13 Garlic Varieties We’re Ordering in August
The time to order garlic is steadily approaching! Unlike most crops, you plant garlic in the fall for a midsummer harvest. Cultivating it requires some planning. Get ahead of the curve and order one of these 13 favorite garlic varieties of the Epic Gardening team.
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Every grower should cultivate garlic! This root crop is an easy grower. It’s drought-tolerant, frost-tolerant, and pest-resistant. Plant cloves after ordering garlic in August, and you’ll have dozens of garlic heads to harvest next year.
Grocery stores typically carry one or two varieties. When growing garlic yourself, you can choose from a variety of cultivars with unique characteristics. You’re not limited to what your local store carries!
Select from the two main types of garlic: softneck and hardneck. Softneck varieties last a long time in storage, but they’re difficult to harvest and peel. Hardneck types grow flowering scapes, and they tend to be easily peelable. They also tend to last shorter in storage than softneck varieties.
The best type for you depends on your yard, climate, and taste preferences. Select a garlic this August that tastes good and performs well in your garden.
Inchelium Red
This softneck garlic variety is a favorite for many growers. ‘Inchelium Red’ comes from the Colville Native American Reservation in Inchelium, Washington. It’s unknown how it got there! Nowadays, it has spread throughout the country on farms and home gardens.
This cultivar features white-pink papery skin, and the cloves have pink-red skin. The flavor is superb. It’s spicy but subtle, working well in a wide variety of dishes.
A softneck variety, ‘Inchelium Red’ lasts up to 10 months in storage. It’s a great August garlic for warm, southern regions, as softneck types require fewer days with cold temperatures to mature than hardneck types. They grow well in northern states, like Washington, or southern ones, like California and Georgia.
Silver White
‘Silver White’ is another reliable softneck garlic to order in August with mild flavor and a long storage period. It’s exceptional in northern or southern gardens alike, as it’s incredibly frost hardy but doesn’t need cold temperatures to mature.
Some gardeners like to braid the stems after harvesting their crop to hang the heads in bunches. ‘Silver White’ is a perfect variety for this method, as it has bendy stems that lend themselves well to braiding.
When harvesting softneck kinds of garlic like ‘Silver White,’ it’s important to use careful techniques to avoid damaging the heads. Dig in a circle around and below the heads, then lift them out of the ground. Avoid digging near the stems, as you can stab the cloves and damage them in the process.
Sicilian Artichoke
Artichoke garlics are so aptly named because they form a head like that of an artichoke! Outer cloves overlap with the inner ones, creating a folded appearance. ‘Sicilian Artichoke’ is one of the best of these types, as it has a well-balanced flavor that’s perfect fresh, cooked, or fermented.
Occasionally, ‘Sicilian Artichoke’ heads display purple streaks on the skin. This softneck garlic doesn’t grow scapes, and it lasts up to eight months in storage. Keep the heads in a cool, dark location until you’re ready to use them.
Before storing garlic, you’ll need to dry and cure the cloves. Hang them out of direct sunlight to dry for three to four weeks, then trim the stems and roots before storing the heads.
Music
Unlike the previous August garlic varieties, ‘Music’ is a hardneck garlic! It sprouts large heads, upright stems, and scapes full of blossoms. The flowers aren’t traditional; they form bulbils, or small cloves, that grow into new heads once they fall to the ground.
‘Music’ hails from Italy, where it’s a crowd pleaser for infusions, roasts, and pasta dishes. The raw garlic is intense! It’s great for garlic lovers who appreciate bold flavors. Cook the cloves to mellow out the taste.
Unlike typical hardnecks, ‘Music’ works well in warm climates and cold ones alike. It also lasts quite a while, storing for up to nine months in a cool, dark, and dry location.
Chesnok Red
I’m partial to hardneck garlic in August. The scapes are worth growing. They’re edible, crunchy, and delicious. ‘Chesnok Red’ reliably produces scapes as spring turns into summer.
Harvest scapes by plucking the stems with your fingers. They’ll form a popping sound as they detach from the stems. Store them in the fridge to cook in sautés, or keep them long-term in the freezer.
‘Chesnok Red’ cloves are equally as delicious as the scapes. They’re gorgeous too! Ordering this garlic variety in August will give you reliable harvests for decades to come. Enjoy its purple-streaked skin, soft texture, and bold flavor.
