[svalli]

I have been trying to find information online about the Chinese solo garlic, which is sold here in the supermarkets. Some sites claim that these are garlic rounds of regular multi clove garlic either grown from bulbils or without vernalization. I have found on many gardening sites and blogs that many people have tried growing them, but they usually do not sprout or do rot without any growth. Anyway since I am curious, I purchased a package couple of months ago and have kept it in refrigerator. Today I pulled it out and started to look at them. One had a sprout sticking out and couple had the skins cracked. When I unpeeled the cracked ones I was surprised to notice that the bulb had also started to split and there was a smaller bulb with own skin inside. I broke the outside layer and found that the smaller bulb had already tiny roots growing. I then carefully cut some of the whole ones too and all of them had smaller plump bulbs in them. I have now planted some of these inner bulbs and will see how they grow. I will treat these as other garlic and keep them cool until later spring.
The outer layer of the whole ones was still good, so I used those in cooking. I'll maybe do that to the rest of them too before they all start splitting. I purchased these for intention to experiment planting them, but it is extra, if we get to eat one part and plant the other.

I am curious to see if these will result to regular multi cloved garlic or do they stay as single ones.

Sari