[shokkyy]

This year I tried Music for the first time and it did not do well. Some bulbs rotted, several never formed an outside skin and none of them were as big as the Thermidrome and Iberian Wights planted next to them, neither of which had problems with rotting or missing outside skin. I thought I'd try Music one more time because when I ordered the bulbs I ticked the wrong box and accidentally ordered bulbs for eating rather than bulbs for planting, so I thought that might be the problem.

They arrived today. I ordered 2 bulbs for planting (and it does say that on the despatch note included) and when I opened the box I've got 4 very small garlic bulbs. It's possible that they made a packing error, but I just wonder if their Music didn't do very well this year either and they have a lot of small bulbs, giving me 4 instead of 2 because they're so small.

Anyone else ordered and received some this year?

[wasthiswise]

I tried these last year, also v. disappointing.

[rachelsco]

last autumn i planted 'music'.  i probably planted about 100 cloves from 12  big healthy bulbs, and not a single one sprouted, even leaving them till april . i dug them up in exasperation, most has rotted, but some just remained unchanged in the soil).  onions planted at the same time in the same soil all came through; so im never planting it again.  tho i will try another variety.

[realfood]

I had very good results with Music this year. Nearly 100% with very big bulbs. Planted in October and lifted at the end of July. I will be planting Music again this year.

[3 allotments]

hi have you tried Patagonian purple I bought 12 bulbs from Re: Really Garlicky co . last autumn, I had a great crop lost around 4, also planted some in poly tunnel November, very nice early harvest late april.

[shokkyy]

Had a response to the email I sent asking about the bulbs I received "Due to a cold spring and wet weather at harvest time our crop has been very variable this year".

Not just me, then. They're sending me another couple of bulbs to make up for the lack in size, but if they're as small as the first ones I'll be cooking with them rather than planting them.

[rowan57]

Why? They'll grow perfectly well.

[shokkyy]

For the same reason I select the biggest and best bulbs from each year's crop to replant for the next year's crop, and eat the ones that aren't quite as good. Wouldn't have thought you'd be likely to get a strong crop from a weak bulb.

[gavinjconway]

, then. They're sending me another couple of bulbs to make up for the lack in size, but if they're as small as the first ones I'll be cooking with them rather than planting them.

Looks like you gonna eat very expensive garlic shokky... just plant them they will do well. I have tried all sorts of sizes and it makes no difference.

[shokkyy]

I'm sure they'd grow but I wouldn't choose to plant the smaller bulbs or cloves from my own stock so I wouldn't choose to do it from bought in stock either. Most of the gardening advice sites (not least this one!) do recommend you replant the best bulbs and cloves to get the best results, and that's always worked well for me. And my other varieties clearly coped better with the weather conditions and gave me some very big bulbs, which does imply that Music isn't a very robust variety, in which case I'd rather use the space for a variety which is robust and reliable.