For any home gardener looking to grow garlic, softneck varieties are often the best place to start. With their flexible stalks and impressive storage capabilities, softneck garlic bulbs tend to be easier to grow and more adaptable than hardneck types. Whether you’re a beginning gardener or a seasoned pro, planting softneck garlic bulbs in the fall can provide a robust, flavorful harvest next summer.
What Makes Softneck Garlic Special?
There are two main types of garlic grown – softneck and hardneck Softneck garlic gets its name from the flexible stem that allows it to be braided for storage It is the type most commonly found in grocery stores. Beyond their soft stalks, softnecks have a few advantages over hardneck varieties
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More cloves per bulb Softnecks contain at least 10-20 cloves per bulb, while hardnecks have 6-12
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Longer shelf life Properly stored, softnecks can last 6-9 months or longer Hardnecks keep for only 3-5 months on average
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Better warm climate tolerance: Softnecks handle heat better than hardnecks. However, both can grow well in a range of zones.
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Subtler flavor: When roasted, softnecks have a milder, more nuanced garlic flavor. Raw, they pack a robust garlicky punch.
Choosing the Best Softneck Garlic to Plant
With so many options, it can be tough deciding which softneck garlic to plant. Consider the following factors:
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Your climate: In cooler northern zones, Artichoke types store the longest. Creoles thrive in hot southern climates.
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Use: Silverskins add great flavor raw. Artichokes have excellent roasted flavor.
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Flavor: Nootka Rose and Silver Rose offer rich, complex flavor when raw.
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Heirloom vs Commercial: Heirlooms like Inchelium Red provide better adaptation and taste.
Popular softneck varieties include:
- Artichoke – California White, Inchelium Red
- Silverskin – Silver Rose, Nootka Rose
- Creole – Creole Red
When and How to Plant Your Softneck Garlic
One of the keys to growing great garlic is proper timing. Softneck garlic does best when planted in the fall about 4-6 weeks before the ground freezes. This allows the roots to establish before going dormant for winter.
Follow these steps for planting:
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Choose a spot that gets full sun with well-drained, compost-amended soil.
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Separate bulbs into individual cloves, leaving skins intact.
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Plant cloves root-side down 2-3 inches deep, 4-6 inches apart in rows 8-10 inches apart.
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Consider soaking bulbs in diluted fertilizer solution before planting to stimulate growth.
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Mulch over planted rows 3-6 inches deep to insulate.
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Keep soil moist, avoiding saturated conditions.
Aim to get softnecks in the ground in late September to late October. With the right fall start, your garlic will be ready for harvesting in early summer.
Growing a Healthy Softneck Garlic Crop
Once planted, softneck garlic needs minimal care beyond ideal growing conditions:
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Weed control – Mulch heavily and weed regularly before plants establish.
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Fertilization – Side dress with organic fertilizer in early spring when growth resumes.
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Watering – Garlic thrives with 1-2 inches of water per week. Proper moisture prevents stunted bulbs.
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Pest management – Monitor for pests like thrips and treat organically if populations explode.
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Harvest timing – Allow at least 50% of leaves to yellow before digging.
Given adequate sun, nutrients, and moisture, your softneck garlic will size up nicely! The flexible stalks remain upright and green longer than stiff hardneck stems.
Harvesting and Curing Softneck Bulbs
Timing your softneck garlic harvest properly ensures prime flavor and storability:
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Dig carefully when 50% of leaves are yellowed or brown. Avoid bruising bulbs.
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Cure for 1-2 weeks in a warm, dry, shaded spot with good airflow to seal in flavor.
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Trim roots and stems to 1 inch after curing. Gently clean any dirt but don’t wash yet.
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Store in a cool (55-65°F), dark spot with low humidity and good circulation. Avoid plastic bags.
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Inspect regularly and remove any bulbs starting to rot to prevent spreading.
Proper post-harvest curing and storage keeps your harvest fresh up to 9 months!
Enjoying the Softneck Garlic Bounty
Beyond its ease of growth, softneck garlic offers incredible culinary versatility:
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Roast heads for sweet, mellow flavor. Squeeze onto breads, pizzas, pastas.
