Garlic is a strong-flavored onion relative that is also grown by planting a division or clove in late summer. After overwintering, the bulbs are ready for harvest in early July when the tops begin to turn yellow. It is time to plant your garlic! Can be grown in the Kansas climate. The following are recommended varieties:
Chesnok Red
Premium bulb size is about 2″. Chesnok Red is a striking purple stripe hardneck variety that yields large bulbs containing 8-12 long, easy to peel red cloves. This is a highly flavorful cooking and baking variety, and stores 6-7 months. It is aromatic and richly flavored, with a mild, creamy taste when roasted. Originally from the Republic of Georgia. Scapes can be harvested and used for cooking before the garlic itself is actually harvested. Medium term storage. Performs well in any climate. Hardiness zones 3-8.
Music
Music garlic, botanically classified as Allium sativum, is a hardneck variety belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family. The early to mid-season cultivar is well-known for its large clove size and is a type of Porcelain garlic. Music garlic produces upright, leafy stalks reaching 0.9 to 1.2 meters in height, and the variety produces high yields of uniform bulbs utilized for fresh and cooked culinary preparations. The variety is widely cultivated in Canada, and growers favor the plants for their cold tolerance and the bulb’s extended storage capabilities. Music garlic is a versatile, robust variety appreciated by chefs and home cooks. The garlic’s pungent, authentic garlic flavor can be incorporated into an array of sweet and savory dishes.
Purple Glazer
Purple Glazer garlic, botanically classified as Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon, is a hardneck variety from Central Asia just west of what’s known to experts as the “garlic crescent.” It is a very visually appealing variety that has fewer, larger cloves than the more common garlic varieties. Known as Mchadijvari #1 in the Republic of Georgia, Purple Glazer garlic is one of a few cultivated varieties from the glazed purple stripe group of garlic. This group was named for their satiny, glazed wrappers and purple cloves and DNA studies have confirmed these characteristics to be unique to the group.
