I’m expanding my garlic area in the garden for next year, and that means I need to get more varieties of garlic – because you can never have enough excuses to get more garden stuff right? 🙂
I’ve grown a few hardneck varieties like Music and Red Chesnok, but I want to expand that a bit this year, so I found some of the top varieties to try out.
Hardneck Garlic Varieties to Try
Here are some unique varieties of hardneck garlic to try your hand at growing.
Red Russian Garlic
Color: White with purple/red stripes
Variety: Rocambole/Purple Stripe
Taste: True garlic flavor with a little heat
Cloves per bulb: Usually produces around 8-10 cloves per bulb
Music Garlic
Color: White with faint purple areas on the cloves
Variety: Porcelain
Taste: Less spicy, appeals to a wider audience
Cloves per bulb: Usually produces around 6-8 larger cloves
Music is one of the more popular varieties of hardneck garlic. It produces larger cloves, has a less spicy flavor, but still gives you that original garlic flavor.
Definitely a fan favorite and one that I grow every year.
Red Chesnok/Chesnok Red
No matter what you call it, this is a gorgeous variety.
Color: Red
Variety: Purple Stripe
Taste: Chesnok garlic tastes a little sweet, and doesn’t have much heat. It almost smells more like a sweet onion than it does garlic, but the flavor is definitely garlic.
Cloves per bulb: Usually produces around 8-12 cloves per bulb
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Spanish Roja
Color: White with purple/pink stripes
Variety: Rocambole
Taste: Deeper “true garlic” flavor than other varieties
Cloves per bulb: Usually produces around 8-12 cloves per bulb
Spanish roja garlic is often found in nicer restaurants because its cloves are much easier to peel than some others. It also has a true garlic flavor, adding complexity to dishes.
German Red
Color: White with purple/pink stripes
Variety: Rocambole
Taste: Deeper “true garlic” flavor than other varieties
Cloves per bulb: Usually produces around 8-12 cloves per bulb
Bogatyr
Color: Red with purple/pink stripes
Variety: Purple stripe
Taste: Spicier garlic flavor, but great for roasting
Cloves per bulb: Usually produces around 4-6 cloves per bulb
This is the one I’m most excited about trying to grow this year.
Bogatyr is known as a great garlic for roasting as it turns into buttery gold. It is one of the spicier varieties though, so if you’re not into the heat, leave this out of the kitchen 🙂
I don’t know how this showed up in my email in box, but I am glad it did. I have been gardening for over 65 years, but you can always learn something new. I can no longer get down on the ground to garden, so for my birthday this spring, my son and grandsons bought me a raised bed I could put on my deck and sit next to garden in. I’m going to try to grow some garlic this winter. What are your sources for the various varieties? Thanks.
Hey Sheila, I’m glad this was helpful! It was hard to find seed garlic this year, but I got some from madrivergarlicgrowers.com this week. It’s been selling out quickly since the planting season is right around the corner!