There are plenty of garlic varieties on offer to add excitement to your kitchen garden or vegetable patch, such as the medium flavoured Arno, stripy Purple Wight, the very large elephant garlic bulb and even the easy-to-peel Sultop - quality guaranteed!
Top garlic bulbs care facts
- Suited to gardeners of any level
- Best grown in full sun
- Avoid water logging so that the bulbs do not rot
- Suitable for growing in raised beds
- Requires monitoring for birds, weeds, rot and leek rust
Garlic Bulb Varieties
Hardneck garlic types – these are closest to wild garlic and naturally form a seed stalk which gives this type its name. This stalk or scape is delicious used in stir fries and sauces! Our ‘hardneck’ varieties are very hardy, so will thrive throughout the UK, and are ideal for more northern areas. Hardneck types form larger cloves than softnecks, but do not keep as long.
Softneck garlic types – this categorises the majority of modern varieties. Despite the name, softnecks stores for longer and have more numerous, but smaller, cloves.
How to grow garlic bulbs
Grow garlic bulbs in full sun in your garden. Incorporate organic matter into the soil both to help with drainage and ensure that plenty of nutrients are available.
The sections, or garlic cloves, of each garlic bulb should be separated and planted just below the soil surface. Don’t separate the cloves until you’re ready to plant them, as they’ll go soft. Space rows 15-20cm apart and allow 10cm between cloves.
When To Harvest Garlic Bulbs
Lift the garlic crop in mid-summer and store in bunches hung in a dry, airy shed for use in winter. Make sure to harvest before the summer ends, as otherwise the cloves will rot. However, harvest too early and the cloves will be too small. It’s all about timing!
When harvesting, dig up your garlic bulbs carefully with a trowel, loosening the soil to gently ease the bulbs out. Avoid bruising, as this means the garlic will keep for less time.
You may also be interested in onion and shallot sets and herb plants to season your dishes.
Buy Garlic Bulbs for planting
