year-2 rounds AND year-3 cloves, all at once - using more space, not less than if you just plant cloves from each year's normal harvest.

I know there are claims about avoiding soil-borne disease by growing from bulbils, and maybe developing a line that's particularly suited to your local conditions; but otherwise it seems that starting with bulbils is not worthwhile.

What experience or information do others have about this? I grow only hardneck types with 4-5 cloves per bulb.

I haven’t actually gotten around to growing from bulbils if you are talking about what grows after flowers. I keep thinking I will, but by the time I remember, they have been incorrectly stored and are dried up. I end up just composting them or maybe grinding them up spice blend.

I think those are really more valuable for crossing different varieties to see what can be developed, or for gardeners in areas Where they can not obtain full size bulbs and clove due to import restrictions.

From what you are saying, it probably takes more than 3 years to tend carefully from bulbil - rounds - broken up small/tiny cloves - and so on.

I HAVE grown what I call “bulbils” of elephant garlic — those hard tiny cloves that grow around outside of regular clove. They grow into rounds for the next couple of years, then start to split into cloves, but the rounds are huge —walnut to golfball size — and can be fully utilized as rounds without waiting for their development/maturation into bulb/clove producing

Applestar yes, the bulbils I'm talking about are the little 'seeds' (but see below) that form at the top when the garlic flowers. I don't take any special care about storing them. They're usually planted within a couple of months of harvesting. Even the ones I've kept till the following year, kicking around in paper cups, in the greenhouse or workshop, have been viable.

I'm not sure about how garlic can be crossed. Seems to me I've read that the bulbils are not real seeds but cloned material like tubers - and that garlic does make seed but these are not it. More than that I don't remember. I think it got a bit complex .