scapes

[Eeyore]

My garlic now has scapes. Do I cut them off or leave them be.

[A Closet Canuck]

That's a good question. Since I am a failure at growing decent-sized garlic bulbs, I'll await an answer from one of the "garlic kings/queens" on the list. You could send Sharon B. a pm, if you are so inclined. She and Bill grow fantastic garlic.

[Heidi S]

Me Too! I am a newbie at garlic - so?

[Laura]

You can cut them off and use them in cooking ... stir-fry or soups etc ... they have mild flavor.

[Eeyore]

If I leave them on does it harm the bulb?

[davefrombc]

My guess would be yes, anything the plant has to put energy into will be taking it away from being stored in the bulb. How much difference it would make is the question .. How about doing an experiment?.. If you have several , use half the scapes in cooking and leave the other half on .. Compare the average sizes of the bulbs when harvest time comes... And use the seed or bulbils for an extended crop next year .

[Laura]

I have done both and it didn't make a whole lot of difference in the garlic taste or amount of harvest.

[kelly_m]

Think of it as any other flower.....the scapes are the seed pod, so if you leave them the plant puts all it's energies into the seeds and not the bulb!! cut them off.....use them in your cooking....they are wonderful I finde them milder than the actual garlic!

And in the end you should have much larger garlic bulbs!

Warning!!!! a friend had left her scapes last year and now has a million garlic plants!!!!
(kinda like the tomatoes you keep finding popping up in your garden after using compost! LOL)

[davefrombc]

Just a little off topic; but do any of you have the Egyptian walking onions? They multiply by growing scapes/ bulbils on tall stems that bend over and set another lot of themselves. They make great green onions when young and are about the hardiest onion I know. They are a great novelty. Hardy from southern California ( where I was given my first ones ) to zone 3 at least. They survive winters in Prince George / Ft. St. James area and Alberta so should be good right across Canada

[Laura]

Warning!!!! a friend had left her scapes last year and now has a million garlic plants!!!!
(kinda like the tomatoes you keep finding popping up in your garden after using compost! LOL)

Figures ... that is why I left mine and I had no extra plants,of course if I had not wanted extra they would have been everywhere ! ... lol