We have been growing garlic since 1991, and have the great advantage of a climate that allows us to grow most varieties well. Our garlic seed comes from stock we’ve developed over the years on our farm, with some varieties a result of over 25 years of selection for the best quality bulbs.  We only grow and sell garlic seed from varieties that perform well for us. Over the 27 years we’ve farmed, on three different sites, we’ve seen a wide range of growing conditions; from clay soils to silty; from cold and dry to too-wet-to-cultivate in the late winter; from cool, wet springs where nothing wants to grow and hot spring-summers when we’re irrigating in late March. These varieties have been productive and reliable enough for us as farmers to grow, and resilient enough to handle less-than-perfect conditions. Additionally we have chosen varieties which keep well for their type to ensure the longest possible sales and culinary window for farmers and gardeners.

Garlic requires a cold spell in its growing cycle to make a bulb. Apart from that requirement, there’s a type of garlic for just about every climate. As a basic rule, Softnecks prefer warmer conditions and Hardnecks prefer colder conditions. Many regions of the country can grow both, but if you have more extreme conditions, select those varieties best suited to your site. Additionally, softnecks tend to store better, especially Silverskins and Creoles, while Rocamboles and Turbans generally have the shortest storage window.

We’ve found that the most important factors in producing great garlic, after variety selection and seed quality, is good fertilization, both at plant-out and in the late winter as growth resumes, and good early weed control, up to about early May. Garlics are shallow-rooted so cannot handle excessive hoeing if weeds get out of control, and they don’t compete well. Mulching or diligent weeding out of young weeds is a must. In hot dry springs, adequate watering in May and June prior to harvest dry-down will maintain plant health and keep pests from invading and slowing down growth. We also highly recommend a good, comprehensive soil test, beyond simply N-P-K, even for home gardeners. Organic amendments can be expensive and it’s a huge benefit to know what your soil actually needs. Fertilize correctly and you’ll be amazed at the difference in plant health, vigor and flavor! Check out our Garlic FAQs page for more growing information. If you need a copy of our organic certification you can access it here.

CERTIFIED ORGANIC SEED GARLIC

September 29, 2017   Hooray Fall is here!  The wildfires are calming down and most days the air is sweet again. We are still taking orders, and are updating the website regarding availability daily. We are shipping orders as they come in, all back orders are shipped.

The following varieties are still available for bulk orders for 2017, for all you fine farmers out there preparing for your garlic planting: French Grey Shallots, Silver Rose, Silverskin, German White Hardy Porcelain, Krasnodar White Porcelain, Khabar Marbled, Oshala Purple Striped, Kishlyk Striped, White Turban, Aglio Rosso di Sulmona Creole.

Please contact us at orders@whistlingduckfarm.com to place a bulk order and we will get you a quote with shipping. Include your zip code with your inquiry. Happy Fall! Happy planting!

French Grey Shallots:

$13.00 for 8 oz., $20.00 per lb.

Bulk pricing: 10+ lbs. – $18.00 per lb.

Silverskins and Artichokes: 

$11 for 8 oz., $18.00 per lb.

Bulk pricing: 15 – 29 lbs.  – $16.50 per lb.  30 + lbs.  – $14.50 per lb.

Rocamboles, Purple Stripes, Turbans, Asiatics, Creoles and Porcelains: 

$12 for 8 oz., $19.50 per lb.

Bulk pricing: 15 – 29 lbs.  – $17.50 per lb.  30+ lbs.  $16.50 per lb.

Gardener’s Variety Pack:

8 @ 8 oz. (4 lbs.) – $85.00

Homesteader’s Variety Pack:

8 @ 1 lb. – $145.00

For orders over 20 lbs. total weight, we will ship by UPS and will need to calculate shipping based on your address.

To order at bulk pricing, or to order quantities over 20 lbs. total, or to pay by check:

please email us your order with your mailing address and we’ll get back with you with a total due and mailing address to send a check, or invoice via Paypal.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE CANNOT SHIP TO HAWAII OR OUTSIDE OF THE USA

but first... some delicious SHALLOTS!

Gourmet European set-grown shallots

French Grey

GARLIC VARIETY PACKS

...a diversity of garlic

Plant all of our main types of garlic and enjoy a range of flavors all season, from early summer harvest to storage into spring.

