Umbels can be purchased in our Online Garlic Store. Select them from the cultivars product page drop-down menu. Each product page provides information about how many bulbils are, on average, contained within each umbel.
We allow a good number of umbels to grow to maturity for each cultivar. But if you know ahead of time that you’ll need a lot of a certain kind, please let us know and we’ll make sure to reserve them for you. If possible, contact us before scape removal in June.
We’ve gotten a lot of questions from growers in the early spring about what they should be looking for in their bulbil patch. Does it look like regular garlic, but smaller? How can you tell them apart from weeds? Very good questions and well list the answers here.
When you’re done harvesting your first-year bulbils, you’ll probably put them back in the ground. This doesnt mean you should just leave them in the ground to grow another year. for two reasons:
Marble sized rounds (1/2″ diameter) should be planted about 3 inches apart for the 2nd year. 3/4″ rounds need a little more space—maybe 5 inches, or even 6 or 7 inches if you have the room. Plant the rounds with the right side up and at the same depth as the cloves, which is usually about 2″ from the top of the clove or round.
If you grow hardneck garlic, you’ll notice the curling flower stalks known as scapes that emerge in early summer. At the end of each scape forms a cluster of small, round garlic bulblets So what exactly are these bulbils? And more importantly, can you eat them?
While you likely know regular garlic cloves are edible and delicious, you may be wondering if it’s safe to eat those mini versions growing from the scape. The short answer is yes – garlic bulbils are completely edible.
In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about garlic bulbils, including what they are, their uses and flavor, how to cook with them, and how to grow them into full bulbs. Read on to learn why you should be harvesting and enjoying these bite-sized garlic bits.
What Are Garlic Bulbils?
Garlic bulbils, also called topsets, are the small cluster of mini cloves that develop on the flowering head of a garlic scape. Most hardneck garlic varieties will produce them, while softneck types usually don’t.
Botanically, bulbils are a form of asexual reproduction that allows garlic to propagate new plants If left in the ground, the bulbils will drop, take root, and grow into brand new garlic plants. Many people use bulbils to expand their garlic patch rather than planting individual cloves
In addition to their reproductive capabilities, bulbils can also be eaten just like regular garlic. In fact, they offer a unique flavor and texture that makes them a tasty ingredient.
The Flavor and Uses of Garlic Bulbils
So what do garlic bulbils taste like? Many people describe the flavor as a cross between garlic and green beans. The bulbils have a distinctly garlicky essence, but it’s a bit milder and more mellow than mature garlic cloves. They are very crunchy with a juicy pop when bitten into.
You can use bulbils much like you would regular garlic cloves Their mildness makes them very versatile
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Chop up raw bulbils as a garnish for salads, soups, pasta, pizza, etc.
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Sauté bulbils in oil or butter and add to stir fries and rice dishes.
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Mix pieces into marinades, dressings, sauces, and spreads.
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Pickle bulbils for a tasty snack.
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Use dried and crushed bulbils as seasoning.
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Infuse bulbils into oils and vinegars.
Because they are small, you’ll need to use more bulbils compared to regular garlic cloves to achieve the same intensity of flavor. But they add a nice crunch and visual appeal as well.
How to Grow Full Garlic Bulbs from Bulbils
If you don’t harvest the bulbils, they will drop to the ground when the scape dies back and will grow into brand new garlic plants. You can replicate this process to easily multiply your garlic. Here’s how:
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Allow scapes to fully mature until the bulbils are plump and firm.
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Harvest the entire scape when 50-75% of the bulbils have turned from green to brown/tan in color.
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Gently detach the bulbils without damaging them. Discard any with blemishes.
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Replant immediately in prepared garden beds, or store in a cool dry place for a few months before planting in fall.
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Plant bulbils about 2 inches deep and 6 inches apart. Mulch well.
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Bulbils will grow into garlic bulbs in 1-2 growing seasons.
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Harvest bulbs when at least 50% of leaves have turned brown. Cure bulbs for long term storage.
Growing garlic from bulbils is an easy, cost-effective way to expand your harvest. Enjoy some bulbils fresh, replant the rest, and watch your garlic multiply!
Harvesting and Storing Bulbils
When harvesting garlic scapes for the bulbils, it’s best to cut the scapes when around half of the bulbils have browned. This indicates they are mature and ready. You can trim the scapes into smaller bunches and hang to dry, or detach the bulbils immediately.
For fresh eating, use the crisp bulbils soon after harvesting. To preserve them:
- Allow fresh bulbils to cure for 1-2 weeks in a shaded, well-ventilated spot.
-Dehydrate bulbils either in a dehydrator or by baking at 180°F until completely dried out.
-Store dried bulbils in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. They will keep for 4-6 months.
Enjoy these little garlic pearls as a nutritious seasoning all year long!
Discover the Versatility of Garlic Bulbils
Remember – don’t toss those garlic bulbils in the compost bin! They are a tasty edible treat packed with garlicky flavor. With their milder kick, crispy texture, and pretty appearance, bulbils open up all kinds of culinary possibilities.
