Garlic's Planted

   The overnight temps have begun to be frosty, so in the garlic went!  The patch, which looks small compared to last year's, was planted yesterday in the north garden.  Most of the leaves are still on the trees here, so we will have to wait a while longer to apply leaf mulch to the patch.

   Yesterday morning, we saw the first sparkling frost of the season.  This morning, we woke up to a killing frost, so some of the plants that had held on until now (e.g., marigolds, cosmos, parsley, dahlias) will finally be pulled and composted. 

 

 

This year's varieties are:

Russian Giant  – Hardneck – Marbled Purple Stripe – Very hot when eaten raw.  Best grown in cool/northern climates.  Large bulbs, often 3 inches across.  4-6 cloves per bulbs.  Long storing (~8 months).  Skin is brownish-purple.

Red Russian – Hardneck - Marbled Purple Stripe (a kind I plant annually).  Excellent storage. Very dependable.  Excellent storage.  Large bulbs, averaging 5-7 cloves per bulb.  Can tolerate wet and very cold winters. Hot flavour with a bit of sweetness.

Persian Star – Hardneck – Purple Stripe – Cold-hardy variety and a Canadian heritage variety.  Light coloured bulb wrappers with purple-streaked clove skins. Late harvest.  The bulbs can get quite large.  8-10 cloves per bulbs, can have 6-8 months storage.  Rich and spicy but not too hot.

Pyong Yang Korean – Asiatic Hardneck – Glazed Purple Stripe.  Rare, hot, early to harvest.  Easy to peel, moderate storage (~6 months). This variety should be harvested when 1-2 leaves have turned brown (unlike most varieties).

Brown Tempest – Hardneck - Glazed Purple Stripe - Bulb wrapper have purple patches, cloves are brown/bronze with a bit of rose blush and no stripes.  Bulbs average 6-7 cloves.  Raw garlic is hot.  Originating from the Republic of Moldova. Peels quite easily.  Does not store well (recommended to eat these ones first).

Mother of Pearl – SOFTNECK – Silverskin – long storage, dense heads, no scape develops, rare variety.  Of the Silverskins, this is the earliest variety to mature.

Northern Quebec – Hardneck – Porcelain. White wrappers. Good storage.  Averages 4 cloves per bulb. Does well in most climates and tolerates very cold winters.  Mid-season harvest.  Hot (and some say slightly smoky) flavour.

Baba Franchuk’s – Hardneck - Rocambole - Originated in Manitoba. Bulb wrappers have strong purple striping, cloves wrappers are reddish brown.  Great flavour.  The bulbs can grow very large.  Averages 8-10 cloves per bulb.  Stores about 6 months.  An easy peeler.

Kiev – Hardneck - Rocambole -  Brown, gold, and amber wrappers.  Brown, gold, and amber wrappers. Strong flavour, large bulbs with up to 10 cloves (seems to average around 7).  An easy peeler. 

Red Rocambole – Hardneck  - Rocambole – This variety was given to me.  I don’t know which variety of red rocambole it is (e.g., Killarney Red, Spanish Roja, etc.)…or if the name of the variety is “Red Rocambole”.  Being a rocambole, it's an easy peeler.

Newfoundland (Heritage Newfoundland?) – Hardneck - Rocambole - A rare cultivar from eastern Canada, which has been cultivated for nearly 400 years in Newfoundland. The cultivar was collected by Peter Sobol.  Does well in cold climates.  Outer wrapper white marbled with mauve. Cloves coloured cinnamon to dark rose and are easy to peel.  Rich flavour without burning.  Stores ~ 4 months.   [I am not sure if this is a rocambole or porcelain.  It looks like a rocambole to me ("Newfoundland Heritage"), but the person who gifted the rounds to me thinks it’s a porcelain variety ("Newfoundland").]

Burnstown Wild – Hardneck - Rocambole?  Purple Stripe? Wild/Perennial type?  These rounds were gifted to me, and I can't find any information about this variety.  The rounds are large and a purple/rose colour.

Jesuit House (rare) – undetermined, but seems to be a hardneck, a probable Porcelain.  Here is a short write-up of what's known about this garlic.  There is a bit more information on the Terre Promise seed website.  I have seen this nutshell description online:  "Jesuit House garlic - a rare perennial clumping garlic from Sillery, Quebec - multiplies via seeds and nubbins on the bulb." 

Fish Lake (Fish Lake 3?) – Hardneck - Porcelain - The premier and best known variety from the legendary garlic breeder Ted Maczka. This variety is stronger and larger than most porcelains. Robust grower.  The white bulbs have 5 to 6 cloves and the clove wrappers are purplish pink. Good storage.

Music – Hardneck - Porcelain –  One of the most common varieties grown in Canada.  Produces a medium pungency garlic that stores well.  Music has an average of 4-6 cloves per bulb.  Adapts well to a wide range of environments and growing conditions.  Originally imported from Italy.  Performs well in cold climates.  Outer wrappers tend to be white.  Cloves are hot when eaten raw, sweet when baked.  One of the milder porcelains.

Not planted this year:  Siberian, Central Siberian, Majestic.