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Legend
- Start Indoors
- Transplant
- Start Outdoors
- Care
- Harvest
- Succession Plant
- Cold, Cool, Warm, Long days
- Annual
Garlic : Deerfield Purple Garlic
Purple stripe
Mid-season. A 5-star garlic for its uniformity, size and flavor. Bulky heads are covered in thin, white wrappers that are streaked with purple. Individual cloves are covered in blushed-tan skins with plum stripes. Flavor starts out mild and finishes with a fervor of spice! A purple stripe variety from Vietnam. Virus free. Garlic is shipped only in the fall-late September or early October, depending on the season.
Growing great garlic is quite easy. Few pests bother garlic and with some basic guidelines, just about any home gardener can experience success. Garlic prefers a rich, well-drained soil and does not do well in dense soils with low fertility. Separate the cloves just prior to planting. Plant the cloves 4-6 inches apart, covering them with 1-2 inches of soil.
In northern areas, garlic should be planted in October and in the South it’s planted from November through January. When spring growth begins, fertilize and water as needed. As harvest approaches, watering should be less frequent in order to avoid molding or staining the cloves. Cut off woody seed stems at the top leaf to redirect energy to the bulb. Harvest when at least 3 green leaves remain on the stem. Tie the plants in small bundles and dry in a cool, dark location.
Hardneck garlics typically produce 5-10 cloves per head. Cloves grow in a single circle around a central woody stem. These varieties also produce, or attempt to produce, a flower stalk. Hardneck garlics have a shorter storage life than softnecks.
Approximate Cloves per head: 5-10
Amaryllidaceae Allium sativum
This is an example of the timeline you would see based on your growing conditions.
Garlic: Hardneck
Deerfield Purple Garlic
Hardnecks (Allium sativum ssp. ophioscorodon) are closer to wild garlic, with complex flavors. These are the garlics that some compare to wines with subtle differences that reflect the regional soil and weather patterns. One simple benefit to the cook is the way some of their skins slip off smoothly. Hardnecks do not store as long as softnecks—cure them, eat them within a few months, and get to know their distinctive flavors. Hardneck garlic can be identified by the hard flower stalk that often does a loop as it grows.
Basics
- Ease of Growing
- Easy
- Grown as
- Annual
- Days to Maturity
- 90-154 (Spring/Summer), 225-240 (Fall/Winter)
- Growing Habit
- -
- Hardiness
- Hardy
Garlic is very hardy and if the soil doesn't freeze the roots will continue to grow right through the winter. The tops will grow whenever the temperature is above 40 degrees F. Garlic can sometimes be frost tolerant.
- Crops
- Spring, Fall
- Growing Season
- Short, Long
- Cultivar Type
- -
- Growing Conditions
- Cold, Cool, Warm, Long days
Garlic is a fairly easy crop to grow. Given lots of sun, good soil, plenty of water, and a steady supply of nutrients, and it will produce maximum leaf growth, which in turn produces large bulbs. Garlic is quite hearty and can grow during the winter in more moderate climates. In colder areas, it can be planted in the spring.
- Outdoor Growing Temp
- 45°F - 85°F
- Min Outdoor Soil Temp
- 45°F
Garlic is a very hardy plant and can go into the ground 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost date.
- Start Indoors
- No
- Start Outdoors
- Yes
- Light
- Water
- Low
This is another critical factor in growing good garlic. The plants need a steady and constant supply of moisture when putting on leaf growth and bulbing up.
- Feeder
- Moderate
Moderate nitrogen. Moderate phosphorous. Moderate potassium. Garlic isn't a very hungry plant, but it needs a steady supply of nutrients for best growth.
- Suitability
- Tolerates light frost
- Small Gardens?
- Yes
- Containers?
- Yes
You could try growing garlic in a container (make sure the pot is at least 12" deep and 6" in diameter), but it isn't considered an ideal candidate for this. Plant one clove per pot no more than 1 1/2 inches below the surface of your potting soil. Water well and place in the sunshine.
- Attracts beneficial insects?
- No
- Color
- White skin with pink tinged cloves
- Fruit Size
- 1.5 - 3.0"
- Plant Height
- 12.0 - 24.0"
- Plant Diameter
- 2.0 - 3.0"
- Hardiness Zone
- 5-10
- Disease Resistance
- -
- Taste Profile
Medium garlic flavor that's long lasting
- Rotation Group
- Roots: Alliums + Umbeliferae
Last Frost Date (LFD) refers to the approximate date of the last killing frost of spring.
Example first frost date on April 08.
First Frost Date (FFD) refers to the approximate date of the first killing frost of winter.
Example first frost date on November 01.
