Garlic's really easy to grow, right? You just stick a clove in the ground & walk away. More or less. Well, my garlics consistently fail to develop a bulb - I wind up with just a small, single swelling like a pearl onion. Yes I have planted seed garlic. I've tried both spring and fall (i.e. overwintering) plantings. Both failed. What is going on here, and more importantly, how do I fix it?

I can't really be of much help because I have had the same experience. I did seem to have the best luck with garlic that overwintered. It was mostly by accident because I couldn't find the some of the garlic after it died off so it came up the following spring. Maybe the extra year without harvesting helped to get bigger bulbs? I haven't grown garlic for several years because I kind of gave up on it but have been thinking of trying it again because I use a lot of garlic. I would like to know how to preserve garlic chopped in jars like can be purchased in the store. It is so much handier to use that way.