[Janeymiddlewife]

Have just lifted some garlic and 50% of it has developed a second bulb, still underground, about1 inch above the original bulb. They are not fibrous, thankfully, but just wondering why it's happened. They were lifted by frosts in January and had to be replanted, could this have done it I wonder?

[mumofstig]

Oooer missus..............I've never heard of that before  :blink:

[SUTTY1]

  never heard off that before!!
When you say lifted by the frosts, not sure what you mean? Did it actually push the bulb above the surface?

[Trikidiki]

Garlic will often produce a 'bulb' a little way up the stem, they never really fill out to anything useable. I have had them on plants which grow on to produce reasonable normal bulbs, I guess they must reduce the potential size of the bulb but not significantly.

I guess this is what you are seeing, though I personally have never seen them below soil level. I assume if you plant fairly deeply, which may have happened when you replanted it could happen that way.

[Janeymiddlewife]

never heard off that before!!
When you say lifted by the frosts, not sure what you mean? Did it actually push the bulb above the surface?

yes, the roots were just under soil level, but the top two thirds of the clove was above ground level, so I had to re dib holes and replant gently. Never seen anything like it before, but it was a hard winter!

[SUTTY1]

WOW!! nature is truely amazing.

[zazen999]

never heard off that before!!
When you say lifted by the frosts, not sure what you mean? Did it actually push the bulb above the surface?

yes, the roots were just under soil level, but the top two thirds of the clove was above ground level, so I had to re dib holes and replant gently. Never seen anything like it before, but it was a hard winter!

This happens as the soil underneath is impenetrable and the roots keep growing, thus pushing the clove up and out of the ground.

You clove halfway up the stem is because alliums have various ways of propagating; through clove separation, through seeds, through bulbils and what you have is the plant trying to produce extra cloves but in the wrong place; up the stem. I get a few of these each year, and just break them off and use as normal cloves.

[purplebean]

that happened to mine last year, I just used those bulbs first tasted fine and I'm still alive 

[viettaclark]

Brilliant news!
 I tried pulling one of my weedier garlics a couple of days ago and thought the one clove on the stem was all I'd got!!! Pulled another today (they're in pretty deep and it took a bit of effort) and got a fantastic big bulb!
Must rootle where I pulled the first one because I think I've left the main bulb in the soil!!!

[tosca100]

that happened to mine last year, I just used those bulbs first tasted fine and I'm still alive 

Same here. Not this year though.

[Beetroot queen]

I had bulbs half way up the stems and ws told this was a flower and it meant the garlic wanst much good, we pulled it and it looks fine so I am going to try it

If I dont return you will know it was poisonous and I am dead 

[zazen999]

I had bulbs half way up the stems and ws told this was a flower and it meant the garlic wanst much good, we pulled it and it looks fine so I am going to try it

If I dont return you will know it was poisonous and I am dead 

Luckily, all parts of alliums are edible; so I'm sure you will be just fine.