Choosing the best garlic varieties for your farm or garden will be informed by your growing conditions and your preferences – flavor, storage needs, scapes in the spring, braiding potential, or maximum bulb size, for example. Garlic is broadly divided into Hardneck and Softneck types, with specialty subgroups within the types. Hardnecks tend to thrive in colder climates, offer distinct, complex flavors, and produce edible scapes. Softnecks adapt well to warmer areas, store longer, and are ideal for braiding. However, hardneck Creoles, which hail from the Mediterranean, do well in warm climates. Here on our farm, for over 30 years we’ve focused on varieties that have performed reliably in diverse conditions over many seasons. Between our experience and the feedback we’ve received from our customers, we’ve selected the varieties we offer here.
Softneck Garlic Highly adaptable, perform especially well in mild and warm climates, and are a great choice for reliable yields. Softnecks rarely produce scapes (unless cold-stressed), have flexible stems for braiding, and some types can store 6+ months. They typically have more cloves per bulb.
- Artichoke garlic is named for its layered, overlapping clove arrangement that resembles an artichoke. Bulbs are typically large and rounded, with thick, papery outer wrappers. Cloves range from 10–25 per bulb (commonly 12–20), arranged in 3–5 layers—outer cloves large and easy to peel, inner ones smaller but usable—with creamy-white flesh and pinkish/reddish tinges on the skins. Plants are vigorous, with broad green leaves and soft, flexible necks well-suited to braiding (though slightly less pliable than Silverskins). Flavor is milder to moderately hot, often more balanced, complex, and lingering than Silverskins, with less aggressive upfront bite and excellent sweetening when roasted. Artichokes are vigorous, high-yielding, and adaptable—performing well in mild/warm winters and also many northern areas—maturing mid-season (earlier than Silverskins) with solid storage (6–10 months). They are favored by home gardeners and chefs for their size, ease of peeling, and versatile balanced taste in everyday cooking, roasting, or raw use.
- Inchelium Red — Award-winning taste, mild yet rich and lingering with subtle heat. Large bulbs with large easy-to-peel cloves, productive, and adaptable. A reliable favorite for everyday cooking and roasting. Over the years, our chefs and market customers ask for this the most!
- Lorz Italian — Robust, hot, and spicy with strong pungency. Great for bold Italian dishes, pasta, and roasting (mellows sweetly). Vigorous and heat-tolerant, sizes up in difficult conditions.
- Silverskin garlic is one of the longest-storing garlic types overall, often keeping 9-12 months. Bulbs are typically medium to large, rounded or slightly oblong, with smooth, bright white outer wrappers. Cloves number 12-24 per bulb (commonly 14-20), arranged in 3-5 layers, with a mix of large outer and smaller inner cloves in many cultivars; skins are thin and clinging, making them harder to peel but long-storing. Plants grow upright with narrow leaves and rarely bolt, producing soft, flexible necks ideal for braiding. Flavor is straightforward and garlicky—ranging from mild and sweet (low burn) to hot and pungent with lingering heat—often described as “straight-across” with upfront bite and high oil content for rich aroma. Silverskins are highly productive, adaptable to a wide range of climates (from hot southern to cold northern), and mature mid-late. Home gardeners and growers prize them for reliability and bold presence in sauces, roasting, or raw preparations.
- Silver Rose — Beautiful rose-pink inner cloves in bright white wrappers; rich, musky, deeply garlicky flavor with mild pungency (low burn). Long-storing, productive across regions, and excellent for braiding.
- Cascade Fire — Our selected cultivar with large silvery-white bulbs, strong, hot flavor, and magenta-wrapped cloves. Reliable, well-adapted and keeps well.
Hardneck Garlic A broad category, producing tasty scapes in late spring. Add a hardneck to your planting and harvest scapes for great early-garlic flavor while waiting for your garlic crop to finish! With a wide range of selections, you can choose a variety or two that’s best for your climate and needs.
- Marbled and Purple Stripe garlics are very cold-hardy and harvest mid-late. They produce beautiful bulbs with mottled or striped bulb wrappers in deep purple tones and large, sturdy plants that produce late, reliable scapes. Bulbs are medium to large with fewer cloves, typically 4-10 per bulb, depending somewhat on latitude – the farther north, the fewer cloves. Cloves are plump and uniform, with tight skins that help them store well. Flavor tends hot when raw, with rich, garlicky depth that intensifies with cooking. They’re a top pick for northern growers wanting robust flavor, good bulb size, and dependable performance in processing or fresh use.