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Chop raw cloves for bold flavor in salsas, dressings, hummus, etc.
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Infuse oils or vinegars by steeping peeled cloves.
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Ferment into products like honeyed garlic or lacto-fermented pickles.
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Make creamy garlic butter or herb-infused garlic salt.
With 10+ cloves per bulb and long shelf life, softnecks provide an ongoing garlic supply. Both novice and experienced gardeners will find softneck garlic easy to grow and full of flavor. Give this essential crop a try!
How to Plant Garlic Bulbs
In most areas of the country, garlic is planted into the garden or raised bed.
Getting Started with Garlic Bulbs
While some gardeners start garlic from seeds, Gurneys offers plump, garlic bulbs for sale and delivers them right to your door. Before buying garlic bulbs, determine where you plan to plant them. Garlic is a popular Allium that has seasoned dishes for thousands of years. Long cultivated for its pungent flavor and purported medicinal properties, garlic is primarily propagated by cloves (bulbs) which are typically planted in the fall for harvest the following summer. Relatively easy to grow, garlic also stores well. Making it a popular choice for gardeners who want to enjoy the fruits of their labor all year long.
Watch This Before You Plant Garlic
FAQ
What is the best soft neck garlic?
The Inchelium Red garlic has won many awards with its delicious flavor of a soft-neck variety. This mild flavored garlic can be used in many different dishes. This large, top-quality softneck was discovered on the Colville Indian Reservation in northern Washington.
What is the mistake in planting garlic?
Garlic is planted in fall, allowing the cold to divide each clove into the bulb to come. Plant between Halloween and Thanksgiving for the healthiest garlic growth. Your goal is for each clove to establish its root system while growing as little shoot as possible. Biggest Mistake: Planting too early.
Which is the best month to plant garlic?
Garlic is typically planted September through November, depending on where you live. If you live in a colder climate, you plant your garlic earlier in the fall planting window, and later if you are in a more mild climate.
Should I soak my garlic bulbs before planting?
Why we soak our garlic before planting. Garlic Fertilization Soak Benefits Include: Start Fresh: Reduce the transmission of microorganisms that naturally live in garlic by sterilizing the cloves before planting. Plant Health: As an organic farm, our goal is to promote the health of the plant.
When to plant Hardneck garlic?
When planting hardneck and softneck garlic, the process is the same as is the planting time: fall. Usually, hardnecks are planted by mid-October or before the first frost. You can wait a few more weeks before getting softneck cloves into the ground. To plant garlic, open a full-grown garlic head and remove the cloves.
Are softneck garlic easy to grow?
One of the two main subspecies of garlic, softneck garlic is easy to grow with fantastic storage capabilities. Southern growers tend to have the best luck with softnecks as they are well-adapted to warmer climates, thriving in areas with milder winters. However, when properly mulched, softnecks can also grow quite well in the north.
How do you harvest soft-neck garlic?
Harvest your homegrown soft-neck garlic PRO-TIP:When harvesting your garlic, make sure you use a garden fork/knife to loosen the soil underneath the bulbs before pulling up your garlic. This will not only make it easier for you to pull the bulbs from the soil, it will also reduce any damage to the stalk to ensure your bulbs can cure properly.
How do you care for a softneck garlic plant?
Here are some tips for healthy softneck garlic crops: Weed regularly to prevent competition, especially when plants are young. Side dress with a balanced organic fertilizer once in early spring. Garlic is a heavy feeder. Water when soil dries out, about 1-2 inches per week. Proper moisture prevents stunted growth.
Can you grow garlic at Johnny’s?
Relatively easy to grow, garlic also stores well. Johnny’s offers certified organic and certified naturally grown seed garlic in hardy, vigorous stiffneck and softneck varieties. Garlic ships in late September through mid October for fall planting.
How do you know if softneck garlic is ready for harvest?
Softnecks produce leafy tops that remain green longer than hardnecks. Softneck garlic is ready for harvest when about 50% of the leaves have turned yellow or brown. Carefully dig up each bulb or pull stems to loosen soil. Avoid bruising the bulbs as you remove them from the ground.