Our Top Favorite Garlic Varieties to Grow
Aug 31, 2024
6 years ago I bought some German White hardneck garlic from a local farm on a whim. I looked up how to plant it, followed the instructions, and said a prayer that the garlic would survive the winter. By Spring, I had forgotten all about the garlic and was thrilled to see it popping up in the garden when the rest of the beds were still bare and boring.
When June rolled around, the kids began asking what the "pig tails" were in the garden? Pig tails? I had no idea what they were talking about. So they led me to the garden and sure enough, the garlic looked like it had grown pig tails! Another quick google search told me these were garlic scapes and I needed to cut them if I wanted to harvest garlic bulbs in the Fall.
I stumbled upon a blog that mentioned scapes being a great ingredient in pesto, so I made a pesto with my scapes and some fresh arugula and basil I had growing, and it was the best pesto we had ever had in our entire life (recipe included in "Guide to Garlic" downloadable PDF). We were sold on growing garlic and we had yet to actually harvest garlic!
That year, I decided to try 5 more varieties and purchased seed stock from a local organic farm. I started out with medium sized garlic bulbs and this time we planted them in a bed amended with inoculated biochar, rabbit and chicken manure. The bulbs we harvested were HUGE. We could barely pull them through our 3" diameter weed barrier holes.
Fast forward to today- we have now grown over 30 different varieties of garlic. We have 9 standout favorites and we grow around 2,000 bulbs per year to sell to local customers.
If you, like me, had no idea that there was more to garlic than the white bulbs that you see in the grocery store... then I am so excited to introduce you to the world of garlic!
There are HUNDREDs of varieties, all with different characteristics, properties, flavor profiles, storage lengths, etc...
Just like wine enthusiasts have a different wine pairing for every meal, garlic enthusiasts, also, have a different variety of garlic for every meal. And you, my friend, are one small step away from being a garlic enthusiast too. Before you read any further, know that I warned you ;)
We put together a "Garlic Guide" PDF for our customers that details our favorite varieties, how to grow the best garlic possible, how to harvest scapes & bulbs, the health benefits of garlic (aka how to spin that you MUST grow garlic for the benefit of your family), and our favorite ways to use and preserve garlic (including our pesto recipe). Send me the Garlic Guide
Below you can find some information on the different categories of garlic, our top favorite varieties, why we love them, and our field note "stats" (aka the info you need if you want to try growing them yourself).
If I do my job right, you'll be planting at least 5 varieties this Fall!
2 TYPES OF GARLIC
There are two kinds of garlic: “Hardneck” and “Softneck,” named for their stalk. Hardneck varities have a hard stem (or neck) that produces a garlic scape while softneck varieties have a soft stem that does not produce a scape. Within these two main categories are several subcategories. There are hundreds of varieties of garlic, so we have only included information about the varieties we grow within each subcategory.
HARDNECK CATEGORY
Of the two categories, it will probably be very obvious that hardneck garlic is our clear favorite. It produces those delightful curly scapes (which we call “Pig tails”) that are cut in early summer. We absolutely love to eat the scapes and put them in just about everything – sauted meals, omlets, pesto, soups, chili, pizza, breads... honestly, it始s hard to think of something that a scape isn始t good in/on! We even love to roast the little florets that the scape produces, they are delicious to pop in your mouth and eat whole. Besides the fact that we get two harvests from hardnecks (the scapes and then the bulbs), we love hardneck varieties because they thrive in cold northern climates like ours.
PORCELAIN VARIETIES
These have a rich, full-bodied taste that holds up well in cooking and grilling. This category is favored for restaurants and home chefs alike because there are usually 4-6 large cloves that are easier to peel than other varieties. These garlics also store really well and often have a 5-8 month shelf life if cured and stored in ideal conditions. They are typically easy to grow and do well in cold climates with long winters.
German White: This variety is popular for winter storage and keeps for 6-8 months in ideal storage conditions. It is moderately spicy and has mild flavor that will compliment just about any dish. It is also great for roasting.
Stats: 1lb is about 7-9 bulbs or 25-35 cloves, and we typically get a yield of about 2.5x what we plant.
Georgian Fire: This porcelain is a Sunset Highway Farm favorite! True to its name, it is a spicy garlic with a lot of flavor. We love it raw in salsas, or cooked into chili, Salsa Verde, and other Mexican type cuisine that benefits from a little heat. It始s also great in Jambalaya. We found that with our method of growing garlic, we doubled the size of the original seed stock bulbs, with a few bulbs coming in around 3.5” wide!
Stats: 1lb is about 4-6 bulbs or 20-30 cloves, and we typically get a yield of about 4.5-5x what we plant.
Romanian Red: We first sampled this variety in 2022 and had to have it. Romanian Red originates from Romania and produces 4-5 HUGE cloves that are easy to peel and absolutely delicious with a hot, full garlic flavor that lasts. This variety just might be our new favorite in this category!
Stats: 1lb is about 4-6 bulbs or 20-30 cloves, and we got a yield that was 5x what we planted.
Susan Delafield: This one was new to us in 2023 after seeing many garlic growers claiming it to be their favorite in the porcelain category and it should be no surprise that it has become a fast favorite for us also. Excellent flavor, and the bulbs are huge. We usually get 6-8 cloves per bulb and they are easy to peel. Stats: 1 lb is 3-6 bulbs or 20-25 cloves, we got a yield of about 5x what we planted.