Majestic
‘Majestic’ garlic is truly majestic! Unlike most hardnecks, it lasts up to nine months in storage. The cloves have pink-yellow skin, and their flesh is creamy yellow. Each head produces an average of four to seven cloves, and each clove is gigantic in comparison to other varieties.
‘Majestic’ needs a long, cold winter to bulb up properly. Avoid growing it in warm, frost-free southern regions. Opt for softneck varieties instead.
When ordering ‘Majestic’ garlic bulbs in August, purchase more than you normally would. A single bulb has four to seven cloves, which translates to four to seven plants in the garden. If you want to harvest more than seven heads the next summer, plan on ordering more than one head this August.
Elephant
Elephant garlic isn’t a true garlic—it’s a leek! It has a mild flavor that’s more subtle than true garlic. It grows like hardneck varieties, sprouting a scape off an erect stem.
What sets this variety apart from others is its size. A single clove grows up to three times larger than a normal one.
Ordering this cultivar is a great idea for growers in search of unique, interesting crops for the garden. I like to plant a few elephant cloves next to my normal ones just to see their giant size in midsummer.
Nootka Rose
This variety shares its name with the Nootka rose, a native shrub of the Pacific Northwest. ‘Nootka Rose’ has red-white striped cloves and a soft white papery skin. It adapts well to a wide range of conditions, making it ideal for warm or cool climates.
‘Nootka Rose’ is a softneck cultivar. It doesn’t need as much cold weather as hardnecks to thrive. Plant it from September through November in cold regions, and up until January in warm, frost-free climates.
A single bulb stores between 12 and 20 cloves! Ordering a single garlic bulb in August should be sufficient for small and medium-sized yards, while two or more may be necessary for large beds.
German White Stiffneck
‘German White Stiffneck’ is the cultivar for cold regions. It’s extremely frost-tolerant, surviving well from Washington to New York. Its heads have white wrappers that hide creamy, yellow-fleshed cloves with purple skins.
When ordering ‘German White Stiffneck,’ garlic in August, look for its other names if you can’t find it. It goes by ‘German Extra-Hardy,’ ‘Northern White,’ and ‘German White.’
A hardneck cultivar, this type produces scapes in spring. Let them grow and harvest their bulbils for planting, or pull them off to encourage big bulbs at harvesting time.
Shandong
‘Shandong’ hails from China, and it’s essential in Chinese cuisine. Use its scapes for stir-frys, and chop the cloves in soups, sautés, and fermented dishes. It has a pungent, fresh flavor that softens with cooking.
This garlic doesn’t disappoint looks-wise. It features purple-streaked skin on the bulbs and a soft brown color on the cloves.
‘Shandong’ produces between six and eight cloves per bulb. Order a few so you have enough to fill your garden beds for root crops.
Montana Zemo
Though hardneck varieties don’t store well, their flavor is supreme! ‘Montana Zemo’ is one example. Most raw garlic is overpowering, but not this one. It has a buttery, nutty flavor that’s enhanced with cooking.
As its name suggests, ‘Montana Zemo’ fares well in cold climates. It’ll survive in harsh states like Montana, Idaho, and North Dakota. It appreciates cold winters and cool, moist springs.
This cultivar lasts up to six months in storage. Keep the bulbs in a cool, dry location like a pantry, closet, or dry basement.
Blossom
‘Blossom’ is a hardneck for southern growers! It tolerates frost-free winters surprisingly well. It’ll actually perform better in southern regions than northern ones. Cold weather causes ‘Blossom’ to form small cloves.
Grow ‘Blossom’ both for its flavor and color. The skins are unlike any other variety. They feature a blossom-like design with purple stripes and a white background. They’re truly stunning.
‘Blossom’ will produce small scapes in spring. Instead of sautéing the scapes, you can infuse them in olive oil, blend them in marinades, or pickle them for fresh eating.
Thai Fire
‘Thai Fire’ rounds out this list in style. It’s a beautiful garlic! Purple-white streaked skin wraps multi-color cloves. A single bulb holds about seven cloves. Order a single garlic bulb in August for a small bed, and order three or more for large ones.
In the kitchen, ‘Thai Fire’ brings a spicy kick that blends well with creamy, citrusy, or savory flavors. Roast the bulbs whole in olive oil, then slice them open to enjoy! Or peel them, blend them, and infuse the juice in sauces and marinades.
