During the last year, I carried out a trial of growing 11 different named varieties of garlic, readily available in the UK. This trial carried out in the West of Scotland, included a particularly harsh Winter, and was to test the suitability of the various varieties of garlic to withstand difficult cold and wet conditions. To my surprise, most of the varieties came through the very cold Winter well with the obvious exception of Sicilian Red. Some cloves then failed to cope well with the wet in the Spring. A summary of the results is given below:-
Variety of garlic. Hardiness. Size of head. Comments.
Porcelain (Music) (hardn) Very tough Large Probably the best for the North
Iberian (softneck) Tough Large From SW Spain.
Cristo (softneck) Tough Large Long keeper.
Early Purple (softneck) Tough Large From China. Use quickly.
Lautrec (hardneck) Tough Med Pink, from Lautrec, SW France.
Albigensian,(softneck) Tender Very Large Known in the 13th Century. Needs mild Winter to succeed in North. Keeps longer than other softnecks.
Germidour (softneck) Tender Med From France, short keeper.
Messidrome (softneck) Tender Med From France.
Picardy(softneck) Tender Small Northern France.
Chesnok Red(hardneck) Tender Small Republic of Georgia
Sicilian Red (hardneck) Very Tender Very small Not worth growing in North
Due to the cold, wet climate in Glasgow, the results show how important it is to grow a suitable variety for the particular climate. Some of the varieties are claimed to produce large heads, but actually produced small heads.
Some of the varieties are claimed to produce large heads, but actually produced small heads.
I find that it takes few years of selective growing before the true potential of the garlic size comes through.
Some that I've bought in past have taken about 3 years to before they've acclimatized to my
growing contions. And the bulb size tend to vary some amount year by year anyway...I suppose its weather thing.
Interesting to read what you've put together.
Are you going to keep all different varieties going on your plot or was it just one off?
As all the garlics were grown in the same bed in exactly the same way, the results can be directly compared. My favourite has to be Porcelain garlic, which I have grown for the past two years.
It is the same stock that is grown by the really garlicky farm near Nairn in the North of Scotland.
I will only grow the best ones again this October.