Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - Ordering garlic for the first time -- questions

OneDahlia · October 5, 2011

I'm about to order garlic to plant for the first time and I'm kind of overwhelmed by all the options that are out there. Want to advise?

I'm thinking of getting a sampler pack from either Filaree Farm or Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. I understand that Filaree is great quality, but I assume the garlic from SESE may be better suited to my region. I live in Northern Virginia.

Filaree's sampler includes "1/4 lb each of four basic types; Porcelain & Purple Stripe hardnecks and Artichoke & Silverskin softneck varieties."

SESE's sampler includes "1/4 lb of an artichoke-type softneck, 1/4 lb of a silverskin-type softneck, 1/4 lb of a rocambole-type hardneck, and 1/4 lb of a purple-striped hardneck."

Both are about $25 for one pound of garlic.

I did pick up 5 bulbs of garlic at a local farmer's market. They didn't know what it is -- best I can tell is that it's some kind of hardneck.

They're not very big and I'm assuming storage time will be mediocre.

I don't have much of a sense yet of the differences among varieties that are out there. The garlic I got locally is a bit more flavorful than grocery-store garlic cooked, but didn't really taste very different to me. To add to what I have, I would ideally like to try out any or all of the following: something with a bit of a different flavor (not TOO hot though), something with bigger cloves than the ones I got locally, something that will store for a year, and something that is mild/sweet for eating raw (my daughter likes that).

I don't even have much of an idea of how much to plant. Got 4 people in the family and I cook with a clove or two of garlic pretty frequently.

Any thoughts or recommendations would be much appreciated. Pick one or the other sampler, or try a variety or two by themselves? I know time is getting short for this, and a lot of things are sold out, and I should go ahead and order!

October 5, 2011	#1
OneDahlia Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: 7a NO. VA. Posts: 202	Ordering garlic for the first time -- questions I'm about to order garlic to plant for the first time and I'm kind of overwhelmed by all the options that are out there. Want to advise? I'm thinking of getting a sampler pack from either Filaree Farm or Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. I understand that Filaree is great quality, but I assume the garlic from SESE may be better suited to my region. I live in Northern Virginia. Filaree's sampler includes "1/4 lb each of four basic types; Porcelain & Purple Stripe hardnecks and Artichoke & Silverskin softneck varieties." SESE's sampler includes "1/4 lb of an artichoke-type softneck, 1/4 lb of a silverskin-type softneck, 1/4 lb of a rocambole-type hardneck, and 1/4 lb of a purple-striped hardneck." Both are about $25 for one pound of garlic. I did pick up 5 bulbs of garlic at a local farmer's market. They didn't know what it is -- best I can tell is that it's some kind of hardneck. They're not very big and I'm assuming storage time will be mediocre. I don't have much of a sense yet of the differences among varieties that are out there. The garlic I got locally is a bit more flavorful than grocery-store garlic cooked, but didn't really taste very different to me. To add to what I have, I would ideally like to try out any or all of the following: something with a bit of a different flavor (not TOO hot though), something with bigger cloves than the ones I got locally, something that will store for a year, and something that is mild/sweet for eating raw (my daughter likes that). I don't even have much of an idea of how much to plant. Got 4 people in the family and I cook with a clove or two of garlic pretty frequently. Any thoughts or recommendations would be much appreciated. Pick one or the other sampler, or try a variety or two by themselves? I know time is getting short for this, and a lot of things are sold out, and I should go ahead and order!