DCGP Seed
Garlic Sale
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.