[juvenal]

My overwintered garlic is putting up long central seed spikes.

Cut them off or leave them?

[mumofstig]

Some varieties nearly always make scapes (flower stems) cut them off and eat them in stir fries and the like.

It doesn't seem to stop them making decent bulbs, as long as everything else is ok 

[Growster...]

Garlic likes some good frosts, and this year, they got 'em.

If. as Mum says, you cut off the seed head, the corms left will still grow well, and if you're lucky, they'll be very strongly flavoured, so you'll use less!

It's a great vegetable to grow, and has a lot of mystery, which is the sort of challenge to expect from such a 'strong' plant!

I like the facts about where it all comes from, so, e.g., if you plant a Spanish corm in The Midlands, goodness knows what it'll do...

[Hampshire Hog]

I would cut off the scapes. My other thought is whether the garlic has had enough water. Certainly been very dry here in Hampshire though I am happy to say it has rained tonight.😊😊

Cheers HH

[JayG]

I my experience hardneck garlic always produce scapes - the dried stalk remains inside the bulb and is what it gets its name from.

Best cut off and eaten young, as they do get tougher if left too long.

As HH has suggested, it does seem quite early for scapes to be forming - perhaps they do need more water to help the bulb swell (rain would be good!)

[gobs]

I never water them of course, how could you anyway on the plots? They do produce, hardnecks, normally many in the spring. Excellent soup or salad dressing they make.