Garlic gone soft

[lizzy]

Hi all – hoping for some advice please – I grew garlic from cloves saved from last year. They grew well and the bulbs were firm when I harvested. I stored some in a dark garage and a few in the kitchen but they have all gone soft – not rotting and not mildewy. On another forum someone reckons the bulbs can get ‘cooked’ if left out in the hot sun. Is this likely? The soft cloves look pale yellow and a couple of bulbs have more solid cloves on one side – as if not so exposed to the suns’ heat. Any ideas please?

[charles]

Lizzy, you have not told us how long the bulbs were in bright sun? Outside or in a greenhouse?
They need a lot of hot sun for that to happen. In the UK it’s rare. I heard of it in S. France, le coup de soleil.
For example mine were ten days in full sun and are firm now.

[lizzy]

hi Charles – I am not sure exactly how long but at least a week and yes outside – I left them on top of the soil – they had some rust on them so I decided to harvest them early – they were not very big but still a useful size; the allotment seems to have a ‘micro-climate’ as it is sheltered and always seems much hotter than my garden 5 mins away, and also has a fence which shelters my plot even more. well they are all on the compost heap now 🙁

[charles]

Ah sorry to hear that. I don’t think it was sun, I have had it happen sometimes but later in autumn.

[Author]

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