Growing Great Garlic
6 Tips for Growing Great Garlic
It’s safe to say most of us at Mother Nature love garlic, and we also love to grow it ourselves. Did you know there’s a huge variety of different garlics, all with their own unique flavour profiles and spice/heat levels? Try growing your own garlic instead of buying it this year. With so many different varieties available, you can grow a mixed assortment and find your new all-time favourite!
Here are 6 quick tips for growing great garlic:
- Plant it in the fall, about 1 month before the first hard frost of the year.
- Garlic needs loose soil rich in organic matter with good drainage.
- Don’t crack the bulbs open until just before you’re ready to plant each clove.
- For large healthy bulbs, plant each clove a minimum of 6-8 inches apart.
- Maintain even soil moisture until the ground freezes, and then start watering again in the spring. Garlic doesn’t like to be soggy and drenched, though.
- Harvest your garlic once the plants have begun to die back, but before all the leaves have turned brown. Once the leaves are about 2/3rds brown and dry, it’s the perfect time to harvest.
Garlic Bulbs Grown Locally in Powell River
We’ve got 5 different types of garlic available from a local grower. Here’s a brief description of each type.
Yugoslavian
Yugoslavian garlic is an heirloom porcelain variety, and it has a reputation for being a reliable soldier among the porcelain types grown in BC. It’s a very hardy type and is a hardneck variety. This garlic has a tough reddish wrapper that makes it an excellent variety for storing. The cloves are a darker colour than average, and double cloves are common. It has a pungent aroma and strong hot spiciness that fades to a sweet aftertaste. It also holds up well with longer cooking times.
Montana Giant
Montana Giant is a hardneck Rocambole garlic. Its cloves are quite large and very easy to peel. It has a robust earthy flavour with garlic that peaks with a high heat intensity but mellows quickly. Montana Giant averages 2-3 large cloves per bulb.
Russian Red
This variety of Russian Red comes from the Purple Stripe family. It is an eastern European treasure that has an initial fiery flavour with a mellow and smooth aftertaste. It is hot eaten raw and has a wonderfully rich and complex flavour when cooked.
Susan Delafield
Susan Delafield or Susan D is a porcelain type grown in BC and is well adapted to wetter growing conditions. This garlic is a great choice for wet climates and is a favourite with farmers. It has an intense and fairly aggressive flavour; it’s hot! This variety is popular with gourmet cooks. This porcelain shows perfect symmetry with an average of 4 huge cloves per bulb.
Spanish Roja
Spanish Roja may be the most popular hardneck type. It has easy to peel cloves and a delightfully rich flavour. Garlic lovers say it has the truest garlic flavour. It’s a northwest heirloom, thought to have been brought to Northwest Oregon before 1900. It is sometimes called greek garlic. Spanish Roja does have a fair bit of heat, but delicious flavour. It averages 11 cloves per bulb.
Florissa Garlic Bulbs from Van Noort Suppliers
For something a little different, choose from these 10 varieties from Florissa bulb company.
Mexican Purple
Mexican Purple is a hardneck garlic that is hot and spicy, but it becomes milder when baked. Averages 8 cloves per bulb.
Music
Music is a porcelain hardneck garlic. It stores well and features a bold flavour. This garlic averages 5-7 large cloves per bulb.
Bogatyr
Bogatyr is a purple stripe hardneck garlic. It has a strong fiery flavour and long-lasting heat. It is one of the hottest kinds of garlic. Its flavours are complex and delicious when roasted. Averages 4-7 extra-large cloves per bulb.
German White
German White is a porcelain hardneck with classic garlic flavour. It produces very large bulbs and has easy to peel cloves. Averages 4-6 cloves per bulb.
Spanish Roja
Spanish Roja is a popular hardneck with a deliciously rich and earthy flavour. It averages 11 easy to peel cloves per bulb.
Regular
Regular garlic is a classic soft neck variety. It grows faster than hardneck varieties and has the typical garlic flavour
Metechi
Metechi garlic is a stalwart hardneck. It features a strong hot flavour, grows fast, produces huge bulbs, and stores well when dried properly. Averages 5-7 cloves per bulb.
Siberian
Siberian is a more delicate and mild hardneck garlic. It’s flavours meld and complement other flavours without overwhelming. It caramelizes well when roasted. Averages 6-8 cloves per bulb.
Elephant Garlic
Elephant garlic is a much milder variety and is more closely related to leeks than garlic. It produces large cloves, in bulbs that can weigh up to 1 pound each! The mild flavour is often used raw in salads. This is biennial, so the first year it will produce one large bulb, in the second year, it will produce many small cloves.
Legacy
Legacy is a hardneck Rocambole garlic. It is hot, but it’s said to be one of the best tasting garlic’s available. It averages 7-12 cloves per bulb.
Ready to try growing your own garlic? Stop by Mother Nature Garden Centre today and pick up a few different varieties to plant this fall.