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Have seen mention of hardneck & softneck garlic. What is the difference between the two? Does one have advantages or disadvantages over the other?

I would like to grow some but don't know which I should go for.  Perhaps do both?

Thank you.

Quote from: patchworkperson on September 16, 2013, 13:11:05
Have seen mention of hardneck & softneck garlic. What is the difference between the two? Does one have advantages or disadvantages over the other?

I would like to grow some but don't know which I should go for.  Perhaps do both?

Thank you.

The garlic most commonly recognised by most hosewives are the softneck varieties - it's what you'll find in the shops. Most come from abroad and from warmer climes than ours, so it's not always a good idea to try & grow plants from saved cloves bought in a supermarket, as they may be totally unsuitable for our UK climate (especially up north).

Hardneck garlic varieties are generally hardier than softneck varieties, they are nearer to the wild variety and tend to have stronger, but subtly varied flavours. They are probably the best option for northern gardeners. They are also the best option if you want to enjoy garlic scapes (much sought after by gourmet chefs) in early summer, since hardnecks are the only type that send up a strong central stalk in spring (this is the 'scape' and it looks like a green 'spring' or pig's tail - not disimilar to a curly onion flower spike.) Hardneck varieties tend to form fewer cloves per bulb than softneck varieties, but they also are usually a bit bigger, so it's swings & roundabouts.

Within the hardneck family, there are nine sub-types of garlics: Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple Stripe, Asiatic, Glazed Purple Stripe, Creole, Middle Eastern, Turban, Rocambole, and Porcelain (but I don't suppose you really wanted to know that did you?!). The Purple Stripe and Rocambole types are the hardiest, best for gardeners who live in the more nothern areas. Gardeners who live in milder climates in the south will have good results with Porcelain varieties.

Softneck garlic varieties are the best ones to grow if you live down south. They don't form scapes, and generally form several small cloves per head. They mature quicker than the hardneck varieties. Softneck varieties tend to store better than hardneck varieties, (they are also much easier to plait into a garlic rope) so this is the type to grow for long-term storage. Sub-types within the softneck family include Silverskin and Artichoke varieties. The sofneck family are also milder in flavour generally.

There is also elephant garlic - but I won't confuse things by bringing that into the discussion at this point!



I hope that helps!

 Fantastic! Thanks Big Gee. 

Quote from: patchworkperson on September 17, 2013, 21:23:50
Fantastic! Thanks Big Gee. 

You're welcome Ma'm - glad to be of assistance!



(Not really just a humble allotmenteer of 40 years!)

Good reply post BigGee.... but you ommitted the fact that Elephant Garlic is almost just a leek in a clove form disguised as a garlic clove with a hint of garlic flavouring added.

They are really tasty roasted tho..   I grew them this year for the first time and have had a few to eat now.

Quote from: gavinjconway on September 18, 2013, 09:26:44
Good reply post BigGee.... but you ommitted the fact that Elephant Garlic is almost just a leek in a clove form disguised as a garlic clove with a hint of garlic flavouring added.

They are really tasty roasted tho..   I grew them this year for the first time and have had a few to eat now.

They all belong to the allium (onion) family, but as you rightly say elephant garlic is a closer relative to the leek. The taste of elephant garlic cloves, while not exactly like true garlic, are far more similar to garlic than leek.

EG is a nice little plant for those who baulk at the pungent flavour of garlic - especially when eaten raw. I confess to being one of those - garlic (especially the hardneck varieties) is just too overpowering for me, killing all the subtle flavours of everything that's eaten with it! Mind you - it's apparently very good for the cardiovascular system, whether elephant garlic has those attributes I don't know.

Porcelain garlic, variety Music, is the variety grown in large quantities near Nairn in Northern Scotland by the Really Garlicky Company. They chose it after tests to find a hardy variety. They sometimes sell it through Waitrose, but make sure that it is Porcelain garlic and not the garlic that they import from Peru.
I grow the same variety in Glasgow and find it very reliable. It produces large individual cloves that are easy to peel. This year, some of the heads were almost as big as my elephant garlic and I have to look twice to see which is which!!

Lots of great info everyone. Thank you.

Quote from: realfood on September 20, 2013, 19:43:00
Porcelain garlic, variety Music, is the variety grown in large quantities near Nairn in Northern Scotland by the Really Garlicky Company. They chose it after tests to find a hardy variety. They sometimes sell it through Waitrose, but make sure that it is Porcelain garlic and not the garlic that they import from Peru.
I grow the same variety in Glasgow and find it very reliable. It produces large individual cloves that are easy to peel. This year, some of the heads were almost as big as my elephant garlic and I have to look twice to see which is which!!

Yes, the porclain variety is very hardy and well suited to growing anywhere in the UK - including Scotland and the wet cold mountains of Wales!

I remember reading a feature on The Really Garlicky Company in one of the gardening magazines a couple of years back, they are very impressive. I then went on line to view their site, well worth a browse at:

http://www.reallygarlicky.co.uk/

Good advice about buying cloves for planting at supermarkets - make sure it's been bred in our climate & not an import from a warm climate.