I have seen it happen but slightly higher on the stem. Those are some kind of bulbetes that can be planted or used just like garlic cloves. If my memory serves me correctly, if you plant those, you will get a round single clove garlic, also called onion garlic.

It is trying to bulb on the stem. Or make bulbils, as mentioned. I don't know why that sometimes happens, but I have seen a couple of mine do that over the years.

Thank you seysonn and sunnibel7. Do you think leaving it like normal is okay or should it be pulled? I guess I am asking if it will have any effect on the harvest. Thanks again.

dirtguy, do you have a picture of the entire bed of garlic? Because I'm wondering what it's supposed to look like when close to harvest. I'm to growing garlic and my plants are starting to die back some, but I don't think there quite ready. I do know we're in different zones, but I would just like to see to get an idea. Thanks for your help!

Bulblet development in garlic is often a reaction to stress. Likely the head of garlic will be fine or possibly a bit on the small side.

As was said, you can plant bulblets at the normal garlic planting time. The result from planting a bulblet will be a larger ball -- called a "round."

You can eat a round when harvested. Or you can replant at the normal time, with the result that you will get a large head of garlic.

Well, let me chime in and say that I am a bit warmer than you - just North of Phoenix, AZ - and I harvested my garlic about 10 days ago. Here is a pic of what the bed looked like a couple of weeks prior to harvest. From what I read online, once the flower stalks appear (the white, spikey buds at the ends of long stems) one should cut back on or quit watering altogether to force growth energy to the bulb. Also, feel around under the soil of one bulb and check to see if you can detect the bulbs and feel the cloves under the skin. This is another sign of readiness. The flower stems will also start to "loop" and depending on variety, hard or soft neck, one should stop watering, cut off the flower heads, leave the flowers on or stand on one's own head after the flower stems "make" one or two loops, LOL.

Shortly after this photo was taken, I stopped watering all of it, hard and soft neck alike. I waited about a week, didn't cut any flower stalks off, and harvested. I cut the flower stalks off after harvest and hung 'em all up by their stalks - don't cut any of those off as each stalk is a layer of that white papery skin that protects the cloves. Since it is so dry here, I am letting then "cure" for 2-3 weeks on the back porch where it is completely shaded.

Hope that helps and good luck!