Garlic Patch 2018

I finally got the garlic planted today.  I moved it back to the North garden this year.  The varieties planted are Brown Tempest, Siberian, Central Siberian, Kiev, Baba Franchuk's, Northern Quebec, and Red Russian.   

The Brown Tempest, Siberian, and Central Siberian cloves (started from bulbils in 2016) are still fairly small, so I planted those in pots in the ground.  

Kiev and Baba Franchuk's garlic (also started from bulbils) were big, beautiful bulbs when I harvested them in August.  I planted these cloves in-ground.  To my surprise/disappointment, I found that the inner skins of these two varieties were quite thin and peeled off a number of the individual cloves when I split the bulbs for planting.  The bulbs were so large that I thought their skins would be thick and sturdy, like Red Russian.   I forgot to count the number of cloves planted this year, but I estimate about 9 Kiev and 18 Baba Franchuk's.

Finishing off the plot is one row of Northern Quebec (about 11 cloves) and five rows of never-lets-me-down Red Russian (about 50 cloves).

Just have to cover the plot with shredded leaves, and the garlic will be ready to settle in for the winter.

Update: A-ha...now I realize why the Kiev and Baba Franchuk's garlic had such thin skins.  Both are rocambole varieties, which are easy to peel (thin skins!) and not the best for long-term storage.   Red Russian garlic is a Marbled Purple Stripe variety and is good for long-term storage (thicker skins).