Hard to say how important mulch is.. it depends on your climate and what kind of winter you had. I've had garlic that got lost or dried down in the summer before harvest time, and then came again the following year. I found some volunteers in a compost pile last year, thought I had pulled them all but here they are again - and down in the bottom corner, there's a patch of little ones coming from small rounds.
I thought they were little leeks at first, but they curled their scapes and that means garlic. Not sure what kind they are but they were happy in the pile, surrounded by weeds... no mulch.