does size of garlic cloves matter ?

[skip]

Hi There

I had a good crop of Solent white garlic last year, so thought I'd sow some of the harvest I have left instead of buying new ones ...
However, is it best that I plant the largest cloves out of the bulbs & leave the smaller for eating ?? Or does the size of the clove / bulb not relate to the size of the crop?

Some of the outer cloves are an ok size, but some are quite a bit smaller than those I planted last winter ...

Many thanks for your help
Skip

[Angi]

You will get better results if you plant the bigger cloves and eat the smaller ones. The resulting bulbs will be bigger

[sally wright]

Dear Skip,
the bigger the cloves you plant the better the resulting bulbs. The only downside with this method is lots of tiddlers in the kitchen does not the cook a happy bunny make. So combine the planting with a batch of pesto making and freeze the result.
Regards Sally Wright.
ps for freezing use about 1/2 the recommended quantity of oil as this will freeze better.

[skip]

Many thanks for your help both of you - so I will start seperating the bulbs.

I'm also the cook so no worries there ... only myself to offend. I like the idea of pesto making though, so might give that a go.

Thanks again
Skip

[Lyn]

Hi skip,

If you don't want to use the really miniscule cloves in the kitchen, plant them in a row fairly close together, and you will get a super crop of "garlic spring onions" which are great for stir-fries, etc. They also make a good edging round cabbage and carrot/parsnip beds to confuse pests by masking the scent of the plants.
Regards, Lyn