Last year I grew a few garlic plants from true seed. The germination rate is very poor and the new plants are fragile. I'm hoping they survive the winter.

It will be a few years before they grow large enough to eat. I'm hoping moreso they will be able to produce seeds.

Most garlic has been clonally propagated for so very long and can't produce true seeds anymore. A few lines can. Those were enough for a community of interested growers to start working with breeding the crop.

One of my seedlings had distinctly twisty leaves. I'm hoping that trait will be more pronounced when the plant is larger.

My main goal with garlic is to help improve their germination & viability. Growing successive generations from seed will automatically select for both traits.

Once it is easy to grow garlic from true seed, a couple things change. It will be possible to grow a crop from seed in the way we now do with onions. It will be possible to breed for new/improved traits much quicker.

Will that happen while I'm around? Who knows. A project being long-term doesn't mean it isn't worth doing.

And... that's today's edition of late night ranting about obscure plant breeding efforts.

Oh yes. You might wonder where you can get true garlic seeds (tps).

You either make friends with someone in the community or you find a vendor offering them.

I've ordered seeds twice from https://www.garlicana.com/ . Unlike most garden seeds you can order, these should be considered very experimental. Very few seeds will germinate and thrive.

They have more conventional seed garlic (little cloves to plant) too. If you're interested in growing garlic in any form, I highly suggest you look into their offerings.

(I have no affiliation with them. They have good products and support the community through their efforts. I appreciate them.)