It's Garlic Time!

[Rocklobster]

Just got this batch from a local customer of ours..three types..Polish, Purple Stripe, and Racambole..

[buckytom]

Are those what they call hard necks, or stiff necks, or something like that? They say that the more colorful the garlic is, the tastier (less pungent/more sweet) it is. I'm not sure if that's true, but if so, you hit a good load.

[Rocklobster]

Originally Posted by buckytom

Are those what they call hard necks, or stiff necks, or something like that? They say that the more colorful the garlic is, the tastier (less pungent/more sweet) it is. I'm not sure if that's true, but if so, you hit a good load.

They are hard neck varieties....some are stronger than others...I have more coming from my brother who always gives me a batch every year...I hang them in mesh bags along the stairway to the basement..should last me well into the spring..

[Steve Kroll]

I was in Wisconsin last week at a farmer's market and picked up a dozen bulbs of different varieties (mostly hard-neck). Unfortunately, the vendor threw them all into the same bag before I had a chance to write down what was what.

[Rocklobster]

Originally Posted by Steve Kroll

I was in Wisconsin last week at a farmer's market and picked up a dozen bulbs of different varieties (mostly hard-neck). Unfortunately, the vendor threw them all into the same bag before I had a chance to write down what was what.

Should be easy enough to identify them if you were ever so inclined...there is tons of info with good photos available...

[Steve Kroll]

Originally Posted by Rocklobster

Should be easy enough to identify them if you were ever so inclined...there is tons of info with good photos available...

The one I can identify for certain is called Georgian Fire. I used to grow it myself, and it's my favorite.

The others were just kind of mish-mash of varieties, including some I had never even heard of.

[blissful]

I've been growing 6 or so kinds of garlic now for 6 or 7 years. They can be difficult to tell apart especially if they don't get labeled through all parts of harvest, the growing, curing, storing, and saving the cloves for growing again.

The hardneck varieties don't last as long as the softneck varieties in storage. The hardnecks are mostly grown in the northern part of north america, the softnecks in the lower parts.

We grew 4 kinds this past year, they are all curing under a tarp on our deck overhang. We will be switching 2 out and getting just one new kind for planting this fall.

Rock, that picture of your garlic is beautiful!

[Roll_Bones]

Can you just put a store bought cloves in the ground and grow your own garlic?
It is stocked in every store here, but sometimes the quality is not the best.
I have a very small garden and would gladly make room for some garlic.

[blissful]

Originally Posted by Roll_Bones

Can you just put a store bought cloves in the ground and grow your own garlic?
It is stocked in every store here, but sometimes the quality is not the best.
I have a very small garden and would gladly make room for some garlic.

Sure you can. We did that when we first started and we found that we didn't know the 'type' of garlic, but if that doesn't matter, then use store bought cloves. If you live in the north, look for garlic with a stiff hard neck, and for people in the southern areas, look for garlic that can have a soft neck, like in braids (only softneck can be braided very well). This is so the weather suits your garlic and they'll be bigger and more healthy. Avoid garlic with the entire bottom roots shaved off, that means it is probably from another country (where importing requires, no roots and no dirt attached). Looking at Rock's picture, you can see roots cut off but not completely removed--that is locally grown and not imported.

[GotGarlic]

What she said ^^^ Whenever garlic sprouts in my kitchen, I put it in the ground.