Grow your own gourmet garlic, harvest the scapes and bulbils mid-summer, and explore new ways to eat and cook with bulbils. From soups to salads to spreads, these mini garlic cloves infuse dishes with delicious flavor and delightful crunch.
So embrace the bulbils! Get planting, harvesting, and eating these bite-sized garlic bits. Just be sure to save some to propagate more garlic plants for future harvests.
Outdoors in Fall – Furrows
FALL PLANTING: You can plant bulbils in the fall at the same time as cloves, but if you do, you are more likely to lose the crop to winter kill or vole/mole activity. At RCF weve had both great success and catastrophic failure using this method. If planting in the fall, DO NOT MULCH UNTIL JUST BEFORE SNOWFALL. Mulch creates a wonderful habitat for voles/moles and theyll be nesting right above their winter snacks.
All bulbils except the biggest ones (Rocambole bulbils are huge and can be planted at least 4 inches apart) are planted in a different way than cloves. You can literally plant thousands of bulbils within a very small area. Here are the steps we use:
NOTE: Bulbils can be very difficult to distinguish from weeds in the springtime. We plant in furrows so it’s easy to see where the bulbils should and shouldn’t grow. This makes it much easier to weed around them.
- Make furrows about 1 inch deep in a 3/4-inch thick board that is a few inches shorter than your bed’s width. 5 inches deep across your bed. You can use a hammer to hit the board or just your hand to get down into the ground.
- Distribute your bulbils in this furrow all the way across. Bulbils don’t have to be upside down unless they are very big, so you can sprinkle them instead of putting them in one by one if you’d like. As a guide, porcelain and other bulbils the size of rice grains should be spaced about 1/2″ to 3/4″ apart. About 1″ should separate Marbled Purple Stripes and other medium-sized bulbils. The largest bulbils should be 4 inches apart, and the next largest should be about 2 inches apart.
- Gently cover the bulbils with soil and pat it down.
- Water them in but dont saturate the soil.
- When spring comes, KEEP THEM WET for the first two to three months. Then, let them dry out as their growing cycle comes to an end. Because their root systems are so small, bulbils will die if they get too dry. Water every day if necessary to keep the soil moist.
Selecting the Cultivar
Growing from bulbils can be fun and profitable. Use the same criteria used to select which bulb to plant (cf. Selecting Garlic “Seed” Stock) to choose which cultivar of bulbil will best suit your culinary and gardening needs. Heres a quick breakdown of what you can generally expect from umbels/bulbils in a given family of garlics.
- Porcelain: 100 to 200 bulbs about the size of a rice grain; takes 3 to 5 years to fully develop.
- Rocambole: 10 to 25 large pea or marble-sized bulbils; takes 2 years to grow up.
- Marbled Purple Stripe: 40 to 60 medium-sized bulbils; takes two to three years to grow up.
- Purple Stripe: 80-140 small bulbils; 3-5 years to maturity
- Creole: 70-100 small bulbils; 3-4 years to maturity
- Turban: 40-60 medium bulbils; 2-4 years to maturity
There are different ways to plant bulbils, and you’ll need to figure out which one works best for your area and climate.
- Fall planting outdoors in the field
- Fall planting in seedling trays
- Spring planting in the field
- Spring planting in seedling trays
- Greenhouse planting with any of the above
Regardless of the method chosen some basic principles apply.
- Bulbils, like cloves, need to be vernalized, which is also known as stratification. This means that the temperature must drop below 5 degrees C for them to grow. To do this, put the bulbils in a bag that lets air flow and put them in the fridge or freezer (but not the deep freezer) for up to two weeks before planting.
- Bulbils should be kept dry until planting time.
- Once bulbs are planted, they should be lightly watered and kept wet. Buglings will die if they are left to dry out when they are still young.
GARLIC BULBILS – WHAT THEY ARE AND WHAT TO DO WITH THEM – Thyme2Grow!
Can you grow garlic from bulbils?
Essentially, the bulbils are clones of the mother plant that can be planted to produce a replica of this parent. There may be less than 10 garlic plant bulbils or 150, depending upon the variety. Bulbil size ranges as well, from that of a grain of rice to the size of a chickpea. So, the answer is yes, you can easily grow garlic from bulbils.
Is cooked garlic good for you?
Cooked garlic has the same health benefits as raw garlic, such as reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, promotes cancer prevention, has antibiotic properties and prevents Alzheimer’s and dementia.
What are garlic bulbils?
Garlic bulbils are tiny “bulbs” that form when a hardneck garlic flower stalk is allowed to mature. They can be grown to increase your crop. Read on.
What do you do with garlic bulblets?
Garlic bulblets are crunchy, juicy, and sweetly garlicky. They’re wonderful sprinkled raw on top of salads and hamburgers, tossed on the grill, or slipped into sandwiches instead of onion slices. You can also cook them into an oniony jam, or bake them into a lovely biscuit, like these.