I’ve been shopping at my local Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, and have been really impressed with some of the gorgeous, large vegetables some of my favorite farms have grown this year. Most notable were the huge fennel bulbs and the stunning, large, firm heads of purple radicchio. But the garlic bulbs I found at the market have been, to be blunt, puny. And most are sold without variety names. Some were not properly cured. Small bulbs with small cloves are just fine for use in the kitchen for the next 3 to 5 months, but they are not suitable for planting.
When planting garlic, you want to start with the largest fresh cloves from the largest bulbs you can find, and be sure they are well cured. And you want to know what variety you’re planting, and what to expect in terms of flavor (cooked and uncooked), ease of peeling, and how long the bulbs can last in storage. And that’s exactly what we’re offering at Harlequin’s!
Our curated collection of garlic bulbs are selected for flavor, long storage, and success in our locale, all but one variety is certified organic, the bulbs and cloves are large and if watered, well fed, mulched and weeded, should reward you with even larger bulbs to harvest next summer!
See our garlic selection here, and our growing instructions here.
Harlequin’s 2025 Garlic
A note of caution: Do not plant garlic from a grocery store, unless you know it’s from a local farm. As a rule, grocery store garlic is from central California and is a soft-neck variety developed for growing there. And it has been refrigerated, reducing its ability to sprout and grow normally. Our soft-neck garlic varieties are more cold-hardy, exceptionally flavorful and long-storing, and never refrigerated.