I believe hardneck garlics form a false flower called a scape which , if allowed to mature, will form bulblets after it straightens out. It starts like a pigtail but they never get any further here because they are so tasty chopped into salads, made into garlic vinegar, and boiled as a asparagus flavoured veggie. We use the excuse that we want the strength to go to the bulb. :-) Softneck (whiteskins and silverskins as grown around Gilroy CA ) garlic has flowers and seeds. bloke@silicon-north.com (Bill & Chris Loke)[Z4/5 on a good day] The Lokeation, RR#1, Kars, Ontario K0A 2E0 Elderberries have more fun than younger berries! -----Original Message----- From: Barbara J. Davis <barbara@itexas.net> To: gardeners@globalgarden.com <gardeners@globalgarden.com> Date: Wednesday, September 30, 1998 7:23 AM Subject: Re: [gardeners] garlic in Texas Hello, I've been raising a red garlic for years. It is probably the Mexican Pink that Allen mentioned because I started raising it in south Texas from grocery store garlic. I took it to east-central Oregon and raised it there, too. But, I don't know if it is "hard neck". My daughter raises fantastic garlic in a raised bed (over Texas clay) but I think she bought the seed garlic from a catalog source and it is pure white, like I used to buy when I lived in California. Barbara Davis zone 7/8 southwest of Fort Worth, TX > Hi, Allen. > Thanks for the reply on my garlic dilemma. You can tell a "hard neck" > garlic if the stem coming out of the bulb is hard. The stuff one gets in > the grocery store has a soft, sort of pliable stem. Most of the hard neck > garlics have a rosey colored outside skin and usually have roja in > their names. So I wonder if the Mexican Pink could be a hard neck, and of > course, when I think of Creole cooking, I think of red peppers. > > If I have to give up trying my roja cloves I've saved for planting in > Texas, where can I find the Mexican Pink or the Creole? Actually, I > thought I'd go ahead and give my rojas a try. If they don't make it this > year, I can start with one of your recommendations next year when I've > finally moved myself down there. That's what I'd do, too. Give it a try. If successful, you'll have what you like. Barbara > On Tue, 29 Sep 1998, Allen and Judy Merten wrote: > > > Hi Vicki, > > I'm not familiar with "hard neck garlic", but we plant garlic in Sept. > > down here in Texas. The three varieties recommended for Texas are Mexican Pink > > or Creole for South Texas, Texas White for most other areas, and Calif. Early > > White for Central to Northern Texas. > > The information that I have from the Texas Agricultural Extension Service > > says that the length of day light is what affects bulbing of garlic in Texas. > > Allen > > Bastrop Co.,Tx > > Zone 8