 

Gardener's Pack

Homesteader's Pack

SOFTNECK VARIETIES

ARTICHOKES

Artichoke varieties are reliable, vigorous, long keeping and easy to grow. Their bulbs are large and their cloves tend to be big and easy to peel. Plus, they store nearly as well as silverskins. If there’s only room for one garlic in your garden or on your farm, this is the one to grow.

Inchelium Red – Whistling Duck Strain

White Sicilian

Lorz Italian

SILVERSKINS

Silverskins have shiny, clean white wrappers and thin strong necks, which makes beautiful braids.  They harvest fairly late and keep the longest of all the varieties, providing fresh garlic well into spring, until you can harvest the first fresh garlic from the new season.

Silverskin – Whistling Duck Strain

Silver Rose

HARDNECK VARIETIES

TURBANS

Chinese Pink Turban

White Turban

Basque Turban

PORCELAINS

Porcelain types are loved for their large, flavorful cloves, rich and sweet like Rocomboles. Their clove wrappers are tighter when grown in Northern regions so they tend to keep longer there. In general, bulbs have more cloves when grown at lower latitudes, less at higher latitudes. Our bulbs grown here average 6-8 cloves. Porcelains also reliably produce great scapes for spring harvest.  

Romanian Red

Krasnodar White

Music

German White Hardy

ROCAMBOLES

Rocomboles are the true gourmet garlic, with a deep rich flavor that is much desired by chefs. Their clove wrappers tend to be loose, making them easy to peel but giving them a shorter storage life. They are considered a seasonal treat, to be enjoyed before the new year. Most varieties have 8-12 large cloves in a single layer around the stem.

Rocomboles also produce nice double-coiled scapes, a late spring favorite with chefs and at markets. Harvest is early and should be timely to prevent the wrapper skins from splitting.

German Red

Spanish Roja

PURPLE STRIPES

Purple Stripes are beautiful garlics, with purple on both bulb and clove wrappers. They typically have 8-14 cloves per bulb, which are elongated, crescent-shaped and fairly easy-peel. Storage is on a par with Porcelains, better than Rocomboles, Asiatics and Artichokes but not as long as Creoles and Silverskins. Their flavor is considered excellent, especially when roasted. Purple stripes also produce nice 3/4-curled scapes, for spring treats while waiting for the garlic to size up.

Glazed and Marbled Purple Stripes are subtypes, both with slightly less cloves per bulb than the main type. Marbled types tend to store longer than the standard.

Chesnok Red

Kishlyk

Oshala Purple

Shavat

Chimyan Marbled

Whistling Duck Marbled

Siberian Marbled

Khabar Marbled

ASIATICS

Asiatic types are a diverse group of early maturing hard necks, usually producing a u-shaped scape and an extra-long beak, up to 18” long in some varieties. This type tends to be hot when raw, sometimes amazingly so. They typically have 6-10 cloves per bulb, with thick white bulb wrappers. We've been expanding our varieties of this type, and they're rapidly becoming our favorites, due to their interesting diversity and great flavor. The varieties we have in this type tend to emerge late in the fall, after all our others, allowing for flaming the bed for fall weeds before shoots come up. They mature mid-season.

Wonha

Takayama

Asian Tempest

Pyong Yang

CREOLES

Creoles are native to the Mediterranean, but do well in much of the US. They tend to be mid-late maturing and store well, almost as well as Silverskins, making them great for first market sales in the Spring. They have been less commonly planted in the U.S. and are a real taste treat, with a bonus of being completely beautiful to look at. The clove wrapper colors are brilliantly saturated reds and magentas.

Creole Red

Pescadero

Aglio Rosso, aka. Rosso Di Sulmona

OUR SMALLER BULBS

...wonderful for eating and planting

Our smaller bulbs are great for eating, to taste-test a new variety before planting out, and to grow on close spacing or in bunches for green garlic in the spring. These smaller bulbs can also be grown to mature bulbs, they just won't size up quite as big. But you will get more cloves, and therefore more plants, per pound, and the price per pound is less. Just indicate your preferred variety(ies) in the comments section on Paypal when placing your order.  

Culinary Garlic

Green Garlic Seed