I found that one of the toes of one piece of garlic was actually sprouting. I took the sprouting toe from the bunch and put it in a little container with some earth in it. I watered it and this was 5 days ago. Now I already have this 12 cm long sprout from the toe of garlic, growing fast and adding length every day it seems. Can I expect this young garlic plant to grow and bloom this year if I take care of it?
Offered by Michel.
Garlic rarely develops seed. The easiest and most effective way to propagate it is by dividing up the bulb into individual cloves (toes as Michel put it). These cloves can be inserted directly into the soil where you want them to grow. They will divide and multiply quite naturally and when the plant dies back and dries up, you dig up the new bunches and store them like onions. Save a bunch or two for next season and you'll have garlic for as long as you want. Garlic seed is rare and when you order garlic from a seed source, you usually get one or two bunches. It is possible to purchase garlic seed, but the seed is very tender and is less hardy than onion seed!
Offered by Roger.