The Crafty Cultivator

This is an old post (obviously) but I found it tucked away in my draft folder. I went back through the photos on my phone and found the photos that I took when I planted these. So I’ve added them in, as well as some quick notes at the end on how they grew and my thoughts after harvest.

In mid September 2020, I planted my garlic for 2021. Here is a quick run-down on the 4 different types of Garlic I have planted for next year’s harvest. Nothing fancy, just quick notes on whatever I could find from some quick googling.

Legacy – This is a hardneck, Rocambole type garlic. Originally from Germany, but found growing “wild” on a farm by Blyth, Ontario. That is about the sum of what I could dig up googling this variety.

German Red – Another Hardneck, Rocambole type. Because this one is a little more popular, you would think it would be easier to find some more history on, but no… I did find one website mentioning that these were found on an Idaho farm growing for 100 years, but I can’t confirm from multiple sources. Of the 4 types I have grabbed, these bulbs are the biggest in the bunch.

Mexican Purple – It is a Hardneck, Purple Stripe Type. I’ve grown this one before, but not by properly planting in the fall. So I’m aiming for redemption on this one.

Music – This is a Hardneck Porcelain Type. Quite well-known throughout Canada… at least by people who grow hardneck garlic. It is believed to have been brought from Italy to Ontario in the 80’s. It was named for Al Music who introduced the variety to Canada. Before he was a garlic grower, he was a tobacco farmer. Apparently, Music garlic makes up 90% of the garlic production in Ontario. These are the smallest bulbs of the 4 types I have, so it will be interesting to watch the difference between them all as they are growing.

So how did they do?

Here are some quick notes on how they all grew last year, I harvested around late August when leaves started to turn brown at the base.

Legacy was my absolute favorite. The bulbs where the biggest of all 4 types. It handled my neglect during the heat wave we had last year better than all the others. And when we got garlic bulbs in at work in the Fall, I recommended it to EVERYONE.

The other 3 were all decent, but in all counts, Legacy won. The paper on the bulbs stayed the tightest (protecting them for storage). The scapes where the largest when I harvested those in early July. It was also the only one that I saved the biggest bulbs for replanting. I would definitely try the others again once I have a bigger, better garden space to give them a better shot, but I skipped over them when I planted in fall 2021. (I’ll try and get a post going on what varieties I am trying for this year)

Now, to be fair, my garlic bed is not the most ideal situation. I wish it got more sun throughout the day. I have to be really careful to not hit the garlic with the hose when I am watering. The soil is mostly clay based, despite adding as much organic matter and building soil there for a couple years (this is a long-term process to help build soil from just dirt). There are a lot of large trees around the neighborhood area so they probably steal as much water as they possibly can. But, even though my garlic is a little smaller than I wish it was, I am still able to grow enough to last us the year. I don’t buy garlic at the store anymore – just garlic powder as an easy to add spice to quick dinners. I have made my own garlic powder in the past, BUT we live in a tiny little house, and that garlic smell takes A LONG time to dissipate, so I wouldn’t recommend unless everyone in the house is on board with smelling like garlic for days on end… because EVERYTHING will soak up that garlic smell as it is dehydrating.