2023 seed garlic is ready! Here is where you can purchase it:

• Pre-sale for DCGP gardeners & members: DCGP gardeners and members get early access to our seed garlic sale! You can become a member here. The pre-sale will be in-person this year, as opposed to the online sale we have done the past couple of years. We will have garlic available for pre-sale on two dates:

  • Thursday, September 7th from 4-6:30pm in the parking lot of the Damiano Center (206 W 4th St). If it is raining, we will be right inside the doors on the parking lot side of the building. 

  • Friday, September 8th from 10am to 12pm in the DCGP office (room 214 of the Damiano Center).

  • If you are not able to make either of these dates, please email Megan and we will see if we can set up another time: megan@duluthcommunitygarden.org

• We will be selling seed garlic to the public at the Lake Superior Sustainable Farming Association's Harvest Festival at Bayfront Park on Saturday, September 9th from 10am to 4pm. 

• After that we plan to sell any leftover garlic at farmers markets in Duluth, check back soon for more information.

See you garlic varieties below:

Hardneck Varieties

- Closer to wild garlic than softneck varieties

- Complex flavors

- Shorter shelf life than softneck varieties

- Produce scapes (edible stems that need to be pruned mid-summer)

- Better suited to colder climates

- Produce 4 to 12 cloves

• Brown Tempest - (Purple Stripe) Initial hot taste that mellows to a pleasing garlicky finish. A great roasting garlic. Brown Tempest produces purple marked bulbs with 5-7 plump, light brown cloves with a rosy blush. Stores well.

• Chesnok Red - (Purple Stripe) Chesnok Red holds shape and retains flavor when cooked. Great choice for baking with a creamy texture, tastes sweet, and is used to make garlic ice cream! Produces very large bulbs that average 9 to 10 easy to peel cloves.

• Cook Home Hardy - Well, it looks too good not to pass it on! We think it was German Extra Hardy, but our grower lost track a few years back. If you’re a serious collector, you may take a pass. If you want good, reliable garlic and aren’t too picky about provenance, give this one a try!

• Georgian Fire -  (Porcelain) Described by chefs as a truly "white hot" garlic. Raw taste is strong with a hotness that is not at all unpleasant. Great for salsa and salads. 4-6 cloves per bulb. Produces thick, sturdy, flavorful scapes.

• German Extra Hardy (sold out for 2020) - (Porcelain) Strong raw flavor, high sugar content, and not too hot. One of the very best for roasting. 4-5 very large cloves per bulb. Outside skin is ivory-white, but the skin covering the cloves is dark red.

• Mike’s Hardneck - Variety cultivated by DCGP gardener and retired farmer Mike Olund.

• Music - (Porcelain) A Minnesota growers favorite with excellent yields and cold tolerance. Large bulbs with 4-6 easy to peel pink skinned cloves per bulb. Excellent flavor good for pestos and sauces. This variety is not a long keeper; stores well for up to 6 months.

• Phillips Rocambole - (Rocambole) Medium-sized, easy-to-peel cloves with a mild garlic flavor, and slight sweetness.

• Zemo - (Porcelain)  A spicy garlic flavor with moderate heat. 2–6 cloves per bulb. Late harvest. Stores 5 months.

Softneck Varieties 

- Excellent storage, average 6-8 month shelf life

- Typically milder flavor

- Softer stems conducive to braiding

- Tend not to "bolt" or produce scapes

- Produce 10 to 40 cloves

• Chamiskuri - (Artichoke) A good storage garlic from the Republic of Georgia. Large bulbs with 10-15 cloves per head. Rich flavored and pungent, and stores until mid-winter.

• Mike's Northland Softneck - Variety cultivated by DCGP gardener and retired farmer Mike Olund.

• Oregon Blue - (Artichoke) A maritime Northwest heirloom with good yields and good storage qualities. 10-12 cloves per bulb. Light purple tint on the bulb wrappers. Artichoke types store well for about 8 months. Nice spicy flavor is good raw or baked.

• Silver Rose Softneck - Rose-colored cloves in very smooth, bright white bulbs. Beautiful for braiding; one of the longest storing garlics and very fast growing. Approx. 12-15 cloves per bulb.

• Thermadrone - (Artichoke) Long keeping bulbs with a mild taste prized for French cooking. Produces 23-20 cloves per bulb. This variety does not like wet feet (water-logged soil).

Not Garlic Varieties!

• Elephant (Allium ameloprasum) - While Elephant garlic is not a true garlic - it is actually related to leeks - it is cultivated in the same manner. The large size makes it fun to grow and easy to use. The flavor is mild, so if you are a strong garlic lover, plan to use it like an onion rather than garlic.