If you want to plant and grow garlic in your garden, then you need to know the difference between hardneck and softneck garlic. These two types of garlic come with different growing requirements, bulb formations, flavor profiles, and storage habits. So choosing the right one for your garden is more important than you might think!
Garlic is hands down one of my favorite crops to grow in the garden. It’s simple to plant, easy to grow, and one of the most rewarding crops to harvest. Oh, and let’s not forget that homegrown garlic tastes so much better than store-bought!
Once you have a good, healthy garlic crop growing, you won’t need to purchase seed garlic ever again. You can use each bulb you harvest either in the kitchen or save it for planting for next season’s crop.
In fact, I’ve been growing the same garlic for several years now, and each year they keep getting better and better. There’s just something so rewarding about being able to use your own homegrown garlic to flavor your dishes!
However, if you plant the wrong kind of seed garlic, you might not get the results you are after. I’ve broken down the main differences between hardneck and softneck garlic so you can choose the best one for not only your growing location but for your long-term goals as well.
The Differences Between Hardneck And Softneck Garlic
Whether garlic is determined to be a hardneck or softneck variety depends on the way the flower stalk grows, its clove formation, and how well it stores. Its flavor profile also can be a telling sign of which variety you have.
Growth Style
As its name implies, hardneck garlic produces a large, rigid flower stalk that forms from the center of the bulb. As the stem grows and matures, it becomes woody in texture.
This stem eventually turns into what’s referred to as the garlic scape. You need to remove this edible scape in early summer to allow the plant to focus its energy on producing a large bulb as opposed to a flower stalk. (Side note: garlic scapes are one of my favorite parts of growing hardneck garlic! I use them in all kinds of different yummy recipes.)
Softneck garlic, on the other hand, produces long soft leaves that grow instead of a central stem. The leaves stay pliable, even after maturity. If you’ve ever seen harvested garlic that has been braided together in a bundle, then that is softneck garlic.
Hardneck garlic is the best choice for those who live in a Northern climate. They can withstand the colder temperatures and actually grow best in locations that have at least 40 days under 40º Fahrenheit. Softneck is best for more Southern locations.
Here in Illinois, we can sometimes get away with growing both varieties. However, from personal experience, I have much better success with hardneck varieties as opposed to softneck garlic. (Besides, I love the bonus of the scapes!)
Clove Differences
The way the bulbs and cloves grow are actually quite different as well. With hardneck garlic, there is a single layer of cloves that form around the centralized flower stalk. Softneck garlic has several overlapping layers of cloves. (See the first photo above to see the layers as well as the thick hardneck stem.)
While hardneck garlic lacks in the number of individual cloves, those cloves are usually much larger in size. Hardneck garlic cloves are covered in a thick skin that is brittle and easy to remove.
Softneck varieties tend to be papery and a bit more of a pain to peel. The positive of the papery skin is that it provides the softneck garlic bulbs with a longer shelf life compared to hardneck garlic.
As far as flavor is concerned, hardneck garlic varieties tend to have a stronger, more complex flavor than softneck varieties. Most of the garlic sold in stores is softneck garlic due to its longer shelf life. So if you like the flavor of that garlic, stick with softneck varieties. Chefs and culinary professionals tend to work more with hardneck garlic.
Popular Varieties
In general, softneck garlic is broken down into two main varieties: Artichoke and Silverskin. Artichokes are called this due to their resemblance to artichoke vegetables. Some bulbs can have as many as 20 cloves in overlapping layers. Artichoke garlic has off-white to white paper skins and a long shelf life.
Some of the more popular artichoke garlic cultivators include Applegate, California Early, California Late, Early Red Italian, Galiano, Italian Purple, and Polish Red. The softneck cultivator I tried growing here with not as good of results was Inchelium Red, an artichoke variety.
Silverskins are great for growing in a wide range of climates and conditions. Some of the more popular silverskin cultivators are Kettle River Giant, Polish White, and Silverwhite.
There are five main hardneck garlic varieties: Glazed Purple Stripe, Marble Purple Stripe, Porcelain, Purple Stripe, and Rocambole. There are also three varieties that are “weakly bolting” and those include Asiatic, Creole, and Turban. I’m not going to go into the details of each one since there are so many, but just know there are several amazing cultivators within each of those categories.
The hardneck variety I love and grow here on the semi homestead is Chesnok Red. It is a type of Purple Stripe garlic. We got ours online from Great Northern Garlic back in 2020 and have been growing from that initial seed garlic since.
Recap Of Hardneck Vs Softneck Garlic
So, to tie everything up into a nice little chart, here are the main differences between the two types:
| Hardneck Garlic | Softneck Garlic |
|---|---|
| Grows best in Northern locations with cold winters | Grows best in Southern locations with mild winters. |
| Bulbs feature a single layer of larger cloves around a thick, central flower stalk | Bulbs feature multiple overlapping layers of smaller cloves with no central stalk |
| The stalk produces an edible garlic scape in early summer | The long, flexible leaves can be braided after harvesting for easy storage |
| Cloves are larger with usually a more complex flavor | Cloves are smaller with usually a milder flavor |
| Easy-to-peel cloves that don’t store as long | Harder to peel cloves that store well; often what is sold in grocery stores |
If you want to know more information about planting and growing garlic, check out my article, “Planting Garlic In The Fall For A Huge Summer Harvest“. For information about harvesting garlic in the fall, check out my article, “How To Harvest And Cure Garlic For Long-Term Storage“
Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea
*This post may contain affiliate links. These are products I have used personally and highly recommend. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases if you purchase items through my links. These links and the ads on this page help to support my family and our semi homestead, so Thank You!
Discover more from Semi Homestead Life
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.