- Chesnok Red – a popular heirloom also known as Shvelisi. One of the best tasting varieties for baking and roasting, it holds its flavor well in sauces and marinades.
- Whistling Duck Marbled – Our signature cultivar with delicious hot flavor, late harvest, and solid keeping quality.
- Kishlyk – From Uzbekistan; vigorous, tall plants, large bulbs, excellent flavor, and tight skins for reliable storage.
- Asiatic garlic is an early-mid maturing hardneck type with vigorous growth, tall plants, and a beautiful long beak-like scape. Bulbs are medium to large-sized with 8-12 large, tall, elongated cloves in deep purple or dark wrappers. Flavor leans hot and spicy when raw—often intensely peppery or fiery with lingering heat that fades to sweetness when cooked— perfect for adding punch to dishes. Storage is moderate (4-6 months, sometimes longer with good curing). Closely related to Turbans, Asiatics mature fast and handle northern or variable climates well. They are the last to emerge from planting, allowing the opportunity for flame-weeding of fall/winter weeds, and their quick growth, large cloves, and powerful raw flavor make them a great addition to many gardens and kitchens.
- Pyongyang – Reliable and high yielding, with an early-mid harvest of medium-large bulbs with a balanced hot but smooth flavor.
- Asian Tempest — Slightly earlier harvest with a bold raw heat.
- Turban garlics are very early-maturing, often ready for harvest several weeks ahead of other garlics. They sprout quickly when planted out in the fall and can handle rainy winters. Storage is short to moderate (3-7 months). Their medium-large bulbs have vivid purple striped or pearly white wrappers and size up quickly making them great for early market sales – they are often sold green in spring as fresh garlic before drying down. Cloves are plump and easy-peel with 6-10 average per bulb. Plants produce tender early scapes ideal for pesto, fresh use and processing. Their leaves are also tender and tasty, perfect for mincing into spring fare. Flavor ranges from mild and earthy to instantly hot and pungent when raw, with a musky aftertaste that mellows sweetly when cooked or roasted.
- Chinese Pink – Mild-medium heat, performs well in mild winters with minimal winter chilling
- Basque – Mild-medium flavor, slightly sweeter than many hardnecks, likes mediterranean climates with long dry summers and colder winters
- White –A unique and beautiful strain popular in Australia, wonderful raw – mild with a bit of heat – and nice sauteed.
- Red Spanish – Large beautiful bulbs with medium heat, performs well in colder climates than most turbans
- Red German – our earliest turban, medium-large bulbs and medium heat
- Creole garlic is a rare subgroup tracing its origins through Southern Europe – Spain, France, and Italy, and to the Americas along Spanish colonial trade routes. They are versatile and adapted to warm, long-season climates ranging by variety from Mediterranean to Caribbean, but require extra care (e.g., conservative nitrogen and consistent moisture) in some regions and seasons to avoid “brooming”(where each clove tries to divide again during variable spring conditions). Prized for their jewel-like deep magenta clove coloration and outstanding storage (often 8-12 months). Bulbs are small to medium with 6–12 large cloves, wrapped in white or light outer skins. Plants are low-growing with broad leaves and produce slender scapes (ideal for pesto) in cooler areas, though they often behave more like softnecks in warmer regions. Flavor is complex and exceptional—sweet and rich when raw with some strains building heat that becomes hot, spicy, and full-bodied, holding well through cooking without losing character.
- Aglio Rosso di Sulmona (aka Rosso di Sulmona) — Adapted for centuries to the high alpine valley of Abruzzo in Italy thriving in hot dry summers and cold winters. A uniquely flavored garlic of regional and cultural significance, this garlic has a passionate following.
- Donostia – Adapted to the Basque region, reliable and handles warmer winters well.
- Creole Red – Selected from Caribbean stock, handles warm, humid conditions better than most garlics.
Quick Recommendations for the Best Garlic for Planting
- Beginners / mild climates: Start with softnecks like Inchelium Red (versatile, mild) or Cascade Fire (hot, long storage). Turbans also grow well in most moderate locales.
- Cold climates: Hardnecks like our Marbled/Purple Stripes.
- Gourmets: Hardnecks for rich flavors; Inchelium Red for balanced excellence; Asiatics for bold heat; Aglio Rosso di Sulmona for a unique treat.
- Long Storing: Silverskins and Creoles.
- Warm/Southern areas: Softnecks and Creoles.
- Garlic lovers full-season: Choose a Gardener’s or Harvester’s variety pack for early scapes, summer feasting, fall flavors and winter storage!