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Garlic Characteristics
“Garlic is one the most popular fall-planted vegetables here at Burpee. Our widely adapted varieties are easy to grow, richly flavored, and keep for up to 10 months after harvest. With 9 families of garlic to choose from, you’ll find a range of flavors, uses, preferred climates, and storage tips.”
Garlics inherit many of their characteristics from the group, or family of garlics, to which they belong:
Artichoke: Artichoke garlic is a softneck variety named for its layered cloves, which are similar to artichoke petals. Its tight coarse tunics (papery clove covering) make for a long storage life of 4-6 months after harvest.
Asiatic: This hardneck family of garlic tends to mature quickly, producing plump squat cloves on each bulb.
Creole: Technically softneck variety that behaves like a hardneck. It is the longest storing of the garlics at up to 11 months. Garlics in this family tend to have a sweet and pungent flavor.
Glazed Purple Stripe: A sub-class of Purple Stripe garlic which produces beautiful golden hues on the purple-marbled cloves. It is a hardneck variety which matures slightly later than regular Purple Stripe garlics.
Porcelain: One of the best flavored and hardiest types of garlic, making it great for first time growers, especially in cold climates. This hardneck variety produces large and symmetrical, albeit few bulbs per clove.
Purple Stripe: This hardneck garlic group produces gorgeous bulbs and cloves that are marbled with purple streaks. Garlics in this family enjoy hot summers and are easy to peel with a medium storage life.
Rocambole: A hardneck type that is a favorite of chefs and foodies because of its outstanding flavor and easy-to-peel cloves. Cloves are loosely covered, making for a short 2-3 month storage life.
Silverskin: A softneck variety which produces consistently in any climate. One of the last to harvest, and its garlics offer multiple layers of cloves per bulb.
Turban: Turban garlics are a hardneck variety that are great for baking. They are also one of the earliest to mature, and are best consumed within 2-4 months of harvest.
Curious about the difference between hardneck and softneck garlic? Watch this video.
Looking for Burpee’s expert advice on how to grow garlic? You’ll find that here.
Keep reading to find out which garlic varieties are perfect for garden and your palette. Happy Gardening!”
