Leo, Thank you for this most thorough and informative explanation. It has answered a lot of the technical issues I have wondered about garlic over the years. I have grown garlic for personal consumption for probably 20 years here in the Chicago area. I have grown both hard neck and soft neck varieties, planting them in the garden before mid-November on 5-inch centers. They are heavy feeders so they need both the distance and feeding for best results. With this planting time I am usually harvesting heads of garlic as the tops begin to fall over, around the end of June or the 1st week of July. They will need to cure/dry for at least a couple of weeks after digging. This is best done in a manner where they get good air circulation and don’t have a chance to rot. (If you wait too long to harvest, the paper wrapping on the head will start to break down and they will not store as well. It is good to pull a head to assess if it is time to harvest.) I have done business with Filiree Farms over the years but am more inclined to plant extra so that I have heads to carry forward for the next crop. Filiree’s website and catalog have descriptions of mild/hot, number of cloves per head, etc., that is very helpful. I have observed that hard neck garlic are more inclined to produce bulbils than soft neck types. Like culinary onions, there are varieties that do better on long days vs. short days. Reading the literature will help select the variety best suited to your area. I am currently growing a variety, name unknown, shared with me by a friend who got them from a friend who grows this especially tasty variety in Canada. I suspect a lot of garlic is acquired from a friend from a friend….. Bob Hoel 630-240-0219 (cell) Why drive when you can use active transportation! 🚌 🚲 👣 > On Apr 17, 2020, at 7:00 AM, pbs-request@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net wrote: > > Message: 4 > Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2020 16:35:28 +0000 > From: oooOIOooo <oooOIOooo@protonmail.ch <mailto:oooOIOooo@protonmail.ch>> > To: "pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net <mailto:pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>" > <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net <mailto:pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>> > Subject: Re: [pbs] What is a garlicule? was Re: The world's most > desired bulb > Message-ID: > <tgYPy7nWQ9LGcIipfdyLfu8-oYPaX3maU6uj_OIJa4Vql4TArC-UY3sSbsfge1axW8Zl1f8DbH96xMvinukBDwIpV8TIM5gP7p3i9Kuuyxc=@protonmail.ch <mailto:tgYPy7nWQ9LGcIipfdyLfu8-oYPaX3maU6uj_OIJa4Vql4TArC-UY3sSbsfge1axW8Zl1f8DbH96xMvinukBDwIpV8TIM5gP7p3i9Kuuyxc=@protonmail.ch>> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > -- > >> Are garlicules= bulblets and carpules= cloves of garlic? Do you consume the bulblets or are those meant for planting? > > "Garlicule" is a jocular novodixi. "Carpule" of "carpel" are botanical terms for the structure containing the egg or eggs. After fertilization it usually grows larger as the seed or seeds develop. Most plants have more than one carpel per flower. They are attached together in such a way most people would not notice they are separate structures without looking carefully. When the attached carpules mature and dry they are referred to colloquially as "seed pods." The botanical term for a seed pod is "fruit." _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…