PURPLE STRIPE VARIETIES
Are favored for baking and is especially good in baked breads. It始s named for the deep purple striping that makes these beautiful bulbs stand out on a shelf. We find these varieties to be easy to grow and they have a shelf life of about 6-8 months in ideal conditions.
Purple Glazier: This is the all-time best storage garlic we grow. Year after year it is the variety that lasts the longest before sprouting. It is a little spicy and sharp with a sweet aftertaste, and ideal for roasting because it holds its texture and flavor. It is also one of the best garlic varieties for use in bread because (if minced) it will melt into the dough and infuse it with flavor. Purple Glazier also pairs well with beef and can be minced and rubbed on a steak. This variety has beautiful rich purple streaks that give it its name and is known for doing well with long term storage.
Stats: 1lb is about 6-8 bulbs or 35-45 cloves and we typically harvest about 5x what we plant
Siberian: We have been working on growing and improving our Siberian stock for about 3 years now and can finally release it for sale! Siberian have beautiful purple streaked bulbs and they are a hardy winter variety that does great in cold regions like the PNW. When it is roasted or baked, it has a very sweet flavor. It is also good for raw eating, like in oil or salad dressings because it has a strong flavor without an aftertaste or bite to it.
Stats: 1lb is about 8-10 bulbs or 50-60 cloves and we typically get a yield of about 6x what we plant
Chesnok Red: Despite the category, these bulbs actually have a rich red striping to them. They are great for roasting and sauteing and have a rich sweet flavor when cooked. They have a medium heat when eaten raw so they are also a great candidate for oils and dressings. These also do well with storage and will often make it to Spring. This has been the highest yielding of all the purple stripes.
Stats: 1lb is about 7-9 bulbs and 75-85 cloves and we typically got a yield of 8.5x what we planted!
ROCAMBOLE VARIETIES
There are typically one set of 5-8 cloves around a woody stock. Rocambole is very similar to Porcelain in taste – it has that strong, rich flavor great for cooking and grilling. They often don始t store quite as well, with a shelf life of about 6 months. We have found some in this category to be difficult to grow so we have tried many varieties and finally found one that is very easy to grow and gives high yields! Garlic in this category is typically easy to peel.
Carpathian: America始s Test Kitchen named Carpathian one of their favorite varieties and caused its popularity to explode (for good reason!). It has 8-10 large cloves that are easy to peel, and a rich, balanced garlic flavor that is great cooked or raw. This variety is very disease resistant in comparison to other Rocamboles and one of our heaviest yielders.
Stats: 1lb is about 5-7 bulbs or 45-55 cloves and we harvested 8x the weight that we planted
Killarney Red: This is another new standout that we are excited to share! Beautiful bulbs with purple and brown streaking and it typically has 7-9 large easy to peel cloves. This variety is not great for long term storage, but it has excellent flavor and is great to use in cooking or to dehydrate and grind up for garlic powder.
Stats: 1lb is about 6-8 bulbs or 40-50 cloves and our yield was 5x what we planted.
SOFTNECK CATEGORY
This is the most common type of garlic found on grocery store shelves. This category is the result of extreme selective growing for commercial use, and they usually grow best in warmer climates like California and are less winter hardy. It is important to find varieties that do better with cold winters if you are in a colder climate. Because we are zone 5 and have very cold winters, we have selected varieties that do better in cold climates. Softnecks often have 10 or more cloves per bulb, with the outer cloves being the largest and the cloves getting smaller as they get toward the center of the bulb. Because there are a lot of smaller cloves, they are not quite as easy to peel and work with as hardneck varieties. They are supposed to last much longer in storage than hardneck varieties but we haven't found that to be true. We find that these varieties do well in our northern climate, but they始re not as “pretty” as the hardneck varieties in terms of singular bulbs. However, unlike the hardnecks, their soft neck allows for easy braiding so they can be hung in beautiful bunches and you can simply cut a bulb from the braid whenever you need.
Because the are overall more difficult to peel, not as great in storage, and more difficult to grow and harvest with a "pretty" outcome, we have discontinued growing softneck garlic. BUT.. we left information about our top two favorite varieties below if you are interested in trying it for yourself.
ARTICHOKE VARIETIES
These typically have a milder flavor so they are versatile and popular for store shelves because they can be used in any recipe requiring garlic. They have fewer cloves than the silverskins and can often have some slight purple striping.
Incheleum Red: This variety was discovered right here in Washington on Colville Tribal lands. It is a strong and vigorous grower, does well in cold climates, and is a favorite in the artichoke category. Bulbs can get extremely large – some over 3 inches wide. When first harvested, it can be pretty spicy but the flavor gets milder with storage time. As far as cooking goes, this has been a top-rated variety by various test kitchens.
SILVERSKIN VARIETIES
These have a strong garlic flavor and store for a year or more with proper curing and storage conditions. Some of these garlics have beautiful rose-tinted skins.
Nootka Rose: Another Washington native, this variety originates from the San Juan Islands. These have a strong and spicy flavor that packs a pretty good punch in the heat department. A great storage garlic, it keeps and retains flavor for a long time. We have found this variety to be fairly difficult to grow.
As one final encouragement to try growing garlic for yourself... above you can see the size of the seed garlic that I started with on the left, and a sample of some of the monster bulbs I pulled out the following season on the right. I always hold back my biggest and best bulbs for replanting, and so do all the other garlic growers you can buy from.
So if you want the cream of the crop.. the only way to get it is to grow it yourself 馃槈
Happy growing,
Amanda
P.S. Don't forget to download the Garlic Guide below!
