Selecting Garlic

Before you get started growing garlic, you’ll want to make sure you’re picking the correct type of garlic for your climate. Once you figure out what will grow in your area, you can select garlic based on storage and taste preferences.

Types of Garlic- Hardneck & Softneck Garlic

Softneck garlic is most likely what you’ll see sold at the grocery store. It has a long thin neck which makes it perfect for braiding. If it’s properly stored, it can last up to a year!

Softneck has more cloves per head of garlic, but the cloves are smaller overall. It doesn’t produce scapes like hardneck garlic does.

Hardneck garlic has a shorter shelf life, which is why you won’t really see it sold at large grocery stores. They can store for anywhere from 2-6 months depending on the variety and how they’re cured and stored.

Hardneck garlic has more complex flavors and larger (but fewer) cloves than softneck varieties. Unlike softneck garlic, hardneck garlic produces scapes in the spring which can be sautéed, added to herb butter, or turned into a delicious pesto. It’s like having a double harvest from one plant!

Since they’re not readily available in stores, you may want to grow hardneck varieties in your garden to experience the flavor and the scapes.

Ideal Climates

What are the ideal climates for both hardneck and softneck garlic?

Hardneck garlic is typically grown in colder and more northern areas. In colder climates, it can’t be beat! It needs winter’s chill to produce large heads of garlic. Hardneck garlic needs temperatures between 40F-60F for 6-12 weeks to produce the biggest heads of garlic possible.

Softneck garlic does best in locations with mild winters and warmer climates. The southern parts of the United States are better suited to growing softneck garlic than hardneck.

If you’re in a transitional zone like we are in Richmond, Virginia, you can grow both types!

Outside of a transitional zone? You still might be able to try both types with a few tricks!

If you don’t have the chilly winters that hardneck varieties need, you can trick your garlic into thinking it has gone through winter in a colder area by vernalizing the cloves inside of your fridge. It’s really easy to do!

To vernalize the garlic, you’ll simply place the garlic cloves inside of a paper bag and place them in a warmer section of your refrigerator for four to eight weeks prior to planting. Be sure not to seal the bag entirely or you’ll risk trapping moisture inside the bag.

If you’re in a northern area and want to try softneck garlic, you can use extra mulch to keep the soil more insulated and temperatures warmer or grow the garlic in a greenhouse that stays warmer than outside.

It’s all about experimentation and trying new varieties and planting locations until you find what grows best in your garden.

Planting Locations

Where can you plant garlic?

You’ll need to find an area of the garden that gets 6-8 hours of full sun. Both hardneck and softneck garlic can be planted directly in ground, in raised beds, or in containers.

Garlic prefers sandy and loamy well draining soil. If you don’t have good drainage, the cloves could rot, or the heads could not develop properly.

No matter the type of garlic you plant, you want to make sure the garlic isn’t planted too closely to each other and that the container you’re planting in won’t get too hot too quick.

If your garlic gets too hot too quick in a dark grow bag or in a container, the heads may not form properly.

For more planting information, check out these articles:

Planting Garlic- Prepping Your Space

Garlic Liquid Kelp Soak

Taste Preferences

If you’re wondering what kind of garlic you should grow, you should also consider your taste preferences!

Hardneck varieties are more flavorful than softneck varieties, but the softneck varieties are also delicious.

Music garlic is a fan favorite hardneck variety and is described as “an aromatic, slightly spicy, incredibly flavorful garlic with potent heat that is balanced by the spiciness.”

YUM!

California early white, a softneck variety, is described as “having semi-rich and grassy flavor, and is hot, but not explosive.”

No matter your garlic taste preferences, there’s a garlic out there for you! Be sure to check the descriptions when you’re purchasing your garlic for flavor notes, how long it stores, and what zones it’s suited for.

Get Growing

If you see a garlic you just can’t live without but it’s outside of your ideal growing zone, remember, you can always try to stretch your zone by using: