Home»Garden

Last update on March 6 , 2024

Garlic is one of my favorite homegrown harvest to peach about , because it can be grow well-nigh anywhere ! When it comes to growing garlic , no one is left out . Planted in the fall and winter in the ground , it is an easygoing craw that postulate patience but little guardianship . Come later spring to summer , garlic is unearthed to revel for many months to make out . However , not all garlic is every bit suitable for every climate .

Article image

hail discover the key differences between softneck garlic and hardneck garlic , along with some of the most pop varieties of each eccentric . Certain garlic miscellanea prosper in places with abrasive winter weather , while others are happiest in milder locations . Also , hardneck and softneck Allium sativum have otherunique characteristics , such as depart medulla types , flavor , and ledge life .   know the conflict between softneck and hardneck garlic will enable you to take cultivars that will be the most successful in your garden – and meet all your culinary desire !

Would you like to save this?

We ’ll e-mail this post to you , so you’re able to come back to it later !

I agree to get e-mail updates .

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOFTNECK & HARDNECK GARLIC

Climate & Growing Zones

Hardneck Garlic

Hardneck garlic diverseness produce best inNorthern region with rough winters . You have sex … sleet , ice , feet of snow even . When the right way planted , hardneck garlic can grow down to USDA hardiness zone ZERO , sustain winter low of -30’F.Brrr!While you ’re all bundled up inside , your fall - plant garlic is as well-chosen as a one dollar bill in the filth – as long as it is under a deep layer of mulch . In fact , hardneck garlicneedsa extend exposure to dusty weather for grow well – also known asvernalization .

If hardneck garlic seed fails to receive propervernalizationafter planting ( spend at least 40 days at or below 40 ° F ) only a single small electric-light bulb will uprise , rather than a robust top dog of many cloves . As a outcome , hardneck garlic is a pathetic selection for locations with soft , quick winters .

Softneck Garlic

In contrast to hardneck , softneck garlic varieties thrive in area withmild winter – urinate it a big choice for eminent USDA hardiness zones , such as 8 through 12 . That say , most softneck garlic can be grown inlower zones too(down to about 3 ) and easily survive freezing temperatures , especially when furnish a in force mulch layer for protection . Softneck does incredibly for us here on the temperate Central Coast of California ( geographical zone 9b/10a ) . Yet despite our deficiency of grueling frosts , we have gotten away with produce a little hardneck over the year too !

Somemoderate transitional regionscan originate both hardneck and softneck Allium sativum well , as long as they get at least a month or two of adequately cold temperatures for the hardneck type . In addition to these common trait , be certain to take the descriptions of the Allium sativum you are scouting out forvariety - specific entropy . Attempting to grow garlic that is n’t idealistic for your mood can chair to humble , underdeveloped heads .

Bulb & Clove Characteristics

In general , softneck garlic varieties typically bring forth a larger overall bulb than hardneck type , and have more numerous individually - wrapped cloves inside . Yet while hardneck garlic bulb may incorporate few individual cloves , each Syzygium aromaticum is unremarkably larger in size of it . The big hardneck cloves are wind with a thin skin that is often easier to peel than softneck clove , making them less windy to work with in the kitchen .

Shelf Life (Storage Potential)

Another notable difference between softneck and hardneck garlic is shelf life . Due to their dense heads and tightly envelop cloves , softneck ail has superior memory board abilitiesover hardneck garlic .

Even when properly cure , the clove of more tenderhardneckvarieties may start to soften , sprout , decompose , or otherwise blow within3 to 5 monthspost - harvesting ( though they could hold up a tad longer ) . design to use it presently , or preserve it – such as thisfermented garlic honey recipe , or learnhow to make garlic gunpowder .

Softneckon the other hand has the potentiality to continue fresh and fast for twice as long , up to 9 months(or more ) when cured and salt away properly . Because of this , softneck ail is what you ’ll most in all probability ascertain in the grocery store .

Article image

Need a trick to remember which type of garlic stores longer?It is the exact opposite of what their gens seem to imply . “ firmly ” make me guess long-wearing , while “ soft ” makes me think of something hold out badly more quickly . Yet it is just the other way around !

Scapes

Garlic scapes are edible flowering stems that areonly produced by hardneckgarlic varieties . The highly - pry scapes emerge from the pith of the hardneck ’s leafy green tops as the ail come near time to harvest . Most gardenersharvest garlic scapesonce they form one nice loop or curl , and then clip them off at the base area nestled in the leaves . If you provide the shaft to fall around too long , they will take energy away from the developing garlic bulbs as they continue to grow .

It is a shame that softneck garlic does n’t grow scapes , because they ’re supremely delicious !   Garlic scape are reminiscent of longsighted , tender , garlic - flavored dark-green beans , and are a marvelous addition topesto , sautéed , or anumber of other ways!Immaturegreen garliccloves are a exchangeable diplomacy .

Flavor

Now , this difference between softneck and hardneck ail is more subtle and can vary dramatically depending on the special variety . However , hardneck garlic variety are rumor to have a more rich , strong , and savoury garlic flavor . Softneck types are slightly meek , but still have plenty of garlic bang to them ! The pungent flavor and shorter ledge life make hardneck garlic prize candidates for desiccate intogarlic pulverisation .

Hardneck or softneck , the stellar mouthful of new homegrown Allium sativum knocks the sock off of market store garlic by far !

Other Garlic Classifications

In addition to their hardneck or softneck designation , there are additional zep - groups of garlic type . For deterrent example , hardneck garlic is further characterise as a Creole , Purple - Striped , Asiatic , or the most dominant , Porcelain and Romachole type . Softneck garlic change are most often ‘ artichoke - character ’ .

Porcelaingarlic varieties are among the easiest and most logical to grow , are very cold brave , but also grow well in warmer southern climates . Porcelain types also contain the highest level ofAllicin , the anti - inflammatory and antioxidant compound in Allium sativum that earn it so just for you !

Rocambolegarlics do n’t do as well in lovesome southerly neighborhood , and are generally regard more challenging to arise than Porcelain – require very good fertility and cold winters . They also have shorter entrepot electric potential . However , Rocambole ail is often regarded as the well - taste garlic , with a robust and complex smell profile and tardily - strip down cloves .

Aaron is holding two different braids of garlic, one softneck and one hardneck. In each hand there are at least 25 to 30 bulbs of garlic braided together by their greens. Aaron is wearing sunglasses, a maroon shirt, and dark khaki brown shorts.

Now that we know more about the difference between hardneck and softneck Allium sativum , countenance ’s highlight a fistful of the most popular varieties of each . However , keep in psyche that there are loads and dozens of different unique garlic cultivars out there . The list below is by no mean exhaustive!High MowingandSeeds Noware two of our favorite place to grease one’s palms garlic seed .

Hardneck Garlic Varieties

Softneck Garlic Varieties

What about Elephant Garlic?

Despite its misleading name , Elephant garlicisn’t a true garlicat all ! It is more close connect to onions and shallots , and does n’t have the same foresighted - term store qualities as real garlic . However , elephant garlic is domesticate much like ail and requires a long cool growing time of year , considered a hardy biennial ( lives 2 years ) in zones 3 through 9 .   Elephant garlic yields a few mammoth paper - covered cloves ( up to one pound each ! ) and has a more soft garlic - like flavor , palatable to be consumed cutting even .

And that sums up the differences between hardneck and softneck garlic.

DeannaCat is holding three different varieties of garlic in her open palm. The one that is on the top is large and whitish pink with many cloves, the middle one is smaller with only 6 or so cloves and it is pinkish red in color, the bottom one is medium sized bulb with a fair amount of cloves, they are purplish white in color.

DeannaCat is holding a pint mason jar three quarters full of garlic powder. The powder is ashy white and there is red writing on the side of the jar that reads “garlic powder”.

DeannaCat is holding freshly harvested garlic scapes. They look like a cross of long green onions and green beans. The scapes have a long green stalk that works towards a potential flowering pod on the end, each one has a curve at the end that almost circles around itself. Another difference between hardneck and softneck garlic is that hardneck produces scapes while softneck does not.

DeannaCat is standing in front of a garlic harvest, her feet showing before the two different rows of garlic laid out, each row is positioned with their bulb pointing towards the middle and their leafy greens point towards the outer edge of the image. The hardneck garlic on the left has smaller and tighter bulbs than the softneck on the right. Each row has about 25-30 garlic bulbs attached to their greens.

A close up image of a bulb of roasted garlic. The top of the bulb has been cut pre roasting and shows dark orange brown roasted garlic cloves within the papery sheath. Sometimes a difference between hardneck and softneck garlic is one roasts better than the other.

A close up image of many dried garlic bulbs, the variety is called California White and is what is found in many grocery stores for sale. California White is a softneck variety which does well with warmer weather, which is one of the main differences between hardneck and softneck garlic.

DeannaCat signature, keep on growing