Earlier this week, I discovered that some of the Spanish Roja
bulbils I received in a trade last year had sprouted in their envelope. The bulbils seemed to be in good
shape, so I planted them in a plastic pot yesterday and put them in the plant room. I also planted some Persian Star bulbils. Hopefully, I’ll be able to
harvest small rounds of each variety in a few months and replant those in late September, 2020.
Spanish Roja – Rocambole, early, thin wrappers (not good for long storage). Medium-sized bulbils.
Persian Star – Purple-Striped, mid-to-late season, approx. 6 months storage. Very small bulbils.
January 3, 2020
I planted 5 Duganski bulbils in a pot and put it in the plant room along with the others.
Duganski – (Marbled?) Purple Stripe, hardneck, violet striped wrappers, strong/rich flavour (“fiery with mellow finish”), mid-to-late season, a large/tall variety, long storing (~9 months). Small bulbils.
January 8, 2020
We have sprouts!
Spanish Roja...
Persian Star...
My fingers are crossed that some nice garlic rounds result from this experiment. However, I read after I planted the bulbils that it is best that they be exposed to at least a month of cold temperatures in order to develop well. (This is definitely the case when planting cloves with the hopes of later harvesting bulbs. An informative article about this can be found on the John Boy Farms site.) Perhaps the bulbils won't be as particular with regards to cool temps (or lack thereof)...?
January 15, 2020
One of the Duganski bulbils has sprouted. The bulbils were so small that I might have planted some upside down. It was difficult to tell which end was up!
January 30, 2020
Left to right: Persian Star, Spanish Roja, and (alas, only 2!) Duganski.
May 3, 2020
Bringing the bulbils outside to acclimatize. Left to right: Persian Star, Duganski, Spanish Roja.
This is the neighbour's kitty, who came over to see what I was doing. We don't know her name, but she seems like a gentle little soul.
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